Jenny Manson

Jenny Rachel Manson (; born November 1948) is a British Jewish activist, author, former civil servant, former Labour Party councillor for Colindale on Barnet London Borough Council, and co-chair of Jewish Voice for Labour.

Early life Manson was born in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, where, according to Manson, her family was the only Jewish family "and the only family that voted Labour". Her parents were Labour Party supporters and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) activists.

Her father, Raphael Arthur Salaman who got news from Amnesty and CND delivered, and would read parts of the Bible to Manson. for Palestine where she lived in Haifa for 10 years before coming to England at the age of 15

Background Manson's family celebrated Passover and observed Yom Kippur, and her father's family were members of Bevis Marks Synagogue.

Manson's paternal grandfather was botanist and potato breeder Dr Redcliffe Nathan Salaman FRS (1874–1955) who wrote The History and Social Influence of the Potato. The Salaman family are Ashkenazi Jews, who according to Manson's paternal grandfather, migrated to Britain from Holland or the Rhineland in the early 18th century.

Manson's maternal aunt is writer Esther Salaman (née Polianowski)

Career At the age of 21, Manson joined the Inland Revenue She then worked in her husband's publishing company for two years, before retiring completely in 2014.

Manson is now a trustee of two local charities This led to Manson being invited by the Association of Jewish Refugees to talk to Holocaust survivors.

Labour Party At the age of 16, Manson joined the Young Socialists and has been a member of the Labour Party

In the May 1986 Barnet London Borough Council election, she was elected as a councillor for the Colindale ward, serving until 1990. In June 1987, she unsuccessfully stood as a parliamentary candidate in Hendon North at the UK general election. She has said JVL was founded to advocate for Palestinian rights and "to tackle allegations of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party." She has stated that the organisation's mission is to "contribute to making the Labour party an open, democratic and inclusive party, encouraging all ethnic groups and cultures to join and participate freely."

In August 2017, Manson said that Jewish Voice for Labour would "provide a much-needed forum for Jews who want to celebrate and debate the long and proud history of Jewish involvement in socialist and trade-union activism." She added that they "invite everyone of Jewish heritage in the Labour Party to join us in continuing these great traditions." In September, she clarified that the organisation is "not anti-Zionist" but stated that it was "an alternative voice for Jewish members of Labour" who do not support the Jewish Labour Movement's "profoundly Zionist orientation". and in 2016, she visited Israel with Yachad and "met with groups like Breaking the Silence and got a worrying impression from them that they were fearing for their security from other Jews for speaking up against the current situation." She later stated, "I was saying that in the context of Jewish political activity I only identified with Jewish organisations as my concerns about Israel's activities grew intense."

IHRA working definition of antisemitism In July 2018, Manson was criticised for comparing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism with Section 28. She subsequently apologised for her "clumsy" analogy, which she claimed had been "misunderstood" by clarifying that she was "making a speech on the impact IHRA has in shutting down discussion" and "making the point that section 28 was a policy which acted as a deterrent, without there ever being a case where it was enacted."

In August 2019, she was a signatory of an open letter to The Guardian stating that Tower Hamlets London Borough Council's refusal to host an annual charity bike ride event in aid of Palestinian children in Gaza had vindicated concerns raised about the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, and that it "demonstrates that freedom of expression on Palestine in this country is now being suppressed".

Allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party In March 2018, Manson said on the BBC's Daily Politics TV programme that Jeremy Corbyn had taken "enormously strong action" to deal with antisemitism in the Labour Party. In April, Manson said on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, referring to a survey conducted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism: "Evidence including very recent evidence commissioned by a Jewish body suggests the very worst antisemitism is still on the right, on the far right and always has been."

In November 2019, Manson dismissed Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis' comments that the Labour Party was "incompatible" with British values. She told ITV News that she had "never been happier than now" to be a Jew in the Labour Party, defended Corbyn, and said that the Mirvis did not represent all Jewish people.

The following month, in a letter to Director-General of the BBC Tony Hall and the BBC's news and current affairs director Francesca Unsworth, Manson, along with JVL co-chair Leah Levane, wrote: "In the closing stages of an acrimonious election campaign, the BBC's coverage of anti-semitism charges against the Labour Party has been both unbalanced and uncritical."

In January 2020, Manson, along with JVL co-chair Leah Levane, expressed concerns over the impact of the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BOD)'s 10-point pledge "to tackle the anti-semitism crisis" suggesting they would silence hundreds of their members and those who hold views that differ from the BoD.

In May 2020, in her role as JVL co-chair, Manson commented on the Jewish Labour Movement's submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) in response to its investigation into institutional antisemitism in the Labour Party: "We find overwhelmingly that [JLM's submission] fails to establish its case that Labour 'is no longer a safe space for Jewish people or for those who stand up against anti-semitism'."

Personal life Manson is a secular Jew. She cites her family connection to Israel as influencing her views on Israel and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In 1969, after graduating from university, Manson moved to London and married Michael Manson, a medical and veterinary book publisher. They have lived in the same house in Hampstead Garden Suburb since 1973 and have two daughters, Jessica and Lydia, who both attended the Garden Suburb School.

Books Year Title Credit Publisher ISBN 2010 What It Feels Like to Be Me Author Psyche Books 2012 Public Service on the Brink Editor Imprint Academic