Elstree and Borehamwood Town council has appointed a councillor who has pledged to support the Jewish community in times of “fear” as its new town mayor.
A member of The Liberal Synagogue Elstree, Dan Ozarow has coordinated the town’s Mitzvah Day activities in recent years, and has helped to steer the twin town relationship with Shoham in Israel.
In his acceptance speech, Labour’s Ozarow who suffered an antisemitic hate campaign between 2020 when he stood in a council by-election told the 100-strong audience of residents, community leaders, family, friends and councillors: “You know, five years ago I thought I was finished in this town.
“I was terrified to show my face and my family were close to packing up and leaving after all the antisemitic abuse, threats and harassment we faced and which relentlessly continued for many years.
“What we went through was horrendous, but it was the resilience of so many local people to get through their own daily struggles that inspired me to fight back as well as the solidarity and love from so many of you that convinced me to carry on. We have got here together and I will never forget it. ”
