VOICE OF THE JEWISH NEWS: Taub’s shoes will be hard to fill

Such was his impact that when Ron Prosor’s tenure as ambassador to the Court of St James came to an end in 2011, many wondered how on earth his considerable shoes could possibly be filled. Not surprising given the fact even fluent English didn’t always appear to be a prerequisite for the role.

But Daniel Taub has certainly managed to do that, bringing his knowledge, extensive experience as a negotiator and affable personality to a role that few fellow members of the London diplomatic corp must envy.

Having been born and schooled in the UK, his links with the community (and command of English) were pretty strong too.

During an interview on arrival in the UK, he told this newspaper he hoped to encourage people to connect with Israel through their individual passions and interests – ­and this is certainly something he has done. In addition to helping to oversee a near doubling of bilateral trade, Taub has helped enhance connections with the regions, including his visit to the small community of Bradford in the wake of George Galloway’s ‘Israel-free’ remarks.

He has, as Jonathan Arkush said, been “by every standard an exceptional ambassador”.

We say a huge toda raba. Israel once again has a huge task in filling those shoes.