Angela Rayner prostrates herself before Board of Jewish Deputies!

Angela Rayner MP at the Board of Deputies Chanukah Party

The MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, Angela Rayner, who is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine, recently addressed a meeting of the 'Board of Deputies of British Jews'. The meeting attended by 150 guests, took place in the Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords. Ms Rayner's invitation was controversial and did cause disquiet among some members of the Jewish Community. Stephen Pollard, the editor of the Jewish Chronicle, called the invitation an "idiotic, craven and deeply counter productive decision." 

A number of years ago after visiting Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp, Ms Rayner had referred to a quote from the book called the 'The Holocaust Industry' by anti-Israel activist Norman Finkelstein, who had claimed that US Jews had exploited the 'Shoah' for political gain. Rather than defend the quote, Ms Rayner expressed remorse and said she deeply regretted saying this and was certain that she would not use it again. She also told the meeting that those who distorted history by likening Hitler to Zionism, would no longer be welcome in the Labour Party and that Labour would kick racists out of the party. Ms Rayner said she particularly welcomed the expulsion of Jewish anti-Zionist activist, Tony Greenstein, from the Labour Party. Mr Greenstein was expelled from the Labour Party in 2018 for expressing views, that the Labour top brass considered abusive and beyond the pale.

We contacted Mr Greenstein for a response to Ms Rayner's comments at the Board of Deputies meeting and he sent us the following article from his own website.

"Before reading in last week’s Zionist press about Angela Rayner’s attack on me, I had barely heard of the woman. She is not exactly a household name. Nor is she known for her wit and charm.  In an interview just over a year ago she demonstrated her mettle:

“I see myself as soft left. I’m very pragmatic. I’m interested in how we can change lives for the better; how we can we put socialism into practice. Every time we expend energy on fighting each other, we’re letting down the people that need us the most.” READ MORE: