Wear your solidarity. Show your pride.
When Should I Wear My Badge?
We're asking everyone to wear their badge on Thursday 23rd July 2026 — the Jewish day of mourning known as Tisha B'Av.
Tisha B'Av (the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av) is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, commemorating centuries of tragedy and persecution faced by the Jewish people.
By wearing your badge on this day, you're making a simple but powerful statement: British Jews are our neighbours, and we stand with them.
No marches. No rallies. Just a quiet, dignified act of British fair play and human decency.
Jews are most likely to be targeted for hate crime
This official Home Office data shows why British Jews urgently need visible allies right now. Jewish people experience hate crime at a dramatically higher rate than any other community in the UK.
Source: Home Office
Why We Stand
Antisemitism has no place in Britain.
We believe in standing up, speaking out, and showing solidarity — loudly and proudly. Every badge you wear is a statement. Every purchase is a declaration that British Jews are valued, celebrated, and supported.
This is more than a store. It is a movement.
🇬🇧 I Stand With British Jews.
Defending the Realm — British Jews in Uniform
British Jews in the Military:
Defending the Realm
British Jews have served in the British Armed Forces with distinction for well over a century, often in numbers far higher than their proportion of the population.
In the First World War, out of an estimated Anglo-Jewish community of around 250,000 people, some 50,000 Jewish men and women enlisted. Several were awarded the Victoria Cross — Britain’s highest award for gallantry. Notable recipients include:
- Lieutenant Frank Alexander de Pass — the first Jewish officer to win the VC.
- Private Issy Smith, Corporal Leonard Keysor, Lance-Corporal Jack White and Private Robert Gee.
In the Second World War the contribution was equally remarkable. Approximately 66,000 Jews from Britain and the Commonwealth served.
The Jewish Brigade, a 5,000-strong all-Jewish formation of the British Army, fought with distinction in Italy.
One outstanding individual example was Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, a Jewish bomber pilot from Leeds, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for extraordinary courage during a raid on Italy in 1943.
The tradition continues. Today Jewish men and women serve at all levels of the British Armed Forces, including in senior command positions.
The community maintains strong links with the military through organisations such as the Jewish Military Association and AJEX.
When British Jews wear the uniform, they do so as proud citizens defending the country they call home — exactly like their non-Jewish neighbours.
A History Written in Britain — Jews in These Islands Since 1070
A Brief History of Jews in Britain
Jews have been part of British life for more than nine centuries.
The first significant communities arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066. They settled in London and other growing towns, working mainly as merchants, traders and financiers.
By the 12th century there were flourishing communities in York, Lincoln, Norwich, Oxford and Winchester.
Life was not always easy. Medieval England saw periods of persecution, including the horrific massacre of the York Jewish community in 1190. In 1290, King Edward I expelled all Jews from the kingdom the first country in Europe to do so.
For nearly 400 years there was no official Jewish presence in Britain.That changed in 1656 when Oliver Cromwell quietly allowed a small group of Sephardic Jews (mainly merchants from Spain and Portugal) to settle in London.
By the early 18th century Ashkenazi Jews from Germany and Eastern Europe began arriving, and synagogues such as Bevis Marks (1701) became landmarks of British Jewish life.
Full legal equality came gradually in the 19th century. Benjamin Disraeli, born Jewish (though he converted to Christianity as a child), rose to become one of the most influential Prime Ministers of the Victorian era.
In 1858 Parliament finally allowed practising Jews to sit as MPs.The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw major waves of immigration from Eastern Europe, fleeing pogroms.
These families settled especially in London’s East End, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow, building shops, synagogues, schools and businesses. A further influx came in the 1930s as refugees fled Nazi persecution.
Today Britain is home to around 290,000–300,000 Jews — one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. They have contributed across every walk of British life: from the battlefield to the laboratory, the boardroom to the concert hall, politics to sport.
This short series looks at just a few of those remarkable stories ordinary British Jews and their extraordinary neighbours who have helped make Britain the country it is today.
Did You Know? — Remarkable Facts About British Jews
In the First World War, around 50,000 Jewish men and women volunteered to serve Britain from a community of roughly 250,000–300,000 people — an exceptionally high proportion.
Several British Jews have been awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry, including Lieutenant Frank Alexander de Pass, the first Jewish officer to receive it.
Penicillin, the antibiotic that has saved an estimated 200 million lives worldwide, was co-developed by Sir Ernst Chain, a Jewish refugee who fled Nazi Germany to carry out his groundbreaking work in Britain.
DNA fingerprinting, the technique now used in criminal investigations around the world, was invented in 1984 by Sir Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester.
Britain has had a Jewish Prime Minister — Benjamin Disraeli served twice, in 1868 and 1874.
The Bevis Marks Synagogue in London, built in 1701, is the oldest synagogue in Britain still in continuous use.
Amy Winehouse, one of the most distinctive and celebrated voices in modern British music, was born and raised in North London to a Jewish family.
Harold Pinter, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, was the son of a Jewish tailor from the East End of London.
Jews were expelled from England in 1290 and were not officially permitted to return for over 350 years — until Oliver Cromwell quietly readmitted them in 1656.
Genius, Creativity & Discovery — British Jews in the Arts, Science & Culture
From Nobel Prizes to number one albums, from the West End to the world stage — British Jews have shaped the culture of this nation and the world.
SCIENTIFIC PIONEERS
Sir Ernst Chain — Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1945) for co-developing penicillin, saving hundreds of millions of lives worldwide.
Sir Aaron Klug — Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1982) for his pioneering work in electron microscopy.
Sir Hans Krebs — Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1953) for discovering the Krebs Cycle, fundamental to all biology.
