HUNDREDS of British Jews have launched a campaign to rally behind Jeremy Corbyn’s bid for the Labour leadership in the face of smears painting him as an anti-semite.

The Jews for Jeremy group said in a statement that it was “convinced that his policies are the right ones for the Labour Party to pursue both domestically and internationally at this time.”

Mr Corbyn faced the ire of critics at the Jewish Chronicle newspaper for attending events hosted by the Deir Yassin Remembered campaign group, whose founder Paul Eisen is a known holocaust denier.

The leftwinger insisted he was not aware that Mr Eisen held such views when he took part.

But the Chronicle claimed that the leadership frontrunner risks being perceived as “an enemy of Britain’s Jewish community.”

Mr Corbyn was also attacked for defending Islamic cleric Raed Salah, banned from entering Britain by Home Secretary Theresa May.

Mr Salah, who was accused of uttering the blood libel, later successfully appealed against the ban.

Jews for Jeremy said it was “alarmed” that “some unscrupulous sections of the media” had associated Mr Corbyn with anti-semitism.

“Those who know Jeremy Corbyn and have worked with him believe that this is an absurd charge,” the group said.

“Members of Jews for Jeremy believe that these accusations are a cynical attempt to damage Jeremy Corbyn’s campaign and do not think they amount to legitimate political criticism or debate.”