In recent memory there has been nothing quite like the attack on the Labour Party and its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, which the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis launched in an article in The Times this week. When they consider the prospect of a Labour victory in the general election “the overwhelming majority of British Jews are gripped by anxiety”, he stated. The question he is most frequently asked by members of his community is: “What will become of Jews and Judaism in Britain if the Labour Party forms the next government?” These are both statements of fact that cannot be refuted: very many Jews are genuinely scared of Labour. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has endorsed the Chief Rabbi’s concern. Jews may have particular sensitivities to anti-Semitism, but they should be regarded as canaries down the mine – among the first to sense the presence of a real danger that will ultimately threaten everyone. Catholics, whose own tradition is not innocent in these matters, must stand in particular solidarity with their Jewish neighbours at this time.