I would like to believe Sir Sadiq’s stance is principled, not politically selective. Yet his record suggests otherwise, and it is hard not to suspect that bias shapes his approach to military conflicts and the prosperity of the city he leads, even as millions of Londoners continue to face the fallout of the 2008 financial crash.
David Frencel
London N4
Antisemitism
I am reading The Abandonment of the Jews by David S Wyman. Anyone who reads this book will be distressed by the lack of unity which the Jewish people, particularly in the US, showed during the Holocaust.
We cannot allow this disunity to be repeated in these critical times.
I’m no fan of Netanyahu or the present Israeli government, but differences must be put aside.
Even the opposition in Israel has said that the Palestinians are undeserving of a state after October 7, 2023. All in favour of a Palestinian state should read their history and learn that the Palestinians have refused the offer of a state on numerous occasions and have chosen violence instead.
To quote Abba Eban, who was no right-wing hawk, “the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity (for peace)”.
Henry Tobias.
Maale Adumim
Israel
I along with three friends, attended the march this afternoon. We are fans of FC St Pauli ( a football team in Hamburg with a history of anti- fascism and racism and who publicly condemned the massacre on October 7, 2023) and were there to express solidarity with the Jewish community in these dark times.
We did not complete the march and left it near Trafalgar Square, but we felt it was a worth the effort.
What we did not know – and you can blame us for not doing research – was that there was a speaker at the end of the march who was representing the Reform UK party. If we did, we would not have attended.
While we are scathing of the attitude of the left and so-called liberals in the UK in regards to the war in Gaza ( in effect, apologists for Hamas), under no circumstances do we support Reform UK. As a life-long anti-fascist I stood in solidarity with the Jewish community in the UK and beyond. But we do not support or endorse Reform UK.
Peter MacLeod
London
Seeking information
I am seeking information about Jacob Polak, a British Jewish intelligence officer who recovered an exceptional fragment of desecrated Torah scroll from Celle, Hanover, probably in 1945-46, and brought it back to Bradford. Polak was clearly a remarkable man and I’m keen to hear from anyone who knew him or the object he recovered. Please contact me at j.d.prosser@leeds.ac.uk.
Jay Prosser (Professor)
University of Leeds, Centre for Jewish Studies,
