Jewish leaders laud Theresa May, UK’s new PM

British-Jewish and pro-Israel groups are congratulating Home Secretary Theresa May for winning the leadership of the Conservative Party and replacing outgoing United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned following the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union (EU) in the Brexit referendum last month. 

Theresa May has repeatedly shown herself as “a committed and conscientious friend to both Israel and Jewish communities in the U.K.,” Paul Charney, chairman of the Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom, told JNS.org.

“We have no doubt that should the safety of either [community] come under threat, she will stand firm in our defense. Under David Cameron, the relationship between Israel and the U.K. remained warm and open, and we look forward to that positive relationship continuing under May,” he said.

May’s appointment comes at a challenging time for British Jews. The Conservative Party’s rival Labour Party was recently mired in a controversy over anti-Semitism. There were as many as 50 reported suspensions of Labour parliament members for anti-Semitic remarks, including of Labour MP Naz Shah and former London Mayor Ken Livingstone. Shah was later reinstated. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also came under fire for a recent apparent comparison of Israel to the Islamic State terror group. 

In her capacity as home secretary, a position responsible for the internal affairs of England and Wales, May had promised to defend the country’s Jewish community and wipe out anti-Semitism.

“No one wants the school where they send their child to need security guards, or have their place of worship be fitted with security alarms and blast-resistant glass. But until that changes, the government is clear—we will stand by the Jewish community,” May said at an event organized by the Community Security Trust (CST), a group that works to protect British Jews from anti-Semitism, the London Jewish Chronicle reported.