Well it was the first ever carol service I have attended and what a wonderful event it was. Encouraged by a small Zionist demonstration outside nearly 200 people attended the service, a more than tripling of the numbers last year. We have a lot to thank Jonathan Hoffman, Zionist Federation co-chair and it would seem one of our main recruiters to date! And the fact that they picket us shows who is now responsible for setting the agenda.

Inside the Alternative Carol Service was choreographed by Debbie Fink, our soprano and there were readings by Bruce Kent (making it an ecumenical service indeed!) and Baroness Jenny Tonge. A number of professional actors gave up their time in order to perform a play echoing the cries of those trapped in Gaza. New hymns were written to somewhat older music the titles of which were:

The Olive and the Army, We Three Women Travellers Are, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Away and in Danger, God Rest All Ye Who Talk of Peace. As a sample of the alternative message we wanted to convey, the O Little Town of Bethlehem began:

O little town of Bethlehem
Imprisoned how you lie
Above thy deep and silent grief,
Surveillance drones now fly.
And through thy old streets Windeth,
A huge illegal Wall.
The hopes and dreams of peace, it seems
Are dashed in pieces fall.

Bethlehem symbolises the strangulation of Occupied West Bank and was therefore a very appropriate example of what the occupation has done.

As I stood outside listening to the demonstrators shout ‘Hamas wants to kill Jews like me’ I imagined that I was watching a group of white South African demonstrators chanting ‘The ANC want to kill Whites like me’. The same settler mentality that talks of peace at the same time as supporting the use of overwhelming violence.

And towards the end Mike Cushman of Jew-Big and Bricup made an appeal for money towards 3 different charities including Interpal and Free Gaza. In the best traditions of the labour movement he called for anyone to donate £100 and sure enough 3 people volunteered!

And to those who say the Church should not be involved in politics, i.e. it should be totally irrelevant to the oppression people experience and should confine its activities to flattering the rich and powerful, what is really being said is that the Church should turn a blind eye to evil and iniquity. Wasn’t that what the church in Germany was accused of? Turning a blind eye to the deportation of the Jews? It’s not accidental that the Zionists echo the very arguments that they criticise when Jews are the recipients of discrimination and worse. But in reality it is not so surprising given that Zionism has transformed the Palestinians into the Jews of the Middle East.

And to show what side he is on, god decided to open up the heavens and drench the Zionist chorus! All in all a wonderful night to remember.