Howard Goes From Tory To Torah
He may have won a standing ovation for his final speech as Tory leader last week, but members of Blackpool’s Jewish community will best remember Michael Howard’s trip to the city for an entirely different conference performance.
Hours before stepping down from the party’s top job, Michael Howard was called up to the Torah at Blackpool Reform Jewish Congregation during a first day Rosh Hashanah service.
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Shul president Estelle Ballan said the former home secretary had been due to attend for just an hour but enjoyed it so much that he stayed until the end, enabling him to “loudly” join in with a recital of adom olam.
She said: “He did the brochas in perfect hebrew. We were very honoured. I thanked him for giving us the pleasure of having his company and he thanked me for being there so he could do what he wanted to do. “Everybody was very surprised but they thought it was lovely he took the trouble to come along.”
She added: “I’m not a Conservative, but I found him to be a perfect gentleman.”
Howard was joined at the service by five other conference attendees from as far afield as London and Glasgow. The politician had spoken to the editor of the synagogue’s magazine three weeks earlier to ask about attending the new year service, but she was not at first aware of the identity of the special caller.
Before the festival, Howard had pledged a donation to the shul's Kol Nidre appeal.
Meanwhile, leadership hopeful Dr Liam Fox and Israeli ambassador Zvi Heifetz addressed more than 200 people at a lunch organised by Conservative Friends of Israel on erev Rosh Hashanah. The event was attended by a number of MPs, including fellow candidate David Davis.
The group also had a stand at the conference, signing up new members and handing out Yarden wine and brochures about CFI.
Political director Robert Halfon said: “It was one of our most successful conferences ever. We have 100 new members including Zac Goldsmith.”
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