Harlow rabbi speaks out over St George’s flag outside synagogue
News / Sat 8th Nov 2025 at 11:35am
A HARLOW rabbi has spoken out over the presence of a St George’s flag outside her synagogue.
Rabbit Irit Shillor made the comment during the Harlow Civic Service at St Paul’s Church on Sunday afternoon.
The event was hosted by the chair of Harlow Council, cllr Andrew Johnson and led by Rev Jokey Poyntz.
Many other chairs and mayors from across the region were also present.
Among the speakers were chair of Harlow Council, Andrew Johnson, leader of Harlow Council, Dan Swords and leader of Harlow Labour, James Griggs.
Rabbi Irit Șhillor of the Harlow Jewish Community then spoke.
As part of her speech, Rabbi Irit said: “Yesterday, our service was clouded by a St George’s flag outside our synagogue.
“An intimidating symbol…saying to us that people hate immigrants, therefore, us Jews too”.
Reverend Darren McIndoe delivered a detailed speech which also touched on the subject of community.
He looked back to Sir Frederick Gibberd’s plan, which in more ways than one, was about bringing communities together he said.
Before that councillor Griggs used Barack Obama’s inauguration speech as the basis for his oration.
Following the service, local ward councillor Jake Shepherd wrote to Essex County Council and highlighted the concerns members of the Jewish community had expressed regarding the flags.
Essex County councillors Andrew Johnson, Mike Hardware, Clive Souter and Mike Garnett have yet to reply to our questions.
Film of the service is below.
Seamus
2025-11-08 12:18:01
"“Yesterday, our service was clouded by a St George’s flag outside our synagogue. An intimidating symbol…saying to us that people hate immigrants, therefore, us Jews too." I often worry about people with this groupthink where they make political statements but dress them up as religious ones. This weekend is rememberance Sunday, a time when the nation and the countries flag's will be shown out of respect for those who fought and those we have lost. If that fight for freedom offends anyone then I'm sorry that the freedoms they enjoy today, seem to be outweighed by their political dogma.
Edward
2025-11-08 13:56:02
As far as I'm concerned it's the British flag no matter what your colour race if you live in England and choose it for your home why are you too not proud why do you have to take everything as racist It's not
David Forman
2025-11-08 17:39:59
I understand Rabbi Shillor's point of view and anxieties given the proliferation of flags and symbols that marked the beginning of the 1930s Nazi era. Plus, we should not forget that the leader of Operation Raise the Colours, Andrew Currien (aka Andy Saxon), has a long track record in far-right activism including being an English Defence League bodyguard and jailed in 2009 for his involvement in the racist killing of a black man in Wolverhampton. However, in terms of the near timing of Remembrance Sunday it has to be remembered that many Jews fought for Britain, including those who already lived in Palestine before WWII. We should also proudly remember the 43 Group of Jewish ex-servicemen who fought Oswald Mosley's fascist Union Movement on the streets of London's East End in the post-war period. Likewise we should honour the 62 Group of Jewish ex-servicemen and anti-fascists who opposed Colin Jordan's fascist National Socialist Movement and the Union Movement in the 1960s. Learn more about the 43 and 62 Group at https://searchlightmagazine.com/2023/07/jules-konopinski-obituary-by-daniel-sonabend/
David Forman
2025-11-08 18:37:23
I forgot to add on Jews fighting fascism with British forces that "some 30,000 Jewish volunteers from Palestine served with the British forces during World War II. More than 700 were killed during active duty." See article at https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-brigade-group
Val
2025-11-08 18:53:52
Incredible that all these wokes rant about 'being intimidated' by the flags. Come on! What has happened? Who has intimidated you? It is not the Nazi Swastika or the flag of ISIS. It is the flag of our nation. If you truly feel unable to pledge allegiance to your country, maybe you should go a live somewhere else. This nothing more than Far Left hype to stir up tension and division.
Waida Forman
2025-11-08 19:51:22
Incredible comment from Val. Unfortunately some people think they can say what they without thinking of consequences. History has shown us what happened but some people will never learn. I have lived here for 34 years and never felt afraid because I felt accepted. Now, I don't know what will happen, a lot of nasty comments on social media about people like me. It doesn't help the politicos are not saying anything about this, in case they lose votes. I understand some people are not happy about what the Government is not doing for them and by blaming anyone else make them feel better. Remember "Divide and Conquer" is not the answer. We are all trying to live our life as safe as possible.
Seamus
2025-11-08 21:47:48
Waida you said "Unfortunately some people think they can say what they without thinking of consequences. History has shown us what happened but some people will never learn". Would that also apply to the rabbi's untimely comments? There was a 100 year old War Veteran on tv during the week who was tearful and gave his honest opinion that when he saw how many died, he then said looking at the state of the U.K. today, he thinks it wasn't worth it. You say divide and conquer is not the answer. I would say that has already happened because you can fly a palestinian flag, fly a blm flag, even fly an lgbt flag but if you dare fly the nation or countries flag then you are labelled a biggot, a racist, even far right. Tomorrow is rememberance Sunday and for people who have lived here 100 years and fought wars to give you the freedoms you enjoy today to be told sorry but your nations flag scares/offends me, then I would say something has gone horribly wrong in the U.K.
