Chanukah celebration at oldest building in Westminster to become annual event
Westminister Hall, built in the year 1097, staged its second ever Chanukah event, while Speaker Lindsay Hoyle and the Board of Deputies staged a packed event inside Speakers House
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A Chanukah celebration held inside the oldest building on Westminster’s parliamentary estate will now become an annual event, Lord John Mann has confirmed.
Jewish MPs, peers and staff working across the estate turned up in numbers on Wednesday evening for the second ever Chanukah event to be staged inside the beautiful and atmospheric Westminster Hall, which was built in 1097.
Ministers and shadow ministers, including Dan Jarvis, the security minister, Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, and the Liberal Democrats’ Christine Jardine addressed the gathering, along with Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and Progressive Judaism’s Rabbi Charley Baginsky.
Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle also delivered a fine speech which recognised the significance of staging the Chanukah event in the heart of Westminister as a way of honouring the vital contribution made to this country by the Jewish community.
Later that same evening, the Commons Speaker hosted a Chanukah reception inside Speaker’s House on the estate, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Communities Security and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner among those to speak, along with Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg, and Israel’s ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely.
Lord Mann praised the role both the Commons Speaker and Lords Speaker had played in recognising the importance and significance of hosting the Chanukah event on an annual basis.
“Last year you attended the first ever Chanukah commemoration to take place at Westminster Hall, but through the hard work of the Speaker and the Lords Speaker I can confirm today, we will be having an annual event inside this hall,” said the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, to loud applause from the audience.
Speaker Hoyle said:”Chanukah serves as a reminder that the Jewish people should stand strong in the face of adversity, just as your ancestors did. Chanukah is also a mark of the Jewish people’s continued dedication to the history that makes you who you are”.
Many of those who work inside parliament from the Jewish community told Jewish News that confirmation of an annual Chanukah event in the heart of Parliament was a reassuring move, at a time of great uncertainty and rising antisemitism in society outside.
Organised with the All Party Group Against Antisemitism for the first time last year in Westminster Hall, the success of the gatherings led to a decision to make the event an annual one.
In their speeches, Chief Rabbi Mirvis and Rabbi Baginsky both dwelt on the symbolism of the Chanukah story, with further reference to the horrendous plight of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
Mirvis spoke also of the desperate need for “social cohesion” in this country right now, and referenced the belief in Judaism that peoples can celebrate their differences, while at the same work together with the same goals with society.
Baginsky spoke of the “vital” need for all to dedicate themselves to the “pursuit of peace and justice:” at a time when dark had come to obscure light.
Inside Speaker’s House, the Board president also spoke of the difficulties faced by the community since October 7 with the rise of antisemitism in society. He praised the parliamentarians who had “stood with us in this really difficult period” and pledged that the Board would “fight antisemitism and stand up for peace and security in Israel and in the Middle East.”
Rosenberg added:”Friends, parliamentarians, many of whom have stood with us in this really difficult period, we need your help to do it.”
In her speech Deputy PM Rayner noted the recent antisemitic incidents in Amsterdam and Melbourne. She said the UK government would “do everything in our power to protect you and make sure those who commit antisemitic hate crimes feel the full force of the law.”
It was a point echoed by the Home Secretary who noted the continued displays of antisemitic conduct on the streets during pro-Palestine demos.
Conservative shadow home secretary Philp also told the audience of how horrified he was when an American Jewish friend visiting London asked if was safe to wear a star of David and a kippah on the capital’s streets.
For the Liberal Democrats, Christine Jardine said that during worrying times “I feel that the British Jewish community brings a light to the darkness in this country, they shine the light on our communities.”
Among those also attending the events were the Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish Rep Council of Greater Manchester chief Marc Levy, the Jewish Labour Movement’s Mike Katz and Conservative Friends of Israel’s Elkie Clark.
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