Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined senior Conservatives in wishing the UK’s Jewish community a happy new year. The Prime Minister said he was “delighted that here in the UK you’ll be able to welcome 5782 with all the celebration and ceremony one would normally expect”.
In a video message on Monday, the Prime Minister said that “the past year has been difficult for us all, and everyone has certainly earned the right to celebrate the arrival of a new one”. “Synagogue doors are open. You can hear those blasts of the shofar in person rather than via some app, and you can finally get together with your nearest and dearest to reflect on the year just gone by and think about what kind of life you’re going to live in the 12 months to come”, he said.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “As families celebrate, as we dip our apple into honey this Rosh Hashanah, we think of our capacity to transform our lives and our communities for the better. Shana Tova! May it be a sweet, a healthy and a happy new year”.
Home Secretary Priti Patel, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden and Middle East Minister James Cleverly were also among Conservatives to wish the Jewish community a happy new year. Israeli
Ambassador H.E. Tzipi Hotovely said that the new year “gives us cause for much optimism”, underlining that “over the past year, Israel’s relationship with the UK has strengthened in sectors as diverse as trade, health and security”. She emphasised: “I look forward to working to extending relations between our two democracies”.