Rosalind Franklin — Whose X-ray crystallography was critical to the discovery of the structure of DNA.
Sir Alec Jeffreys — Invented DNA fingerprinting at the University of Leicester in 1984, revolutionising forensic science and criminal justice around the world.
SPORTS LEGENDS
Harold Abrahams — Olympic gold medallist in the 100 metres (1924 Paris Olympics), immortalised in the film Chariots of Fire.
Sir Ben Helfgott — Holocaust survivor, Olympic weightlifter and tireless campaigner for Holocaust education.
Angela Buxton British tennis player. Won the Wimbledon women’s doubles title in 1955 (with Althea Gibson). She was the first Jewish woman to win a Wimbledon title
Ted "Kid" Lewis (real name Gershon Mendeloff, 1894–1970)
One of the greatest British boxers of all time. Born in London’s East End to Jewish parents. He became World Welterweight Champion twice and was a dominant force in both Britain and America. Widely regarded as a pioneer of modern boxing technique.
Jack "Kid" Berg (real name Judah Bergman, 1909–1991)
Nicknamed “The Whitechapel Whirlwind”. Born in Whitechapel, London, to Jewish parents. He won the World Junior Welterweight Championship in 1930 and was known for his incredible speed and aggressive style. One of the most exciting fighters of his era.
Allan Jay British fencer. Won silver medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics and was a multiple Commonwealth and European champion. One of Britain’s most successful fencers.
THEATRE & LITERATURE
Harold Pinter — Nobel Prize in Literature (2005); one of the most influential playwrights of the 20th century.
Peter Shaffer — Author of Amadeus and Equus, two of the greatest plays in the English language.
Anita Brookner — Booker Prize-winning novelist of extraordinary precision and feeling.
Simon Gray — Playwright and diarist; one of Britain's wittiest and most humane writers.
Bernice Rubens — First British woman to win the Booker Prize (1970).
MUSIC
Amy Winehouse — One of the greatest voices Britain has ever produced; five-time Grammy Award winner.
Brian Epstein — The visionary manager who discovered and shaped The Beatles, transforming popular music forever.
Mark Ronson — Grammy Award-winning producer and artist.
FILM & TELEVISION
Mike Leigh — BAFTA and Palme d'Or-winning director.
Sacha Baron Cohen — Creator of Ali G, Borat and Bruno; one of Britain's greatest comic minds.
David Baddiel — Writer, comedian and tireless campaigner against antisemitism.
POPULAR CULTURE & FOOD
Nigella Lawson — One of Britain's best-loved television cooks and food writers, whose warm and accessible style has made her a household name and cultural icon.
POLITICS & PUBLIC LIFE
Benjamin Disraeli — Prime Minister (1868 & 1874–1880); one of the architects of modern Conservatism.
Leon Brittan — Home Secretary and European Commissioner.
Edwina Currie — MP and author.
Lord Neuberger — President of the Supreme Court.
Dame Shirley Porter — Former Leader of Westminster City Council.
Robert Voss CBE CStJ Hon.LLD — HM Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire and the second Jewish Lord-Lieutenant in British history (the first being Lord Rothschild in 1889). A distinguished public servant and passionate advocate for community cohesion.
British Jews have not merely contributed to this country. They have helped define it.
A Timeline of British Jewish History — 1,000 Years in These Islands
1070
First Jewish Community
Jewish settlers arrive in England with William the Conqueror
1190
The York Massacre
150 Jews take refuge in Clifford's Tower
1290
The Expulsion
King Edward I banishes all Jews from England
1656
The Return
Oliver Cromwell readmits Jews to England
1701
Bevis Marks Synagogue
Oldest synagogue in continuous use in Britain
1858
First Jewish MP
Lionel de Rothschild
1868
Jewish Prime Minister
Benjamin Disraeli
1914-1918
WWI Service
Over 50,000 Jewish men and women serve Britain
1939-1945
WWII Service
Over 60,000 serve, Kindertransport saves 10,000 children
1945
Penicillin Nobel Prize
Sir Ernst Chain
1984
DNA Fingerprinting
Sir Alec Jeffreys
Today
A Proud Community
300,000 British Jews enrich every aspect of national life
British Jews today
British Jews today are an integral part of modern Britain. The community numbers around 290,000-300,000 people and is one of the largest and most vibrant Jewish populations in Europe. Jewish families live in every part of the country from north London and Manchester to smaller communities in Oxfordshire, Leeds, Glasgow and beyond.
They run businesses, teach in schools, work in the NHS, serve in the Armed Forces, and contribute to every profession and walk of life. Synagogues, Jewish schools, charities and cultural organisations are active and valued members of their local communities.
British Jews are deeply involved in everyday British life volunteering, supporting local causes, celebrating national events, and participating in civic activities alongside their non-Jewish neighbours. They are proud of both their Jewish heritage and their British identity.
At a time when crimes against Jewish people and culture reached record levels, it is more important than ever to remember that British Jews are not outsiders or the other. They are our neighbours, our colleagues, our friends and our fellow citizens.
They have been here for centuries. They have fought in our wars, paid our taxes, built successful businesses, and enriched our culture in countless ways.
They ask for nothing more than the same security, respect and fair play that every British person deserves.
Jews are most likely to be targeted for hate crime
This official Home Office data shows why British Jews urgently need visible allies right now. Jewish people experience hate crime at a dramatically higher rate than any other community in the UK.
Source: Home Office
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Contact Rory Hanrahan
Questions about the campaign? Ideas for spreading the message? Just want to say hello? Reach out directly — I'd love to hear from you.