Service at Cenotaph honours Jewish personnel who gave their lives for their country

A ceremony has been held at the Cenotaph to honour the legacy of Jewish servicemen and women.

The Association of Jewish ex-servicemen and women hold the service yearly, which includes a march from Horse Guards Parade to the Cenotaph.

Every year the service has a theme, this year it was 'Side by Side'.

Veterans and families were encouraged to join the march to embody the theme. 

The Service at the Cenotaph was conducted by the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Ajex chaplain Rabbi Reuben Livingstone and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg.

Along with remembering Jewish personnel, the service marked the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the Dambusters Raid and the 70th anniversary of the end of military operations in the Korean War.

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More than 120,000 Jews served in the British Armed Forces during the World Wars.

Former Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, who attended and lay a wreath at the service, reflected upon this:

"Today is a special opportunity to recognise the enormous contribution from the British Jewish community, in the Second World War hundreds of thousands of served. 

"In the Royal Air Force there were 20,000, and over 900 lost their lives in that fight against tyranny. 

"This is an important reminder to the rest of British society of that enormous contribution of Jewish service men and women".