Blog
Former CST Chief Executive Richard Benson awarded OBE in Queen’s Birthday honours list
21 Jun 2017 by CST
CST is delighted that our former Chief Executive and board member Richard Benson was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s birthday honours list.
Richard joined CST as a volunteer security officer in 1993 and became a full-time member of staff in 1998 as Head of Security. He was CST’s Chief Executive from 2001 until 2013 when he joined CST’s board of trustees. Under his leadership, CST became one of Britain’s foremost Jewish charities and a global leader in community-based security work.
After stepping down from his position at CST, Richard became co-Chair and then President of Tell MAMA, the national organisation for monitoring anti-Muslim hate crime. Richard is also a board member of Maccabi GB which is one of Anglo-Jewry’s main youth organisations, and a trustee of London Jewish Forum.
Throughout this time, Richard has shown a deep commitment to the safety and well-being of Jewish and Muslim communities and has promoted an ethos of volunteering and community cohesion in the work of all the organisations with which he is involved.
CST wishes Richard and his family a hearty ‘Mazeltov’ for his well-deserved honour.
Security following Finsbury Park attack
20 Jun 2017 by CST
CST condemns the suspected terrorist attack in Finsbury Park on Sunday night, in which a man drove a van into a crowd of Muslims standing on a pavement near to two mosques in the area. Read more…
Are we doing enough to tackle terror in the UK?
7 Jun 2017 by CST
The horrific terrorist attacks in London and Manchester in recent weeks have opened a debate about whether this country doing enough to tackle terrorism, and what else can be done to stop young men (and it is usually men) from going out to kill as many people as they can in the name of radical Islamist ideology. Read more…
Security bulletin following recent London and Manchester attacks
4 Jun 2017 by CST
Following the latest terrorist attack in London on 3 June 2017, CST asks our community to be calm and vigilant, to cooperate with security measures and to report suspicious activity. Read more…
When terror strikes, we must be resolute and focused
23 May 2017 by Mark Gardner
As I write this article on the morning after the appalling terror attack at the Manchester Arena, my CST colleagues and I are keenly aware that we do not know what the coming hours, days and weeks will bring. What we already know is bad enough. 22 dead and this will inevitably include children. Over 50 injured, some no doubt on the brink of life or death. Will there be further attacks? The truth is that nobody can say for sure, but we cannot assume that this was the only bomb. Nor can we assume that the terrorist was the person who built it. Read more…
Security bulletin following 22 May terror attack, Manchester
23 May 2017 by CST
Following the terrorist attack in Manchester on 22 May 2017, CST requests that our community be calm, vigilant and cooperates with security measures at UK Jewish communal locations. Read more…
Chag kasher v'sameach and Happy Passover to all
10 Apr 2017 by CST
CST would like to wish the community and our volunteers a safe, happy and peaceful Passover. CST would also like to thank all our volunteers who are giving up their time to keep our community safe. Read more…