It was a beautiful day of warming sun shining, warming me as I lay on the marble in the square at Canary Wharf. There is a sculpture by Lyn Chadwick of 2 people sitting, larger than life. It was interesting to me how people interacted with the sculpture - children sat on the knees and adluts sat by them or between them. It was a photo-stop for scores of tourists as I lay watching in the sun.
One of the many family groups was a religious, maybe hasidic, father or grandfather and his (grand)sons and daughters. The boys wore a 'kippah' or yarmulka and I watched them as I had the others, but more intensely. I always watch men with kippot. Often they wear a light colour so you can see it from a distance. I look at them and think they're brave. They could chose to hide their religion, but they don't. They could chose to 'pass' but they flaunt their difference which amazes me becasue even wearing a 'magen david' makes me nervous of attack.
I watched this group and realised that so was the entire square. Everyone was watching them, openly or obliquely. People walked through the square scarcely taking their eyes of the Jews. One man had a patently disgusted look on his face as he strode.