Following an inaccurate reporting by the BBC of an anti-Semitic attack on Jews, a Jewish BBC broadcaster resigned.
Rabbi YY Rubystein (a contributor to BBC programs such as Good Morning Sunday or Thought For The Day), quit via a written letter.
The post was published on Facebook and addresses to Gabby (a nickname he only uses).
This letter stated: “The Corporation is currently in crisis regarding anti-Semitism and it attempts to convert the victims in the London anti-Semitic attack against Jewish children into the perpetrators of this crime was inexcusable. This was followed by denial, obfuscation and other vile acts.
“The Simon Wiesenthal Center Los Angeles contains the BBC’s annual anti-Semitism global survey, titled “Top Ten”.
This does not reflect negatively on your production company’s record, which is an excellent example. This does not also apply to many people I’ve worked with over the past three decades at BBC.
Rabbi YY Rubystein was a BBC programme contributor including Good Morning Sunday.
After the teenage passengers boarded the bus, they were heard shouting abuse at one another and gesturing at each other.
“They were the best kind, courteous and competent people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. This is true for you as well as your coworkers.
“I don’t understand how any Jew with any pride in this name, or me, can associate with the Corporation any more.”
It comes less than a week after it was reported Jewish leaders will confront BBC chief Tim Davie to demand a public apology.
This action is proposed after an investigation found a “colossal mistake” in the reporting of an antisemitic attack at Oxford Street.
An earlier video showed a group hurling abuse at Jewish teenage girls sitting in buses. Then they banged on their windows and drove off.
Police treated the incident as hate crime and it was condemned by both the Prime Minister of London and the Mayor.
Video footage showed the teenagers celebrating Hanukkah as they danced moments prior to the attack.
This month’s incident on Oxford Street was treated by police as a hate crime. It was condemned both by the Prime Minster and the Mayor of London.
BBC News reported that ‘racial slurs regarding Muslims could be heard in buses’. However, this claim has been criticized by British Jews’ Board of Deputies and Campaign Against Anti-Semitism.
Now, the board has commissioned an independent report of forensic audio professionals and a language expert. The report concluded that there was no anti-Muslim slur.
The phrase was thought to have been a slur but it turned out that the Hebrew phrase ‘Tikrah lemishuze dachuf,’ which means: ‘Call someone urgently.
Marie van der Zyl (Board of Deputies President) wrote that BBC’s misreporting was “a huge error” and added, in Jewish Chronicle: “Adding insult to injury when accusing victims of Antisemitism of having committed bigotry.”
“What makes this an even more serious failure is BBC’s response to its error.” She said. It has done double and three times the damage instead of acknowledging it was wrong.
Ms Van der Zyl asked the corporation for a public apology and stated that the Board of Deputies will be meeting with Tim Davie, Director General, this month. This meeting will feature ‘an open and honest discussion of the issue’.
She stated that the behaviour of the BBC toward Israelis and Jews raises serious questions.
BBC stands by the report and said that spokesman: “Antisemitism was abhorrent.” Our goal is to be fair and serve all the communities in our country including the Jewish community.
“Our story was an objective report which overwhelmingly concentrated on those the police wanted to identify, the people who directed abuse towards the bus.
“There was an inconsistency between the slur and what appeared to be coming from the bus. In order to determine if the slur was English-speaker, we consulted several Hebrew speakers.
“The short reference was made to it so that the most complete account was possible was published.
This was after the BBC was placed third, just behind Iran’s terrorist group Hamas.
Rabbi Marvin Hier was the director of the centre. He said that BBC was guilty of “multiple instances of antisemitism over the past year”.
Sunday’s statement by him to the Mail read: “People may assume that we will put neo Nazi groups on our List, but the BBC exists because it allows antisemitism into its reporting. It makes the organisation all the more perverse and dangerous.”
“People trust BBC worldwide and can rely on them for accurate reporting about world events.”
Rabbi Hier explained that inclusion of BBC on the list annual was a decision made after months of intensive debate and discussion.
He singled out his reporting on the anti-Israeli chanting group attacking a bus that was carrying Jewish teenagers.