(JTA) — “Britain would not be Britain without its Jewish community,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a Hanukkah message.
“And we will stand with you and celebrate with you — at Chanukah and all year round.”
Johnson extolled the “joys of latkes and doughnuts” and marveled that kids get presents every day for more than a week before turning serious in the two-minute video message posted Sunday on social media.
Hanukkah is “a time to celebrate not just the miracle of the oil but also your unique identity,” Johnson said, adding that the menorah in the window says “I am Jewish and I am proud of it.”
“I know that recent years have not been easy ones for British Jews,” Johnson continued. “Today as Britain’s Jews seek to drive back the darkness of resurgent anti-Semitism, you have every decent person in this country fighting by your side.”
Johnson defeated Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in national elections earlier this month. Corbyn has been accused of allowing anti-Semitism to take root and flourish in Labour.
On Sunday, thousands attended the Chanukah in the Square event in Trafalgar Square, when London Mayor Sadiq Khan told the crowd, “This is your city and you’re going nowhere,” the Jewish Chronicle reported.
