My colleagues and I wish all our communities a happy and healthy Pesach.
It’s been a tough year for many of our Commonwealth Jewish communities, including the New Zealand community, in Christchurch, who are still dealing with the aftermath of the February earthquake, and Pesach will just not be the same for them.
In many of our other communities there has been a rise in anti-Semitism and delegitimisation of Israel, and on our minds is the continued abduction of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier serving in the IDF who was captured on 26 June 2006. I am sure his situation will be in all our thoughts this Pesach.
All of us at the Commonwealth Jewish Council continue to work to provide for our communities. We hope to welcome you to our London conference at the end of the year, where we can come together to assist each other.
Chag Sameach.