Goodbye Friend

I’m shocked like everyone else that Jo Cox MP (Batley and Spen) was murdered yesterday. I’m shocked as I never thought that it could happen in Britain.

My active involvement in politics (joining a party and campaigning) started a bit more than 20 yeras ago because of political violence and specifically the murder of Israel’s PM Yitzhak Rabin. It was an attack on democracy and I couldn’t sit idly by. In the same way, I view the murder of Jo Cox MP as an attack on democracy and attack on all of us who cherish the British values of freedom of speech, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance.

Jo was a hard-working MP who fought for her constituents, who fought a better and just world. She epitomized British values not just as in her work as an MP but also in her work for Oxfam and charities like NSPCC and Save the Children. She was a proud feminist and campaigned tirelessly for women’s rights around the world.

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Jo Cox MP (Wikipedia)

She left this world too early and 6 days before her 42nd birthday, leaving behind her husband Brendan and two children — my thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

The Labour Party, the parliament and the country lost a determined, principled and honest politician. Politics will not be the same anymore after this murder. The best tribute we could pay and the best response for this murder is stand and speak up for democracy, tolerance, freedom of speech and to get involved in politics. This is what Jo would want us to do.

I will miss you Jo. Shalom Chavera, Goodbye Friend.

About the Author
Tal Ofer is a former parliamentary researcher and now Deputy at the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He actively fights antisemitism and delegitimisation of Israel. In Summer 2014 he masterminded a campaign to target Tricycle Theater donors, which led to reverse of boycott of UK Jewish Film Festival.
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