The Independent Press Standards Office (IPSO) has ruled that the Jewish Chronicle’s conduct was unacceptable when it accused Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss of exaggerating the Holocaust. Rabbi Weiss, whose grandparents were murdered at Auschwitz, is an international spokesman of Neturei Karta, orthodox Jews who oppose Zionism and the State of Israel. He is in the UK on the “Muslim and Jew Tour — Beyond Israel”.
The Jewish Chronicle attacked the plans for the tour as long ago as last September (view here). It told readers that Rabbi Weiss had said that “the number who died in the Holocaust had been exaggerated,” a claim which was known to be untrue even as the newspaper went to print.
“To claim that the Rabbi had said that the figures for how many people had died in the Holocaust was exaggerated had the clear potential to damage his reputation,” ruled IPSO on 5th May 2023. “The [Complaints] Committee was also mindful of the sensitivities of such a claim given that he had lost family members in the Holocaust.”
The IPSO Complaints Committee pointed out that the Jewish Chronicle was aware, prior to its publication of the slur, that a “…retraction of the claim had previously been published, and that its initial attribution to Rabbi Weiss was ‘erroneous’. In addition, the reporter had been made aware, after the publication of the inaccurate online article and prior to the publication of the print article, that the Rabbi disputed the accuracy of the online version of the article, and the inaccuracy had still gone to print after the reporter had been made aware of the Rabbi’s position.”
In such circumstances, IPSO continued, the publication had not taken care over the accuracy of this claim in either version of the article, and there was therefore a breach of Clause 1 (i) [Accuracy]. “This had led to the publication of a significant inaccuracy, where the article inaccurately attributed a statement to Rabbi Weiss concerning the number of people who had died in the Holocaust.”
US citizen Rabbi Weiss lives in New York but is presently visiting 15 cities in the UK on the speaking tour, alongside Palestinian author and broadcaster Dr Azzam Tamimi. The slur against him was published in September last year as part of the newspaper’s attack on the tour. The complaint against the Jewish Chronicle has been pursued on his behalf by tour organiser Pete Gregson, chair of One Democratic Palestine.
“This judgement is a huge relief, as the Jewish Chronicle has been trying, with Friends of Israel and UK Lawyers for Israel, to get our venues to cancel the tour bookings,” explained Gregson. “Some venues have bowed under such pressure, meaning that last minute alternatives had to be found.” It’s clear, he added, that the campaign against Rabbi Weiss was intended to taint the tour with Holocaust denial. “The Holocaust was a vile crime against humanity and no-one associated with the tour disputes the numbers murdered by the Nazis. It seems that Israel and its supporters are weaponising the Holocaust, a claim that has also been made about anti-Semitism, in order to shut down open discussion of the Zionist state of Israel and its occupation of Palestine. It is very important that IPSO is forcing the Jewish Chronicle to set the record straight, making clear that Rabbi Weiss, the grandson of Holocaust victims, is no Holocaust denier.” Without such open discussion, added Gregson, there will never be peace.
Rabbi Weiss said “With the help of Almighty God, I am pleased that IPSO has called out this Zionist falsehood of truth. With God’s help we will continue standing against the State of Israel and its actions.”
The apology appeared in the Jewish Chronicle on 5th May 2023 at https://www.thejc.com/news/news/ipso-upholds-complaint-over-reporting-of-rabbi’s-remarks-6ESWEDNgdGwXf5FlOrVnyO
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More info from Pete Gregson, Chair of One Democratic Palestine, on 0758 472 2191
Speak to Rabbi Weiss, spokesman of the Neturei Karta- Jews Against Zionism at 07778 371916
The IPSO ruling released on the 5th May is at www.ipso.co.uk/rulings-and-resolution-statements/ruling/?id=11788-22
See the printed version of the JC, published on 5th May 2023 here
Read about the Muslim & Jew tour at: www.onepalestine.land/rabbi-on-the-road-beyond-israel
On the 31st July the complaint against the Chronicle featured alongside 14 others as we demanded action from the IPSO press regulator, calling for a proper standards investigation 15 victims of Jewish Chronicle smears demand action from regulator – SKWAWKBOX Also ‘Unacceptable’ Jewish Chronicle Puts Sham Press Watchdog IPSO on the Spot – Byline Times