Hitler made Jews wear Star of David, we should do so now as act of defiance against facism

It's not often I need to think twice about going into my local supermarket. On auto pilot I pull up in a parking space, grab a few reusable carriers from an eclectic stash in the boot then plunge headlong into the boredom of the trolley dash.

But the other day I'd barely reached the entrance before making a screeching U-turn - suddenly realising that one of the plastic bags in my hand had Hebrew writing on its side. A random souvenir from a bygone - pre-war - trip to Israel.

Immediately those ancient biblical letters – a source of pride for someone whose Jewish heritage spans generations - were redrawn through a prism of pain and vulnerability.

For though I refuse to be cowed, I’m a practical person. And with open hatred towards Jews spreading like a poison across the country and indeed the globe why advertise my status? Even among the benign territory of supermarket aisles and chill cabinets?

Because, make no mistake, antisemitism is spiralling in even the most unlikely places: only the other day two men hissed “gas gas” at a Jewish woman I know as she walked in suburban Manchester.

And it’s hard to forget the most vocal expression of antisemitism took place in London when, last Saturday, tens of thousands of people thronged the centre of the capital, chanting for the erasure of Israel from the map. By default the genocide of Jewish people.

Many have privately - and publicly - condemned antisemitism, But we need the optics to reflect strength in numbers.

For while arbitrary expressions of support are gratefully received, the country needs to come together and show tangible and visible solidarity with the Jewish community. That’s why, just as we manifestly stood up for Ukraine, we need to stand up for the Jewish people around the world with a united emblem to mark the cause.

How uplifting it would be if, just as we once wore blue and yellow ribbons for Ukraine, we were to wear a blue ribbon emblazoned with a “Magen David” - Hebrew for the star of David and an ancient symbol of the Jewish faith.

I recognise the wearing of a star has toxic associations - the Nazis used such a yellow symbol to segregate and terrorise the Jewish people. But this would be a blue star – a true symbol of Jewish pride not Jewish pain.

If politicians, business leaders, sportsmen, actors and of course members of the public wore such a symbol there would be no room to distinguish and pick out Jewish people.

Doing so would reference the fabled story of King Christian X of Denmark who is said to have committed himself to keeping all Danes safe from harm when the Nazis occupied his country by wearing a yellow star.

Meanwhile another version of the legend maintains the Danes themselves opted to wear this hideous symbol of oppression and persecution.

But even if there’s little historical evidence for the specific facts of the story there’s no getting away from the fact that the King and his people did what they could to ensure the survival of Denmark’s Jewish population during WW2.

There’s no space here to deconstruct what motivates antisemitism, the world’s oldest hatred. Although you’d think the barbaric slaughter of 1400 innocents (the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust) in an unprovoked terrorist attack might elicit a shard of sympathy.

Instead Israel`s justifiable response to free kidnapped innocents and smash Hamas - a group of animalistic jihadis whose actions have brought such misery on the people Gaza – seems only to have inflamed Jew hatred .

All of which has made Jewish people like me move carefully, look over our shoulders. Remaining proud of our heritage, yet making considered decisions about what we do and where we go.

Though it’s worth remembering that radicalised Islam is not simply a threat to the Jews but to all of us in the civilised world.

The bombing of 7/7, one of the worst terrorist atrocities in British history, was carried out by four Islamist suicide attackers who detonated bombs on three underground trains and a bus, killing 52 people and injuring more than 700. They didn't care who they slaughtered - there was no time for a checklist of race, creed or colour.

Meanwhile Rishi Sunak has told police to prepare for a terror attack as a result of the war against Hamas.

It follows Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley's warning that combat in the Middle East is "accelerating" the threat of terrorism, which was prompted by Hamas' October 7 strike.

That’s why we must come together and show visible proof that we are behind not only the Jewish community but as a reflection of our collective humanity. That we are allied with the central tenet of Judaism – the sanctity and preservation of human life

As such it would also be a reminder too of the plight of the people of Gaza who are used as human shields by Hamas, who are prevented from fleeing South to safety and whose aid, electricity and water is stolen by barbaric terrorists as they prosecute their murderous cause (ever wondered what they are using to power their rockets or pump oxygen into their tunnels?)

We were right to stand with Ukraine as innocent people battered and brutalised by a horrific enemy. So, stand up for the Jewish people of the UK. Your fellow countrymen and women who just want a blameless non-violent life in this country (demonstrations in support of Israel have been graceful and peaceful) .

Show that you care.

Let’s do this.