(JTA) — A Labour Party branch in Britain will hold a no-confidence vote on a Jewish lawmaker on the night of Yom Kippur.
Parliament member Louise Ellman has been a loud critic of Labour head Jeremy Corbyn and how he has handled institutional anti-Semitism in the party.
The Labour Party branch for the Liverpool Riverside Constituency will hold the debate and vote on the evening of Oct. 8, when Jews around the world are gathering for the Kol Nidre service, the Jewish Chronicle reported.
Ellman is an active leader in both the Jewish Labour Movement and the Labour Friends of Israel, according to The Jerusalem Post.
“Scheduling a vote of no confidence in Louise Ellman on Kol Nidre, the most sacred night of the Jewish calendar, is truly despicable,” the Jewish Labour Movement said in a tweet. “This is racially motivated targeting and bullying of a Jewish MP — a perfect example of how the Party is institutionally racist towards Jews.”
In August, when Ellman became head of the Labour Friend of Israel, she said in a speech that she “understands” why Jews “would seriously consider” leaving Britain if Corbyn became prime minster. The statement was included in the motion for the no-confidence vote, according to the Jewish Chronicle.
“That a Jewish MP should be threatened with a vote of no confidence tabled for Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar when she has no opportunity even to respond – ought to be a source of deep shame for the Labour Party,” said Marie van der Zyl, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
