The Jews of Britain have good reason to feel anxious: On December 13 they could wake up to a different and possibly problematic reality. They have no way of knowing how the parliamentary election, slated to take place in a month and a half, will shake out. The Brexit referendum three years ago thrust the political system into a complete tailspin.
In 2016, former Prime Minister David Cameron called for the referendum, believing he could leverage it to bolster Britain's standing in the European Union. Instead, he received an unexpected knockout blow as his countrymen voted – with a 51.9% majority – to leave the EU. Cameron's replacement, Theresa May, set parliamentary elections in motion in the assumption she would easily win and be able to expand support for a "soft" Brexit. She ultimately found herself leading a minority government and a party full of dissenters who handcuffed her and led her to resign in tears.
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Now, current Prime Minister Boris Johnson is throwing Brexit back to the people in the form of another election, but despite his current lead in the polls and the decision of Nigel Faraj's Brexit Party not to hamper his chances of winning, Johnson's career as prime minister could still end after less than five months in office.
Meanwhile, Johnson's main rival, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, also isn't assured of restoring his party to power for the first time since 2010. Corbyn's ideological extremism is attractive to certain strata of British society but is also a deterrent to others. Some polls find Corbyn to be the "least popular Opposition leader of the past 45 years." Even if he doesn't win, it's still theoretically possible for him to establish a "resistance coalition" against Johnson and Brexit, which would include the Liberal Democrats and Scottish separatists who oppose leaving the EU.
Even if Labour is weakened in the upcoming election, in such a manner that Corbyn is forced to resign, he will have left behind a party that is fundamentally different than the one he inherited four years ago. Labour's far-left faction has effectively consummated its takeover of Britain's main Opposition party, essentially ridding it of all internal dissent. Under the guise of its anti-Israel and anti-Zionist worldview, Labour has normalized anti-Semitism as part of the British political landscape. Even if Corbyn goes, the devastation he leaves in his wake will be absolute.
All efforts by the country's Jewish community and Labour's own Jewish MPs to foster dialogue with Corbyn's circle about banishing anti-Semitic activists within its ranks have floundered amid their refusal to recognize the importance of the matter. There have been cosmetic initiatives, mostly for public relations purposes, but little else. Labour under Corbyn's leadership has legitimized anti-Semitism and shown Jews that the party that first welcomed them to Great Britain – no longer cares for them.
With a sense of humor that under the current circumstances has taken a darker turn, British Jews have altered Labour's slogan from "For the many, not for the few," to "For the many, not for the Jew." If Labour rises to power, this joke could have serious implications for all of Britain.
