At Rosh Hashanah we renew our mission to combat antisemitism

This week I invited some of my ministerial colleagues to my office in Parliament for apple and honey. I shared with them Rosh Hashanah traditions that I learned from my parents, growing up in Hampstead Garden Suburb, and that I teach my children today.

I thanked my colleagues for the support they have shown me and our community. It has been a tough year for British Jews, with appalling attacks in Manchester and on the streets of Finchley and Golders Green. Wonderful pillars of Jewish life were targeted, such as Hatzola and Finchley Reform Synagogue.

I take heart from the backing of our institutions, and non-Jewish friends who have reached out and stood with us. Rosh Hashanah provides a moment to renew our mission to combat antisemitism – a mission that is not just for the Jewish community, but for everyone in Britain.

As a proud Jewish MP, representing the seat with the largest Jewish population, I see first-hand how the community refuses to be defined by racist hatred: from the testimony of the survivors of April’s stabbing in Golders Green, to the CST and Shomrim volunteers who dedicate themselves to protecting our community, and the stories of Jewish student leaders at our annual Parliamentary summit with UJS.

The spirit of our volunteers and our next generation of leaders inspires my work. Our government has a responsibility to protect Jewish life, and I have sought to be a strong voice in it. I have consistently spoken up against antisemitism across national media, calling for the Al Quds day march to be banned and criticising the silence of civil society groups when the Jewish community has been targeted. I meet regularly with Number 10, the Home Office and the Police to advocate for further and faster action. And I was pleased to see our voices heard with record funding – a quarter of a billion pounds – committed towards security and policing for our community.

But I know we cannot only treat the symptoms; we must treat the causes too. It is not enough to act only in moments of crisis. We must follow through with consistent action.

The government has proscribed the IRGC, invested millions in antisemitism education, and ramped up the pressure on public bodies to take firm action. We are tackling extremism head-on, with new measures to combat the poison of anti-Jewish racism and build more cohesive communities.

It pains me that some in our community are questioning our future in Britain. This country welcomed our families fleeing persecution, and we have built prosperous community life here. Just last week I was honoured to join the Chief Rabbi at the “concrete pour” for the Jewish Blind & Disabled Fairacres redevelopment, literally laying the new foundations to support social care in the Jewish community into an optimistic future.

Whilst some will sow hatred, more show friendship. Take the Somali Bravanese community in Finchley, who turned up at Shabbat services in the wake of the attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue in a powerful show of support. There are those small, meaningful moments, too – like the Hindu woman who saw me in Waitrose last week, and rushed over to wish me a big Shanah Tovah.Our wonderful community is worth not only protecting, but celebrating. In that mission I will be your constant: representing the communities I serve, standing strong against forces of division, and working with my colleagues in government to secure a vibrant Jewish future. Because it is not just for the Jewish community to act, but for everyone who cares about this country.

From my family to yours, Shanah Tovah.

Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green