A group of Jewish women have organised for members of the community to send letters of support to Luciana Berger for her to read after she gives birth, “as a way of giving her support and shining a light in the darkness.”
The Jewish MP for Liverpool Wavertree, who is due to give birth this weekend, left Labour last week, citing the party’s “institutional antisemitism” after harassment, abuse and threats.
A message sent around the Jewish community in North London described in detail the “grotesque antisemitic bullying” Ms Berger has experienced over the last few years from both the far-right and the far-left, and which led to her receiving police protection.
The message said: “She cannot have been going through an easy time and as a way of giving her support and shining a light in the darkness, a number of different Jewish communities have decided to get together to thank her personally for her fight in Parliament which is on behalf every single one of us.”
Nicci Menashe, who came up with the idea on Wednesday, described how Ms Berger, who also has a daughter turning two this month, “has been the subject of such abuse during both pregnancies. She hasn’t had time to focus on her babies because she’s fighting our fight.
"Every single Jewish person has a duty to thank her, they really do.
“She’s taken such hell. No-one understands. If you’re pregnant you should be thinking about your baby, and she’s been thinking about us.”
Mrs Menashe added: “We didn’t have time to make this an official thing. Mothers spoke to mothers, children started writing. We literally had 24 hours.
“Not just e-mailed letters, physical handwritten letters as well. It was the most incredible 24 hours I’ve had to witness, just pure love. The most magnificent cards you ever seen, with nothing other than ‘you’ve been through so much for us, can we just give a little bit back to you’.
“Some people offered gifts – they own a baby shop, can they give her a pram. A reflexologist offered her a free session…
“The best thing about this is that these are from both Conservative and Labour people. This wasn’t about politics, politics was thrown out the window. It was about pure love from one Jewish person to the other.
“All different religious levels. We’ve had letters from Rabbis, from schoolchildren, from university students, from Holocaust survivors – all different religious levels, every different type of Jew.”
On Thursday night, Mrs Menashe presented the Liverpool Wavertree MP with a baby gift and the scores of letters which had been received at that point, although she said that “more had come in since then.”
She described how the MP said that it "had meant so much" to receive the letters.
“She said when she has the baby she’s going to be reading them slowly and opening the gift we gave her.”
