Press Releases

Tonight is a celebration of Cypriot and Jewish communities in the Commonwealth, of the unique historical bond of friendship between our two communities that has shined bright even in the darkest of times.

It is also a celebration and a reaffirmation of our common vision and desire to firmly attach our ties in the future, to enable them to blossom by working together, learning from each other and creating synergies within the Commonwealth and beyond.

Ours is a gathering, a celebration that is timely: upon the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel; it also comes at a time when the closeness and depth of the relations between the Cypriot and Jewish communities is at an unprecedented level, and as we are called to find ways to further deepen them to our mutual benefit.

The Commonwealth provides a most fertile context in which to grow further together: as one of the world’s oldest political associations, born from the ashes of the second World War, its purpose has been to be a compelling force of good, an effective network for cooperation, promotion of international understanding, peace, embracing diversity, but also shared history and tradition.

A momentous point of our common history comes following the Second World War, when Cypriots was deeply touched by the drama of survivors escaping the horror of the Holocaust and were inspired by their determination to create a better life.

For around 53.000 Jews, Cyprus was the final frontier on a journey to the Promised Land, a port of call but also confinement, during their Exodus from the concentration camps to a free and better life. The human stories of how they were embraced by Cypriots, offered shelter in every sense of the word, are truly touching. More 2.200 children were born in camps in Cyprus and till this day many of them return – and are welcomed - to their place of birth. The solidarity exhibited by the Cypriots towards Jewish refugees, played its small part in contributing to many refugees’ restoration of their shattered belief in fundamental human dignity and good. 

In modern history both our peoples have suffered displacement, loss, and persecution. So we take the lessons of the Jewish people to heart and stand in deep solidarity with the Jewish people.

In Cyprus the memory of the survivors of the horrors of the Shoah, but also the perseverance of Jewish survivors to build new lives and to create the state that would welcome them from across the world, is boldly engraved in our collective memory. It is this kind of perseverance that Cypriots displayed following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when we were forcibly displaced from our homes, towns and villages, and had to rebuild our lives and our country from the beginning.

The Commonwealth presents challenges but also opportunities for our communities. Cypriots, but even more so Jewish communities are spread across the various corners of the Commonwealth, in some places limited to only a handful of families. But no matter where we are, and no matter how few we are, we are connected by a seamless web of common values. In these circumstances, we are called to support one another to address challenges and to develop our communities.

This is where exceptional organizations such as the Board of Deputies, the voice of the British Jewish community, the Commonwealth Jewish Council, which gives voice to the concerns and positions of the Commonwealth Jewish Communities – from Lesotho, to Sri Lanka, to St Lucia and Antigua – and the National Federation of Cypriots, which was founded shortly after the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 to give voice to the now 300.000 strong UK Cypriot community, come into play as key players in efforts – including the efforts of the Israeli and Cypriot governments – in addressing common challenges but also building synergies.

I referred earlier to how far our relationship has come in recent years, how it has significantly grown, not by chance but by choice. We are very proud of how we have taken the historical and cultural affinity between our people to the level of strategic cooperation between Cyprus and Israel. Our closeness now extends to more than geography and includes cooperation in an array of fields: contacts, diaspora, energy, economic exchanges, security, defense. Our cooperation is indeed strategic. Israel, Cyprus, and Greece have been implementing their vision for the region of the Eastern Mediterranean and have established a trilateral cooperation mechanism, with frequent exchange of high-level meetings and contacts among our leadership on a wide array of issues that are indicative of the depth and multitude of our shared agenda. People to people contacts, combatting the evil of anti-Semitism is at the heart of this agenda.

In closing I would like to thank all of you for attending today’s event and to extend my sincere gratitude to the organisers – the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, with whom I had the honour and privilege to work closely with during my time as consul general at our High Commission – the Board of Deputies and the Commonwealth Jewish Council.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim, Your Eminence Archbishop Gregorios – your personal admirable history and invaluable work, your presence here which symbolizes the power of inter-faith cooperation and dialogue, which you have both championed, gives inspiration and impetus to our collective efforts.

Thank you all very much.

(RM/MKY/SCH)