Cities of London & Westminster MP Nickie Aiken today led a debate in the House of Commons, calling for the creation of an annual British Jewish History Month.
Nickie explains
"I’m proud to have led the debate in the House of Commons chamber today on the British Jewish Community's Contribution to the UK and the Creation of an annual British Jewish History Month.
"I was honoured to have been given the opportunity to champion the British Jewish community and its contribution to the UK.
"At a time when we have witnessed a rise in anti-semitism, it is more important than ever that we celebrate the incredible impact the Jewish community has made on our country over centuries. I am delighted that this was a positive debate highlighting the contribution British Jews have made to the UK, including in business, science, the arts and politics.
"Thank you to everyone who came to watch the debate."
You can watch Nickie's speech in the chamber or read the transcript below.
I'd like to first thank, by thanking the Backbench Business Committee who agreed to this debate and for the over 40 Members of Parliament who signed my application from across the House, and particularly the honourable Member for East Renfrewshire and my honourable Friend the Member for Hastings and Rye for attending the Backbench Committee meeting with me to support me.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I have thought long and hard about the timing of this debate, particularly after the October 7th horrendous attacks and the rise of anti-Semitism that we have seen in this country. Over 1300 percent increase in anti-Semitism in London alone in the last year. But I am very certain that we cannot conflate British Jews with the State of Israel.
The actual meaning of British Jews is that they are British citizens. It was really brought home to me when I met a group of British Jewish schoolchildren in November on behalf of my honourable friend, the Member for Finchley & Golders Green. They were ten-year-olds wearing baseball caps. And when I asked the teacher why they are wearing baseball caps, he told me it was because they had to hide their Kippahs.
And I just thought, how can we get to a state where British children are hiding their identities? And it made me think, you know, what we have to do is we have to celebrate the British Jewish community and thank them for their outstanding significant contribution that they have made in this country. I'd also like to thank Jonathan Abro, who is a constituent of mine, who led me to also think it was time that we had to change the narrative of the British Jewish community in this country because he was incensed by Westminster City Council's newsletter on hate crime, which didn't mention anti-Semitism.
I know the Jewish community is interested in its own history. The Jewish Historical Society was established in Victorian times, but it is now time, I believe, that the whole nation celebrates the history of our Jewish friends and neighbours. The Jewish community is such a small one. 280,000 British citizens identified as Jewish in the 2021 census. That is 0.5% of our population.
Compare that to 6.5% of Muslims, 1.7% of Hindus. For a small minority, the impact that British Jewish community’s made in all walks of life in this country is outstanding. And that is why we need to establish a British Jewish History Month. We know that Jews throughout the centuries have arrived in the UK fleeing persecution and murder from other countries, and they've had to rebuild their lives here.
I will give way. I'm really grateful to the honourable Member for securing this debate. And Jews have really given a huge contribution to country over many centuries. In fact, over 200 Jews have served in this chamber. By my count, 218 of that could be contested, including 70 Labour Members of Parliament. I want to give an example of one very briefly, Manny Shinwell, who is a trade unionist who served here and served in the other place until he was 101.
And did great things in the Attlee government showing that we are right across the breath and spread of the political establishment of the United Kingdom. I thank the honourable Member for his intervention and I will be making reference to Jewish politicians in my speech. But Jews have had to come to this country quite often to rebuild their lives, and this is brought home to me particularly, when reading Lord Danny Finkelstein's book Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad.
Danny's family history is sadly not unique, but is a clear example of how two families rebuilt their lives after suffering such trauma and whose members went on to make significant contributions to both Jewish and British history, including the establishment of the Wiener Holocaust Library. British Jews have played key roles and made major contributions over centuries in the fields of business, science, the arts and politics. In business, perhaps the most loved retail brand we have in this country is Marks & Spencer, established by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer. The largest supermarket in this country is Tesco's founded by Jack Cohen in 1919. Other businesses of note - cinema chain Odeon, Moss Bros. GlaxoSmithKline, all of them have been started by Jewish Brits and have provided so much jobs and so much prosperity to this country.
In science, Rosalind Franklin was responsible for the discovery of the structure of DNA. Sir Ernst Chain the co-developer of penicillin. Lord Robert Winston, now based in the other place, a pioneer of fertility treatment responsible for goodness knows how many children being born in this country and across the world. In the arts, Michael Balcon co-founded the Ealing Studios, one of the most important British studios of this day, the Ealing comedies, came from that studio and started the the careers of Sir Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers. Sam Wannamaker rebuilt the Globe Theatre just down the river from us. Perhaps the most important cultural contributions of the 20th century. Shakespeare's a Merchant of Venice was probably shown, was probably played there.
Another example of witnessing historical incidents of anti-Semitism. Monty Norman wrote the book James Bond Theme, which was then rearranged by John Barry. Actors of stage and screen have are absolutely part of our establishment. One of my personal favourites is Dame Maureen Lipman, an outstanding actor, but also a campaigner too, to ensure that anti-Semitism is understood and perhaps.
