The May Government also played a leading role in facilitating the visit of Prince William to Israel – ending a de facto boycott on official visits to Israel by senior British Royals.
Even when she was fighting the toughest polititcal battles, she made time for Jewish causes.
Speaking at the United Jewish Israel Appeal dinner last September, she said: “It sickens me that anyone should feel like that in our country.
“I do not underestimate the threat posed by those who promote antisemitism, or hatred in any form. Nor the pernicious nature of what those people say and what they stand for.”
And in support of Zionism she said: "Criticising the actions of Israel is never, and can never be, an excuse for questioning Israel’s right to exist; any more than criticising Britain’s actions could be an excuse for questioning our right to exist.”
Last November, she kept a pre-planned engagement to address a Downing Street reception for those who attended a conference on antisemitism, despite having just spent more than two hours on her feet defending her EU withdrawal agreement to angry MPs.
She told the reception in honour of that day’s Sara Conference: "Antisemitism and misogyny have no place in this country Hatred can be defeated. Hatred must be defeated.”
The following month, again speaking in Downing Street, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis praised her "fortitude and resilience" and said the Jewish community held her "in the highest esteem."
He also compared her qualities to the Maccabees.
