I am, like most British Jews, growing really frustrated with this vague talk about “division and unity and hate.”
We have a very specific problem here. An IRGC cut out is recruiting disaffected Islamist-radicalised men, many long known to the police and negligently left ambling about, to a conduct a targeted intifada against the London Jewish community. And both our counter intelligence and counter terror forces are failing to intercept them.
I don’t need a mass London rally of well wishers or cultural luminaires to post their wishes — nice as that is — I need an actual security strategy to clamp down on this so my community can go about our lives in peace as is our absolute minimum right. And I need politicians to call the problem for what it is — not good vibes.
We won’t stop being Jewish. We won’t stop being British. We won’t stop wearing kippot, Magen David, or chai. We won’t disown Israel even as we disagree with it. We won’t do any of these things.
Eighty years ago today the Red Army entered the gates of Auschwitz-Birkenau, liberated the camp and uncovered the horrors of the mass murder carried out there by the Nazis. At least 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz. One million were Jews.
On January 27, the world honors the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. It was the Nazis' deliberate attempt to erase an entire nation—to kill all its people and destroy everything that reminded the world of the Jewish nation. Six million victims.
The crime of the Holocaust must never be repeated, yet, sadly, the memory of it is gradually fading. And the evil that seeks to destroy the lives of entire nations still exists in the world today.
We must all fight for the sake of life and remember that indifference is the breeding ground for evil. We must overcome hatred, which leads to cruelty and murder. We must not allow forgetfulness to take root. And it is everyone's mission to do everything possible to ensure that evil does not prevail.
On the eve of this Day, together with rabbis, representatives of the diplomatic corps and the team of our state, we honored the memory of the men and women, adults and children—millions who were killed in the Holocaust.
Denis Law, RIP.
Just spoke to Brian Kidd.
"He was slight, with the heart of a lion. An unbelievable finisher, he scored every type of goal. He said to me: 'If you're ever wide, don’t look up, put the cross in early. If I’m not there it’s my fault'. He was usually there. Sir Matt loved him. We all did. He was the King of the Stretford End."
One year ago, Hamas launched a horrific attack against Israel, killing over 1,400 Israeli citizens – including defenseless women, children, and the elderly – and kidnapping hundreds more. Today, the prospects of peace seem more distant than ever. But we continue to hope for a return of all the hostages, an end to the violence, a rejection of hate, and a future in which both Israelis and Palestinians can enjoy the security and stability that most of them yearn for.