Channukah at 10 Downing Street

Sometimes the job brings along the unexpected.  In this case it was a small envelope with 10 Downing Street printed on the reverse in simple text.

I was off site when the invitation arrived and was notified by email by the school office.  I assumed that this was a practical joke being played on me (there is a history of this and a number of staff have threatened revenge).

However it soon became clear that the invitation was genuine.

As a result I travelled up to London (one of the strange rules of grammar is that you travel up to a capital city, even if it is south of you - and having stated this I am sure someone may challenge this view) on Monday morning.

I had assumed those invited would enter through a side door but we were all ushered (after extensive security checks) through the famed door and up the staircase lined with the portraits of every prime minister that has served and left office. Gordon Brown currently stands at the top of the staircase.

All those invited then gathered in two rooms, waiting for the candle lighting to start.  This gave a chance for you to mingle which is very difficult when most of the guests were from London and seemed to have come in groups.  There were current servicemen/service women as well as veterans.  Rabbis, councillors and civic leaders in the group (and one headteacher of course).

I did finally meet up with the only other invitee from Leeds, Simon Jackson, who sits on the JLC and the Leeds Rep Council. He has been the sole Leeds representative in recent years. I was also able to meet the son of one of our Governors, who lives in London.  Ivan Green did comment that his son has gained his good looks from his father, I will leave others to judge this statement of fact.

I can heartily recommend London's Kosher Canapés and, despite the fact they come from the other side of the Pennines, The King David Primary School Choir.  I am hopeful that the Brodetsky choir might get an invite in the future.

The Prime Minister was unable to join us as he was in Cumbria following the devastating floods. The Home Secretary, Teresa May stood in for him and, with the Chief Rabbi, led the candle lighting. The Chief Rabbi spoke clearly about the need to appreciate what we have and the country we live in.  He asked us all to give our thoughts to our servicemen/women who are currently in action in the skies over Syria and Iraq.

I was asked by one of the PM's press officers why there were only three candles.  I was able to answer clearly but did tell him he had managed to find probably the only gentile guest in the audience to ask.  This did draw a bemused smile.

Finally, as I left the event to get my train back to Leeds, I was able to pause and have my photograph taken in front of that famous door.

Clearly the gentleman taking a selfie had the same idea as me but without someone else to take the photograph.

Let's hope that other representatives  of the Leeds Jewish community are invited next year.