For generations, Jews in Britain believed we had found a true home. We built lives here, raised families, and contributed to every part of society. We toasted the late queen at bar mitzvahs and prayed for the royal family in synagogues. We were not outsiders. We were proud participants in the British story.
My own family arrived here at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Like many Jews from Eastern Europe, they were fleeing the mass murders perpetrated by the Russian state. That journey brought them to Scotland, where they built new lives and laid down roots. I grew up in Glasgow, deeply proud to be British. I learned the kings and queens of the British Isles by heart and was captivated by the story of Mary, Queen of Scots. I absorbed the customs, values, and culture. I was always a proud Jew who understood my connection to Israel, but I also cherished being British.
This was my home. Today, I am preparing to leave it.
