How fortunate we were...
It is fair to say that Witney is not exactly the centre of Jewish life in the UK. Yet David Cameron, the MP for the Oxfordshire constituency, put the welfare, the well-being and the safety of the Jewish community very high on his list of priorities.
I first met David Cameron soon after his election to Parliament in 2001. It was clear even in those early days, that he understood the needs and challenges of the Jewish community.
He later demonstrated this understanding through the consistent support he pledged on Jewish matters - from ensuring our freedom to perform shechita or brit milah, to encouraging the establishment of Jewish faith schools, and time and again supporting Israel's right and obligation to defend its citizens in the face of terrorist threat.
And when the community needed to increase levels of security in Jewish institutions, it was David Cameron, together with Theresa May as Home Secretary, who delivered it. In 2016 the government announced a whopping £13.4 million towards security measures for the community, an increase of £2 million from the previous year.
He understood the challenges facing us
In recent months, he repeatedly called on Jeremy Corbyn to deal with the problem of antisemitism in the Labour Party, labelling it an "absolute cancer in our society".
Perhaps David Cameron's most important legacy will be his commitment to Holocaust remembrance - an issue very close to his heart.
The National Memorial to the Holocaust that will stand beside Parliament and the establishment a Holocaust Learning Centre for education, will demonstrate the importance that Britain places on preserving the memory of the Shoah and fighting hatred and prejudice in all its forms.
But it was his two visits to Israel in 2007 and 2014 that stand out as my personal highlights. On his first visit as Leader of the Opposition, a helicopter ride he took over Israel's narrow waistline and a visit to Yad Vashem made a lasting impression on him and went on to shape much of his understanding about the country.
His subsequent visit as Prime Minister was extraordinary and in 26 years leading the Conservative Friends of Israel, this was my proudest moment.
In the Knesset he commanded the floor with a joke about the scene before him - in true Israeli style. It was, he said, a total balagan (chaos) which upended his hopes for a quiet Wednesday without Prime Ministers Questions.
As he spoke the heartfelt words of that magnificent speech, the Knesset went quiet as everyone listened intently to our Prime Minister, whose affinity with the Jewish people was from then on undisputed.
In his final speech as Prime Minister to a Jewish communal organisation, only two weeks ago at Jewish Care, he said: "I'm not just a great friend of the Jewish community here in Britain - I am also a great friend of Israel. I will never forget taking that helicopter ride in the skies above the homeland of the Jewish people. I saw with my own eyes the vulnerabilityof this narrow strip of land - but I also marvelled at what the Israelis have built there."
Often in life one only misses someone when they are gone. Well, David Cameron has left Downing Street but I am certain that his concern for the Jewish community and Israel will continue to be an important part of his life.
What's more, I know that his legacy will be maintained and built upon by our new Prime Minister Theresa May...
How fortunate we are.
