Opinion
In the year ahead, we have more to do for British Jews
Tory party chairman Jake Berry gives a New Year's message to the community
September 20, 2022 15:59
2 min read
Tory party chairman Jake Berry gives a New Year's message to the community
September 20, 2022 15:59As Chair of the Conservative Party, I have been looking to the Jewish community on how to approach what is a season of profound change for our country. After saying farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the only monarch almost all of us have ever known, we now have a new King. And we have a new Prime Minister leading the Government with renewed priorities.
The Jewish community has a distinctive approach to change, as exemplified by Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Jewish New Year is a time of joy, but also a time to take stock of how we have done over the last year and how we want to be in the year to come. It is a good time for the country, the Government and the Conservative Party to follow a similar approach and undertake a process of reflection.
The Conservatives are proud of our record against antisemitism. Candidly, many of us in the Party saw the 2019 election victory over Corbyn’s Labour as a victory against antisemitism. While we never take the votes of British Jews for granted, we were proud to make it clear that no party which hopes to win the support of mainstream Britain can tolerate anti-Jewish hate in its ranks.
Our commitment to addressing prejudice is reinforced in the implementation of the recommendations of the Singh investigation, where, as an organisation, we have renewed efforts to better identify and address discrimination. Whilst the investigation found no evidence of institutional racism, the Party is determined to address discrimination of any kind. We take a zero-tolerance approach to antisemitic, anti-Muslim and any other kind of hatred in any form and will continue to combat discrimination and intolerance of any kind.
My party was also one of the first major UK institutions to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism and has rallied local authorities and universities to do likewise. We greatly value the role of the Community Security Trust in providing safety for Jewish institutions and continue to support its work. And the full proscription of both Hezbollah and Hamas means that the UK Government will exercise zero tolerance towards these antisemitic terrorist organisations.
But we know we have more to do in the year ahead. The Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement continues to gain traction in certain local authorities. Such motions act as a lightning rod for activity that intimidates local Jewish communities and can create a setting where antisemitism can find a home. The Government is committed to clamping down on this example of politics at its worst.
But our support for Israel is so much more wider. We hope this can be reflected in a UK Israel Free Trade Agreement, driven by Liz Truss and Yair Lapid, who have a shared vision for strengthening bilateral ties, particularly given our shared history, values and principles.
However, most importantly at home, we will continue to engage with and listen to the Jewish communities, learning about those issues that affect you as they affect everyone else, as well those that impact Jewish citizens in particular. Conservatives know that most people’s lives are not dominated by politics, and it is the job of Government to ensure that they can concentrate on what matters to them in life – their family and their community. Our country and our Jewish community have both flourished during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Our children have opportunities of which our grandparents could never have dreamed. In her day, Margaret Thatcher denounced anti-Jewish membership bars at golf clubs. Now, thankfully, such barriers would be unthinkable.
But our new era provides new trials. The cost-of-living crisis affects the Jewish community as much as the rest of our society and is a number one priority for the Government. Antisemitism often changes its form, but always needed to be guarded against. Together, we can overcome these tests and ensure that the next generation can be proud of the progress that we made during our time.
With that in mind, on behalf of the Conservative Party, I wish the Jewish community Shana Tova u'Metuka, a good and sweet year.