Corbyn’s leadership stole four years of my life - my energy, my mental health, my stable blood pressure, close friendships, my faith in people I thought were good & well-intentioned. It subjected me to daily abuse & gaslighting. Countless sleepless nights.

It took away my sense of belonging as a Jewish person in this country. It made me feel like I was constantly on the back foot simply for having been born Jewish. It made me feel alone & cast out. It made me feel afraid for my future & the future of my family and friends.

I don’t know what Starmer’s leadership will bring. I feel burned by his lack of action & support when it matter most. When he finally said sorry to the Jewish community in his speech I burst into tears. I still haven’t quite worked out why. Relief? Anger? Catharsis?

I hope it’s over. Now more than ever we need a grown up, credible opposition - someone to do all the things he promised in his speech. I hope he meant it when he promised to root out antisemitism in the party. But it will take a long time for me to trust again.

And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget how easily some dismissed Jewish fears, how ready they were to shout over us & shout us down - how willing they were to overlook the oldest of prejudices & allow them to balloon out of control. I’m not sure those wounds will ever heal