Chief Rabbi hopes for England World Cup triumph during Chanukah lighting at Wembley
Harry Kane and Chloe Kelly send festive greetings, with the latter joking: ‘Go easy on the doughnuts!’
The Chief Rabbi has likened the Football Association to the shamash on the menorah as he gave a blessing for England’s success at next summer’s World Cup.
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis lit the first candle, and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-lead of Progressive Judaism, lit the candle as Maoz Tzur was enthusiastically recited by more than 300 guests in the main bowl of Wembley Stadium for the first time ever last night.
Earlier, he expressed his solidarity with those injured in the terror attack at Bondi Beach and expressed his admiration for the way Australian Jews have kept their heads held high and continued to mark the festival of lights in the wake of the atrocity.
“Together with Jewish people around the world, nothing will deter us from coming out in great numbers as we do this evening, and people are doing at other events right now,” he told the audience, including Lord John Mann, the government’s advisor on antisemitism and a member of the FA’s taskforce on tackling the scourge.
Heaping praise on the UK’s football governing body, he said, “The shamash is the candle we use to kindle the other candles. It shares its light with the other candles. The FA is one of the great English shamashes because it takes its light and shares it with the lives of tens of thousands of women, men and girls and boys. Not just enhancing the way they play football, but also allowing them to grow and develop as responsible citizens with so many phenomenal initiatives. The FA is sharing the light of health and fitness, decency and responsibility within our society.
“Then on each successive evening of Chanukah, we light an additional candle. We are never complacent; we always want to strive to achieve more. That represents our hunger for success on the football pitch. We’ve achieved so much, but we really want our England team – every one of them – to be right at the top of world football.
“God bless England in the coming year for great success.”
The event, partnered by Maccabi GB and Jewish News and sponsored by Dangoor Education and Mishcon de Reya, was MC’d by broadcaster Olivia Wayne and was part of the FA’s Faith in Football series, which also sees celebrations of Christmas, Ramadan and Vaisakhi. It included Chanukah video greetings from FA chair Debbie Hewitt and England stars including Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, Ollie Watkins and Chloe Kelly. “Go easy on those doughnuts,” instructed the lioness to the great amusement of guests.
Dal Singh Darroch, the FA’s head of diversity and inclusion strategic programmes, who heads a team that organises the series, expressed “deep condolences” over the terror attacks in Manchester and Sydney and said, “No one should have to feel unsafe because of who they are. No one should have to carry this burden alone. In football, we talk often about being a team, and right now that means supporting our Jewish teammates, colleagues and friends. The football family stands with you firmly and visibly against antisemitism, violence and fear. We know many of you are deeply anxious about the rise of antisemitism. So are we.”
He was presented with a Jewish Sports Award by Maccabi GB CEO Ashley Lerner and Lord Mann. Lerner said of the pair, “They’re not allies; they absolutely stand with us shoulder to shoulder.”
Blind player Sam Meisel, who was part of the IBSA men’s Nations Cup-winning England team, said, “It’s what you dream of as a kid – to represent your country. The future is bright. I’ve had the most amazing opportunities this year. I’ve got a Euros to look forward to in August and potentially a World Cup with the 6-a-side team.” He also hailed the pivotal impact of the opportunities given to him in sport by Maccabi GB and by taking part in the Maccabiah.
Also taking to the stage to represent grassroots football were Dalia Bermant from HMH under 16s and Russell Corin, club secretary at Hendon Utd. Jewish staff also from marketing, corporate affairs and Wembley Experiences – Andy Gerlis, Elliott Cantor, Rebecca Basalel and Matt Lang – also discussed their experiences working at the FA, including creating a special kippah emblazoned with the FA logo for the occasion.
Austin Lipman, first team captain at London Lions, Britain’s highest-ranking team with Jewish heritage, also spoke alongside Lee Glassar, board director at the club. The latter spoke about being the only team that requires additional security and insisted that the antisemitism they face “shouldn’t be normalised by anyone. No one should accept it. We won’t accept it.”
Urging more people to support the club, he said, “They all play for the badge which has a Star of David on it. Please come to watch – it would mean the world to them.”
Lerner said thousands of years after the Maccabees it sometimes felt like “not enough has changed. At Maccabi we use the power of sport to build resilience. We will also continue to hold everyone to account to ensure it’s safe for Jewish people to play sport as it is for everyone else in this country.”
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