Jewish singer hits out at anti-semitic abuse on Twitter

Jessie Ware's new album is at No 5 in the charts (PA)

When a so-called troll sent an anti-semitic tweet to acclaimed new singer Jessie Ware, he made a huge mistake. The offender has now felt the wrath of an angry Jewish mother, furious that her daughter's otherwise jubilant weekend was marred by online abuse.

On Sunday, Ware, a London singer set to become the most successful British Jewish performer since Amy Winehouse, shot into the album chart at number five with her debut Devotion, a collection of electro soul songs.

But her elation was tempered after she was sent an anti-semitic tweet which contained an ethnic slur about her nose and called employees at the Jewish Chronicle "c***s".

Ware, 26, who worked as a trainee journalist at the newspaper before launching her music career, tweeted: "Pretty shocked by my first encounter with an anti-semitic twitter troll last night. I won't stand for it."

Brixton-based Jessie, daughter of the former award-winning Panorama reporter John Ware, credits her mother Helena with giving her the confidence to sing. Helena, who tweets under the name @thelionLennie, with the catchline "a Jewish mother speaks", immediately sprang to her daughter's defence. "You are revolting and I am reporting you for outright racism," she replied to the offensive tweeter.

Mrs Ware added: "You clearly have no friends either. Just one follower you horrible sad man."

A spokesman for Ms Ware said: "Jessie believes the matter has been dealt with and she wants to move on." The affair did not stop Jessie tweeting a celebratory Hebrew toast after receiving news of her chart position: "Cheers Mazel l'chaim everyone!"

Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, said: "Sadly, anti-semitic abuse is not unusual for any Jewish person in the public eye. Twitter has just made it more public."

Last week Jessie told her former employers: "All I wanted was to be in a position where the JC would write about me." Now signed to Island Records, the label which made Amy Winehouse a star, Ware can be sure of that, and is an early tip to win this year's Mercury Music Prize.

Ware is the latest pop graduate of Alleyn's School in south Dulwich. She was a contemporary of Florence Welch, of Florence and the Machine, and performed in a school production of Guys and Dolls with the singer.