The Community Security Trust (CST) hosted its annual Business Lunch 2024, with keynote speaker the Home Secretary Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP. The event was at full capacity with almost 400 guests in attendance, CST’s largest turn out to date for this annual lunch in support of CST’s vital work. CST works closely with the Home Office to manage a government grant of £18m per year for security guards and other measures at Jewish community buildings across the UK, while also supporting the government’s efforts to tackle the ongoing threats of extremism and antisemitism.
Guests were also addressed by Matt Jukes QPM, Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. CST’s Deputy Chairman Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE introduced the Home Secretary who spoke and thanked CST and its volunteers for their daily work to keep the Jewish community safe.
Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE commented, “We have built a state of the art, 24-7 web of protection across the Jewish community, working in close partnership with officials at the Home Office. Our partnership managing the government grant that pays for security guards at Jewish schools, synagogues and other premises is the most obvious manifestation of that joint effort. But it goes much deeper, with regular exchanges of information and insights about the latest developments in anti-Jewish extremism, whether from Islamists, far right, far left, or those anti-Israel extremists who cross the line from legitimate political protest into incitement, intimidation and support for terrorism.”
The Home Secretary spoke passionately and reiterated her steadfast commitment to combatting antisemitism, saying: “The Community Security Trust is a crucial partner in helping us to keep Jewish communities safe, and I have deep admiration and respect for the incredible contribution they make to our society. The rise in antisemitism the UK has seen since October 7 is abhorrent. Let there be no doubt: there is no place in this country for any form of hatred. As Home Secretary I will do everything in my power to protect Jewish communities and ensure those responsible for antisemitic hate crimes feel the full force of the law. That’s why the Home Office is committed to continuing our multi-year funding for protective security, managed by CST as well as working alongside the police as part of our collective effort to ensure everyone in the UK feels safe in public.”
Mark Gardner MBE, said of the period following the 7 October terror attack and the rise in anti-Jewish hatred here in the UK, “CST literally gave our community the confidence and strength to continue its way of life. New staff were employed and guarding had to be increased, everywhere. We did it immediately and we continue to do so. It is our mission and our privilege. I see more people wanting to be more Jewish, and that makes me even more proud of CST, enabling Jewish life, and empowering this community in the fight for its future and that of our children.”
Matt Jukes QPM commented, “The partnership between Policing and CST will never have been more important than it is today. In the spirit of collaboration, we all want the same thing, whether it’s at school, at synagogue at work or public transport. I want you, your children, your grandchildren and friends to be able to live whatever Jewish life you have chosen freely and without fear, here in London and across the UK. The work to do that in the last year has felt to be the hardest that I can remember but it’s been harder still for your community and for CST. That is why Counter Terror Policing’s partnership with the Community Security Trust is critical”
The lunch was concluded by Sir Gerald Ronson CBE, who thanked guests for attending and pledging their support for CST. Sir Gerald Ronson CBE commented: “A lot of people seem surprised by all the antisemitism that’s out there. I’m not surprised. My war did not start on October 7, my war started 62 years ago on the streets of the East End. As a young man, I joined with others who protected our community. Things have come a very long way since then. Thirty years ago, CST became a registered charity and now it is widely recognized as the best community security organisation anywhere in the world. Everything we have built at CST is there for a time like this. That investment is what enabled us to respond immediately, so that our community kept leading its Jewish life.”
