Two or three times a year my school would half-empty, leaving the remaining gentiles, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims to twiddle our thumbs. That was because in Ilford, Jewish children were excused for religious holidays. It was, after all, a Jewish community. I grew up in the Ilford North constituency in the Eighties, so watching its Labour MP, Wes Streeting, face a challenge from a Muslim independent candidate because he has refused to denounce Israel feels particularly sorrowful.
Ilford was hardly utopia back then. There was plenty of everyday racism against people of colour — the BNP were active, if unsuccessful, in the area until about 15 years ago. Despite its faults, this part of north-east London and Essex is a natural staging post for communities after serving time in the East End. My paternal grandparents were from Whitechapel and Bow, and the many Jewish children I grew up with were also in families who had moved from Brick Lane and Hackney after the Second World War. Our snobbish teachers used to call us “East End overspill”.
