Jewdas is a Jewish diaspora group based in London. It describes itself as "radical" and is described by The Jewish Chronicle as a "Jewish diaspora group, known for its far-left anti-Zionism". Describing its ideology as "neo-Bundist", it has a satirical-communal website and stages events in London and elsewhere.
History
The group has been described by Benjamin Joffe-Walt of The Guardian as a Jewish hipster organisation engaged in political, cultural and artistic activities. The group initially came to attention for organising an event called "The Protocols of the Elders of Hackney", with a flyer parodying traditional antisemitic images. Four members of the group were arrested. In October 2011, Jewdas hosted ¡No Pasarán!, a party commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street. In May 2015, the group brought over thirty people on its inaugural Birthwrong trip to Andalusia, Spain, parodying Birthright Israel's heritage trips for young adults from the Jewish diaspora. Advertised as "a trip for anyone who's sick of Israel's stranglehold on Jewish culture and wants to get away on a raucous holiday", the itinerary included: "See Maimonides! Get pissed! Do some Jewish tourism! Spend Shabbat with Andalusian Jews! Shvitz in a hammam! Visit a communist village! Get pissed!" Jewdas made a short film on the trip. During the summer of 2015, Jewdas took part in two counter-protests against neo-Nazi demonstrations in North London. In January 2016, Jewdas took part in a counter-protest against a far-right rally against Syrian refugees arriving in Dover. Jewdas' description of Israel as "a steaming pile of sewage which needs to be properly disposed of" on its Twitter feed was criticised by Jon Lansman, founder of the pro-Corbyn organisation Momentum, who said that the organisation's comments were "not helpful to Jeremy or the cause of opposing antisemitism in the Labour Party". Representatives of the organisation use the collective pseudonymGeoffrey Cohen in speaking to the media.
At the beginning of April 2018, the United Kingdom'sleader of the oppositionJeremy Corbyn attended a "third night" Passover Seder held by the group in his constituency in a personal, rather than official, capacity. Following controversy over alleged antisemitism within the Labour Party, the Seder was described as symbolising Corbyn's lack of touch with mainstream Jewish opinion on issues such as antisemitism and Zionism. This criticism was not uncontroversial however; comedian David Baddiel said, making out "it's somehow anti-Semitic for to spend Seder with just because they're far left is balls", while writer and actor David Schneider said: "'Boo! Corbyn needs to get out and meets some Jews!' 'Boo! Not those Jews!'"
