The zeal of a pro-Corbyn Jewish convert

When Jeremy Corbyn attended a Passover dinner hosted by Jewdas, it was the first that many Jews had even heard of this fringe outfit. But the meeting proved to some of Corbyn’s supporters that concerns about anti-Semitism within the Labour party were overblown. After all, Jews at the event were happily speaking up for Jeremy Corbyn, so what was all the fuss about?

One of those who attended the dinner and was keen to defend Corbyn was Charlotte Nichols, a 27-year-old Young Labour committee member. Nichols’ impassioned defence of Corbyn’s presence at the event in which she argued that ‘it is not for non-Jewish people, in criticising Corbyn’s attendance, to determine what is and isn’t a legitimate expression of the Jewish faith’ was widely quoted in reports, among others, in the Guardian and the New York Times.

Curiously, however, nowhere in her article did Nichols find space to mention that she converted to reform Judaism last year (in 2014, she referred to herself as an Irish Catholic). Yet this hasn’t prevented Nichols from apparently being elevated to become one of the leading voices of the Jewish left. When the elected Board of Deputies released a statement condemning Corbyn’s lack of action against anti-Semitism and calling for a protest in Westminster, Nichols tweeted in response: ‘Where was their mandate for this overtly political demo?’

Conversion, in Judaism, is sacrosanct. Yet the revelation that Nichols was once a Catholic (which she says she never hid) has been criticised by some who argue on social media that her conversion should be ‘out of bounds’ for discussion. Of course, just because Nichols is a convert it should not prevent her from sharing her views on Corbyn, Israel or anything else for that matter. She is entitled to do so. Although perhaps one might consider it polite for a relative newcomer to Judaism to refrain from publicly criticising elected Jewish leaders. The trouble is, though, it is impossible to overlook the fact that such high-profile opportunities to air her views would not have been afforded to Nichols before she converted.

In fact, those who wish to discredit both the mainstream Anglo-Jewish community and Israel at large know very well that their Jewishness is integral to doing so. It is why, for example, Jewish Voice for Labour, a group which has shared Jewdas’ posts on its website, emailed its members canvassing for ‘people who identify as Jewish’ to put their names to a letter published in the Guardian earlier this month. The letter declared: ‘As Jews we believe that Israel has no long-term future as an exclusively Jewish state, an apartheid state.’ Yet it claimed to represent ‘Jews’, not ‘people who identify as Jews’  – a subtle but significant distinction. How many of those who put their name to the letter have nebulous links to Judaism? 

In Charlotte Nichols’ case, there is nothing to suggest that her motivation for converting to Judaism is anything but genuine. However, as a recent convert (though she claims her identification as Jewish is a much longer standing thing) she seems to lack an understanding that words she may once have uttered as a Catholic will be heard very differently when she says them as a Jew. This is why some Jews are disquieted by her apparent failure to acknowledge the incongruity of a recent convert publicly contradicting the very real concerns they have long harboured about anti-Semitism in the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn.

As Nichols continues her path through Judaism, she may come to understand this. In the meantime, at least, she’s clearly mastered the concept of chutzpah.