Lord Levy’s rabbi attacks David Hare

Lord Levy (pictured), the Labour Party's former chief fundraiser, has been drawn into a row about David Hare's new play Gethsemane, which examines the immorality of Tony Blair's government. Levy's Rabbi and friend, Yitzchak Schochet, claims that the play is anti-semitic, and that it stereotypes Jewish people in a way that is "worse than Fagin". He also asserts that one of the characters in Gethsemane, Otto Fallon, a wealthy businessman and party fundraiser, is based on Levy.

"This has less to do with my being Lord Levy's rabbi and a lot more to do with my being a sensitive Jew who is deeply disturbed by growing trends in society," Schochnet told the Sunday Telegrah. "Had there been other racial undertones, such as mocking blacks or even the slightest anti-Islamic insinuation, there would have been public outcry. It's almost as though it is that little bit more acceptable to mock Jews."

The Rabbi is unconvinced by Hare's insistence that the play is "pure fiction". He says that people who had seen Gethsemane – Jews and non-Jews – had told him of their shock. "The character is portrayed with all the stereotypes associated with a Jew in terms of his association with money and everything else," he said, after admitting he has not seen the play. "That's certainly the way a number of Jews and non-Jews have walked away from this play. If there is truth in the way the portrayal is being conveyed to me, then obviously I would question the sensitivities, the mindset, of those who see that but are still entertained. It's the portrayal of a figure very much like Fagin, but worse."

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