Ukip candidate standing against Andy Burnham in mayoral election is a bible-burning Orthodox Jewish rabbi

An Orthodox Jewish rabbi who is standing for Ukip in a mayoral election burned a bible and posted the pictures on social media. Shneur Odze, who is standing against former Health Secretary Andy Burnham in Manchester, reacted with fury when he found a religious tract in his synagogue which purported to be a Jewish bible. Odze took the book – which he believes was placed there by a proselytizing religious sect – out into the street and set fire to it. He then put pictures of the event on Twitter under the comment: "Grateful to whoever put a missionary bible amongst our synagogue’s books. Was wondering what I’d burn my Chametz [food forbidden at Passover] with." Odze explained that his actions were in line with Orthodox tradition because it was a Hebrew new testament purporting to be a Jewish bible, produced by "an extreme proselytizing Christian sect of former Jews trying to convert practicing Jews to a belief in Christ as the prophesied Messiah."