7 Moments Where Jewish & Other UK Faith Leaders United

As news & social media feeds bombard us with conflict, here are 7 moments to remind us of our shared humanity.

1 Buckinghamshire Faith Leaders from Bahá'í, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Quaker communities highlighting their mutual friendships and values

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2 This gathering of Jewish and Muslim Women who are fighting fight for safety & empathy

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3 Archbishop Justin Welby, Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra and Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg calling for solidarity and unity between communities in the UK, and rejecting any form of hatred or discrimination.

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4 Maidenhead Faith Leaders Imam Abid Hashmi, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain and Reverend Sally Lynch coming together to foster peace and encourage good relations between the communities amid the Israel-Hamas war

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5 This Raw and Honest Conversation Between Two friends - a Rabbi and an Imam

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6 The Jewish and Muslim Groups Acknowledging Each Others Pain and Reaching out to Build Trust Between their Faiths

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7 This Interfaith Tree Planting Ceremony

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Jews In Jewish Spaces

The other day I attended a meeting of cross-communal Jewish organisations. At the table were people who held a range of beliefs and practices. One of the challenges of such umbrella groups is how they accommodate such a diverse range of deeply-held religious ideologies. The inherent tensions of this debate were highlighted during an impromptu discussion as to whether a key feature of a website should remain active on Shabbat or if they should be turned off for all users during this 25 hour period. Though the thing itself may seem trivial the issues surrounding it do have wide-reaching implications. I believe people on both sides of the debate are driven primarily by this simple question; "How can my religious practices and beliefs be accommodated and respected by other people?" The key words here is other for it refers, not to the general non-Jewish population, but to other self-identifying Jews. This type of other often prompts a very different kind of conversation; partic...

Parashat Bo (Reflections for Jami’s Mental Health Shabbat)

This weekend synagogue’s around the country will be taking part in Jami’s Mental Health Shabbat. This is an important opportunity for Jewish communities - for our community - to raise the profile of mental health. Good mental health is something upon which all humanity depend; as a group or an individual we can only flourish with good awareness of, and tactics for looking after, our minds. When I was younger mental health was not something commonly spoken about, particularly in public, but thankfully times have changed. I feel comfortable speaking with family, friends and others about their challenges with mental health and likewise, comfortable sharing my own struggles and successes too. Indeed, speaking with others is perhaps the first and most vital step to addressing one's own battles with mental health. It is through our conversation and interactions with others that we realise we are not alone in our struggles and may find support, camaraderie and methodology in addressing...

Children Are NOT Our Future

The other day, as I wrote my bi-annual Cheder Update for the Hebrew School I head up in London, I began reflecting on the larger role of children in Jewish communal life. Over the years, in my conversations with people from a wide-range of communities, I have found some people's preference for their communities to create 'children only' or 'family only' spaces. The logic here - and I do see the logic - is that children disrupt those people who are capable of 'participating' in the 'proper' or 'main' services or activities. Here, children are at best a mild distraction and at worse, a deterrent to fee-paying members. Those who are more sympathetic to families will often remind me that children (and their parents) will find the 'main' service and activities boring and un-engaging. In short, 'main' services are not for them. Instead, they suggest that children and their families should be encouraged to attend cheder (Hebrew sch...

Here Is Wonder

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