The 2021 film ‘Operation Mincemeat’ tells the story of Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montague, who, during the Second World War, came up with the idea of dressing a corpse in British army officer uniform. The corpse was planted with fake papers showing plans for an Allied invasion of Greece, when the real target was Sicily.
The body was planted to wash ashore in Spain where the papers would be found by the Nazis. The Germans were completely fooled. The details in the fake papers made their way to Hitler’s office, Third Reich troops were diverted to Greece and the Allied invasion of Sicily was a success.
What you might not know is that after the war, Ewen Montague became President of the United Synagogue and my grandpa was the Minister at Dollis Hill United Synagogue at the time.
You might also not know that the 2021 movie with Colin Firth is the second film version of this story. The original was a BAFTA-winning film called ‘The Man Who Never Was’ and was released in 1956.
The film concludes with the real Ewen Montague placing his OBE on the grave in Spain of the man who never was. My father told me he watched the film as a child on his parents’ black and white TV. When the real Ewen Montague came on screen, my grandma said to my father: “Look, that’s your Daddy’s boss!”
My father would later become a vice president of the United Synagogue. I am deeply aware of the weight of this office and the quality of leaders who have come before me and in particular, my predecessor, Michael Goldstein. Michael is an example of how communal leadership should be done and it was an honour to serve under him.
Rosh Hashanah affords us all the chance to take stock of the past year and reflect on how we can be better people and improve our relationship with God. On Rosh Hashanah we say Avinu Malkeinu in which we ask for God’s help in this endeavour: “Our Father, our King, bring us back to You in wholehearted repentance.”
This is also an opportunity for self-reflection at the United Synagogue: together with the new Trustee Board, we have already started analysing how we can better engage our members and the wider community. Over the coming years we will, please God, ensure the United Synagogue remains the home for all our families for future generations.
Wishing you and your families a shana tova u’metuka, a happy, healthy and sweet new year.
Saul Taylor
President, United Synagogue
September 2025, Tishrei 5786