Sarah Sackman: I cannot share the view that British Jews need to leave the UK
In speech at JLM conference the Labour minister did not downplay the threat facing the community
Sarah Sackman, MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has declared she “cannot share the view” that British Jews should leave the UK, despite rising antisemitism and recent attacks that have shaken the community.
In a powerful and often personal address at the Jewish Labour Movement’s annual conference, the courts minister acknowledged the deep fears felt by Jews across Britain. “It is an awful reality of the times in which we now live that constituents tell me they want to leave the UK,” she said.
“This is a subject brought up at Shabbat dinner tables across the country. I understand why people are afraid, and I empathise with how they feel. But I cannot share that view.”
Sackman though, did not downplay the threat facing the community, as she spoke alongside Jewish Labour Movement national chair Ella Rose-Jacobs.
Recalling the shocking attack at Heaton Park, Manchester, in which British Jews were murdered while praying, she described the moment the news broke: “The evening before, I’d been asked to read a poem at Kol Nidre—a chance to turn over a new leaf. The very next day that clean break was shattered. Like many Jewish parents, on days like these, I squeezed my children’s hands a little tighter, pretending everything was ok. This is where the personal and political collide.”
Offering a behind-the-scenes perspective, Sackman explained how the government responded to the Manchester synagogue attack. “I want to share with you what happens at a moment like that, as the MP for Finchley and Golders Green and as a member of the Government,” she said. “I hope it can illuminate not only the gravity of the moment but also the hope and strength I’ve observed.”
She praised the resilience of the Jewish community and the support from the police, political leaders, and neighbours. Quoting Leonard Cohen, she said: “There’s a crack in everything, but that’s how the light gets in.”
Sackman described the coordinated response from her team, government officials, and community networks. “The Home Secretary checked in. We used our networks, identified concerns, issued a public statement condemning the attack, and pointed people towards support. The next day, after a media round, I stood at the gates of a local Jewish primary school speaking with parents, checked in with every local congregation, and attended synagogue with Mike Freer, my predecessor. Cross-party—solidarity against hate.”
She also spoke candidly about the abuse she receives online for condemning antisemitism, reading out some of the hateful messages posted in response to her statements.
Despite these challenges, Sackman was clear in her resolve: “I am an MP and a British Jew, raising my girls as Jews. And I will be damned if antisemites win—if we allow them to make my family, and families across the country, feel less safe. We have to fight it with everything we’ve got.”
Looking to the future, she affirmed her faith in British society, saying:”The Britain I know is full of tolerant, decent, law-abiding people. People who love their neighbours, who abhor antisemitism, and who stand with our Jewish community—a moderate majority that outnumbers the small, extremist antisemitic minority. It is time for that moderate majority to stand with us and unite against hate.”
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