Our community never wanted this fight – but we had to defend ourselves

This week, the Equality and Human Rights Commission confirmed what we in the Jewish community have known for years.

Their long-awaited report in antisemitism reported that, under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, Jewish people in the Labour Party faced harassment, political interference in antisemitism cases, a complaints process which was not fit for purpose and inadequate training.

The entire report is a damning indictment of the Party under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn – an organisation which claimed to be THE Party of anti-racism led by a someone who proclaimed himself a lifelong fighter against prejudice. We now know the truth.

This episode in Labour’s history has been hugely distressing for those including MPs such as Louise Ellman and Luciana Berger who were hounded out of the party by. It has also been a time of acute anxiety for those who may not be Labour members or even Labour voters but who became so concerned about what was happening in Labour that they considered leaving the country if Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader.

The election of Keir Starmer as party leader in April felt like waking from a bad dream. He personally made contact with the Board of Deputies and other communal organisations on the day of his election to reassure us that things would change.

His swift and decisive response to the report of the EHRC and his subsequent decision to suspend Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Party reinforces the belief that Labour is beginning to emerge from this dreadful period.

It is still way too early to claim that antisemitism has been excised from the Party and we will be watching closely to see whether the new leadership follow through on their promises.

Our Jewish community never wanted this fight, but we had to defend ourselves and are proud to have done so.

Now, the Labour Party has an opportunity to rebuild the trust they once had. I hope they take it.