David Forman
2025-11-09 00:12:29
Seamus, I think you overlook the rights that were won by the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, the reforming Liberal government of David Lloyd George and the trade unions. On Remembrance Sunday we should remember that the armed forces returning from WWII voted in large numbers for a Labour government committed to eradicating the poverty of the 1930s. In the run-up to the 1945 election one of Labour's leaflets showed a sailor, soldier, and airman together: “Help Them Finish Their Jobs! Give Them Homes and Work! The rollback of the progress made by Attlee's 1945-51 governments by the likes of Thatcher, Blair, Cameron, May and Johnson is largely why people feel disenchanted and made worse by the Starmer government. The idea we should entertain following centenarian veteran Alec Penstone's remarks is that poverty, fascism and worldwide armed conflict should be consigned to history. See article at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/britain-moves-leftward-labour-party-and-july-1945-election
Dave
2025-11-09 00:47:59
Those putting up the flags would side with Hitler and would think the Allies were woke
Seamus
2025-11-09 01:18:01
"Seamus, I think you overlook the rights that were won by the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, the reforming Liberal government of David Lloyd George and the trade unions". David I didn't overlook it at all as it had absolutely nothing to do with the bigotry displayed by Rabbi Shillor. Personally I feel she should make an apology for her sweeping assumption based on her own inflammatory view.
AB
2025-11-09 06:20:27
It's time Harlow Council got a grip, and removed this else tatty, cheap Temu tags from around the town.
Jay
2025-11-09 10:00:40
**The flag organisers are convicted criminals and racists, it wasn't put up by nice people with nice intentions. Unfortunately the St George's flag has been hijacked on many occasions for years and years by bigots( BNP, EDL, Combat 18) and just plain jobless louts/ hooligans/ idiots who are are exactly like Nazis, ironically. Their grandparents must be turning in their graves, after they and thousands of soldiers from immigrants backgrounds including Jews and Muslims who joined the allies to fight. Therefore when these stupid twats put up these flags on roundabouts they are doing for Remembrance day or anything innocent, they are doing it as they are delusional/uneducated and backward racists who want to kick out immigrants and any ethnic looking person even if they were born in UK, and contribute more then they do! Let's face it, these silly morons putting up flags ain't got a job, and ain't contributing anything to British society which is again ironic, as the immigrant working in my local Mcds are paying more in tax and hence doing more for the country then they are! So nothing wrong with flags flown at games or for remembrance day, but they ain't doing it for any of the above reasons, they think they can start a movement which will result in an all white UK again, even though that's a pipe dream that's never going to happen, and they are just getting played by those who like to divide.
Seamus
2025-11-09 14:10:04
Jay yours is an example of a biggotted prejudged opinion. How do you know every person who proudly displayed the nations and countries flags are convicted criminals and racists? You can't possibly know so can I ask what you have to support that? If you feel feel a flag flyer is a nazi then perhaps you were poorly schooled as your definition of a nazi? You go then on a crazy uninformed word soup and widely miss the point of the flag campaign which you may recall started over ILLEGAL economic migrants abusing the asylum and refugee schemes, surely you aren't saying illegality is ok or are you saying illegallity is okay when it's your version but not ok when It's the governments laws? This is a first world problem despite how some try and make it look like it's just flag flyers just in the U.K. I see you have decided when we can fly the nations flag, thank you for that clarity. It's with that clarity in mind I will offer some in return.Globally we have the third world on the move into the first world, the first world cannot take in or afford them all. We have schemes such as asylum/refugee and legal migration routes. All three are being abused and in large numbers, that has to be dealt with. "they think they can start a movement which will result in an all white UK again" Proof of that please or you're just being ignorant again. May I remind you that those who have attacked synagogues in the U.K. have tended NOT to be those who are proud to be British
jarrett
2025-11-10 10:17:02
Having driven past the synagogue yesterday it is nearly all the lamp posts that have a flag on them so are you moaning about YOUR one or all of them, stop being a snowflake and enjoy your services.
Debiee tester
2025-11-10 16:55:38
Testing
Jay
2025-11-10 17:20:25
Hello SEAMUS - Who said all every person that puts a flag is a racist? Not me! Therefore I shall clarify and repeat what I said- The organisers or the main group who are putting up flags up and down the country are mostly convicts and far right racist groups. Ordinary people putting up flags have just been hoodwinked by these racists and this movement, and I'm sure most of them are not bigoted. A quick Google search will show you one of the main organisers behind this was a convict and ironically made money from bringing immigrants into the country! A real patriot! Illegals should not be in the country, absolutely agree, and yes the abuse of the system needs addressing, that's why I voted BrexitOUT but that didt fix it and we have got worse since then. (Thanks liar Farage, yet he's doing it again) Just like you I don't like paying taxes and others getting freebies, except for genuine immigration cases! In regards to the last point plenty of racist people In the recent marche organised by 'Tommy ten names' were loads of people saying on camera they want their country back and they want all ethnics out, not just illegal immigrants ! Please do your research, I'm not going to post links here. Additionally their has been a rise in racist attacks both verbal and physical on ethnic people,( who are British born or became British) and businesses owners abused and the premises painted with St George's flags recently.
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