Madam Deputy Speaker, one British Jewish male who is responsible for bringing us all together every couple of years to sing and to and to hopefully bring football is Football Is Coming Home. David Baddiel Obviously the English lionesses have brought football home. We're still waiting for the boys to do it, but I'm sure they will eventually. Turning to politics, the first Jewish MP was Lionel De Rothschild representing part of my seat, the City of London.
Lionel first took his seat in 1847, but it wasn't until 1858 and the Jewish Relief Act that he was recognised as a Jewish MP. The first Jewish peer was his son, Nathaniel. Westminster City Council, where I was proud to be a councillor for 16 years, has been well served by Jewish councillors, both Labour and Conservative over the decades, including council leaders Dame Shirley Porter, Melvyn Caplan and latterly Sir Simon Milton.
A major political influence on me personally was Simon as Leader of Westminster City Council and later Boris Johnson's right hand man at City Hall when Mayor of London. Madam Speaker, I have a British Jew who is probably responsible for my start of my political career. When I met the honourable Member, my honourable Friend, the Member for Harlow at Exeter University, in our first week there and first conversation we ever had, he told me I was a Conservative and I had to join the Conservative Party and the rest is history.
In my constituency, we have evidence of a Jewish presence since Roman Britain and in Threadneedle Street. The Bank of England is situated there on the site of the London home of Howard of Lincoln, a Jewish banker who died in 1186. Those familiar with the City of London will have come across the street called Old Jewry.
The name is hardly a coincidence because the Great Synagogue of London was based there until it closed in 1272, a few short years before the Jews of England were formally expelled in 1290 by Edward the First. It was only in 1656, during the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell that Jews were invited to return, while Jewish communities would subsequently flourish all over England and further afield in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
I am proud that once again my constituency was the heart of the Jewish renaissance in this country and it is home to Bevis Marks, which was built in 1781 and is the oldest continuous synagogue in Europe today.
The first Jewish Lord Mayor was Sir David Salomons in 1855 and, Madam Deputy Speaker, tens of thousands of Jewish soldiers fought bravely in both the First and Second World Wars.
Five Jewish soldiers have received the Victoria Cross, and today, even now, every year, the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women hold a Remembrance Day parade at the Cenotaph, the Sunday after the official Remembrance Day.
Having researched this topic, I can speak for hours on the contribution made by individual Jewish people, but I want to pinpoint one person today who I think has made the most significant contribution in this country over decades, and that, Madam Deputy Speaker, is Dame Esther Rantzen.
She started so many incredible campaigns and has made a huge impact on my life, particularly starting with her That’s Life programme, where she highlighted the Ben Hardwick Organ donation campaign in the early eighties, which encouraged more people to take on organ donation. I carry an organ donation card because of that campaign.
Seatbelt campaign where she changed the law to make sure that children would be wearing seat belts in the back of cars.
And I note that the Father of the House is in his place. And I know he played a significant part in that campaign. Perhaps the most significant campaign she has been involved in, though, since is Childline and lifting the lid of the heinous crime of child abuse and giving children victims a voice. And I think the work that she has done on Childline, which is now run by the NSPCC, has actually changed the way we deal with child social services as well and has made a significant difference to many children's lives.
She's now moved on to Silver Line and outlined the loneliness that so many older people do suffer from and has helped trying to change their lives. The new film One Life tells the story of the Kindertransport set up by Nicholas Winton. And there's a scene in the film where all the survivors on That’s Life stand up and thank him.
One of those survivors was one Susie Lind, the grandmother of one of my closest friends, Daniel Astaire.
She's now at the end of her life, sadly, but she's not stopped campaigning. And with her assisted dying campaign, she's trying to make sure that we all have a good death. I want to pay tribute to Dame Esther and thank her from the whole nation for her outstanding contribution over the last 50 years.
Madam Deputy Speaker, it is perhaps no coincidence that today is Rosh - I'm going to get this wrong - Rosh Chodesh. The new Lunar month. It is an important day of renewal in the Jewish faith and the Jewish month of Shevat which also begins today. One of the great verses from the fifthteenth day of Shevat, that Moses spoke, goes as follows.
Remember the days of old?
Consider the years of ages past.
Ask your parent, who will inform you, your elders who will tell you.
Does that sound fitting to debate the merits of a British Jewish History Month? It is right that we are already celebrate the achievements of many minorities in this country and continue to educate future generations with Black History Month, LGBT History Month, Pride, Islamophobia Awareness Month.
The United States established Jewish American Heritage Month nearly two decades ago, and I believe it is now time we remind ourselves of the remarkable contribution the Jewish community has made for our nation. Often, after suffering the greatest hardships, and to celebrate the value of difference. It is time to use the achievements of the British Jewish community to remind ourselves of the values we all share and remind ourselves that this small minority is British.
I hope the government will take this on board and consider introducing a British Jewish History Month.
