Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis led the gathering in saying Kaddish.
JLC chairman Keith Black drew wide applause as he addressed the crowd from the stage saying: “Your presence here today sends a message worldwide: British Jewry is a Zionist community.
“We stand with Israel. Our love for that country has not diminished one iota by what has gone over the last three years. We will stand with you forevermore, and today [October 7] will stay in our hearts forever more too.”
Union of Jewish Students president Raphi Leon read out the names of the victims of October 7 who were British nationals or had other links to Britain.
Also present were Sharone Lifschitz, whose parents were taken captive by Hamas on October 7. Her mother Yocheved was released and returned to Israel a few weeks later, but her 84-year-old father was killed in captivity.
Co-chair of Progressive Judaism Rabbi Charley Baginsky also attended.
Mainstream politicians were represented byDeputy Leader of Reform Richard Tice and Labour’s Housing Secretary Angela Rayner.
Tice told the JC it was “vital that all of us, from all parts of the United Kingdom stand in rock solid solidarity with the British Jewish community, and with Israel, a very, very important longstanding ally.”
He added that he had “said the same when I was in Israel last September, going to the Nova site and [seeing] the memorial there, which is beautiful and moving and emotive. I was so struck by it.
“It’s so important to always remember and to always commemorate [October 7], because otherwise you end up as those who try and deny that atrocious things happened that day. And you’ve seen that elsewhere, and we cannot let that happen here.”
BoD president Phil Rosenberg addressed the spontaneous demonstration that took place outside the offices of the Board of Deputies earlier in the day, when masked anti-Israel agitators accused the representative body of being “genocide deniers”.
He said: “Our response [to the demonstration] is clear: we will not be threatened or intimidated by a small and extremist minority. We will continue undeterred to advocate for the Jewish people here and around the world, and to stand up for peace and security for Israelis, Palestinians, and the wider Middle East.”
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Angela Rayner (left) and Richard Tice (right) (Credit: Daniel Ben-David)[Missing Credit]
He said that three years on from October 7, “Hamas’s evil has been exported around the world. At Heaton Park last Yom Kippur, two Jews were murdered just for being Jews. Another such attempt was thwarted this year by our police and security services. Our community has faced stabbing and arson attacks, many directed by Iran.
“This is not just a Jewish problem, but a British problem. If a proudly British community who has made and continues to make a massive contribution to our society can be targeted in this way, what hope is there for this country?
“We need a response that is not timid, but forceful and firm,” he continued, “this is a fight is not just for Jews but for Britain itself.”
