I would like to wish all my constituents who are celebrating Passover this weekend chag kasher v'sameach.
Passover is an opportunity for Jewish families around the world to come together and reitell the story of their ancestors’ liberation from slavery in Egypt.
As all of us who know our Old Testament texts are aware, the events of Passover were only the start of a long and perilous journey.
And sadly the adversity of the Jewish people continued through centuries of persecution and discrimination, culminating in the horrors which took place in Europe in the 20th century.
In Barnet we are a highly diverse borough where the Jewish community is just one of a vibrant array of different faith and ethnic groups. We can be proud of the community cohesion we have here in north London where people from a wide range of different cultural backgrounds live and work seamlessly and harmoniously together.
It is deeply regrettable that there is still anti-Semitism in Britain and I will always call it out wherever I see it. We must always have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and racism.