Colin, residing in Glasgow, shared his concerns about the growing dread he feels as a Jew in Britain, a feeling intensified by his brother's death.
Bernard had moved to Israel from Glasgow at age 19 and was living a communal life on a kibbutz when he was killed. Colin remembers his brother as a free-spirited and well-loved individual. The attack on the kibbutz was brutal, with Hamas gunmen killing Bernard and over 1,200 others.
Colin's concern extends beyond personal loss to the safety of the Jewish community in the UK. He is particularly alarmed by elements within pro-Palestinian protests that he perceives as supporting Hamas's antisemitic ideology. Slogans like "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" are particularly distressing to him, as he interprets them as calls for the eradication of Jews.
The Cowan family has received empathy from Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf, but Colin notes a pervasive sense of fear among the Jewish community in the UK, stating that he has never felt more fearful in his life.