Miliband’s Israeli cousin speaks of pride as Ed bids for No 10

By Justin Cohen

An Israeli cousin of Ed Miliband has told Jewish News of her pride in the Labour leader as Britain waits to discover if he will become the country’s second Jewish premier.

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Miriam Krimolovsky, a lecturer at Tel Aviv university, said she had closely followed both Miliband brothers political triumphs and said tonight would be “very exciting for the whole family”.

She recently attended the commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany where she spoke about the brothers, whose parents fled the Nazis but who lost family members in the Shoah. “I was thinking of my father and their father loking down and being so proud of where they’ve got,” she recalled. “For me I’ll be proud not just because of the achievement but because of the family’s history (during the Holocaust).”

Tel Aviv- based Krimolovsky – who did not see the Labour chief during his visit to Israel last year – said Miliband was brought up to think “not only about the rich but also the working class” and paid tribute to both brothers as “very serious, clever boys”. The closest she has come to meeting the man hoping to enter Downing Street in recent years was in a video message he contributed to a family reunion several years ago.

Krimolovsky acknowledged she was often asked by Israeli media about the relative’s approach to Israel last summer, which provoked widespread criticism from Israel’s supporters.

But she insisted: “There’s nothing to be afraid of – I’m sure he will think of both Israelis and Palestinians. People should not be worried. We all want peace – it’s enough. It’s wrong to say he will be against us.”

While recognising the election was too close to call, Krimolovsky allowed herself to look ahead to what might be. She said: “I will be in London next month. Maybe it will be a celebration.”