Home Secretary joins Muslims and Jews for Sadaqa Day
Home Secretary Theresa May joined Muslims and Jews for a day of charity, inspired and partnered by Mitzvah Day.
Marking the Muslim-led day of social action – Sadaqa Day – Theresa May joined members of the Jewish and Islamic faith at JW3 in London, to cook for the homeless.
The team of 14 cooks, delivered their three course meal to a community centre in Cricklewood, in one of many events across the UK.
The Home Secretary said: “This event – and hundreds like it around the country – show how coming together can help us create resilient, cohesive communities.”
May added, she “was delighted to see first-hand some of the important work that Mitzvah Day and Sadaqa Day are doing.”
Hampstead and Kilburn MP Tulip Siddiq participated in another interfaith cooking event at JW3 earlier in the week.
Jewish-Muslim friendship group ‘Unity’ also marked the day, packing and donating items for Goods4Good – a charity assisting refugees in Borehamwood – where they packed items including socks, clothing, toothbrushes and stationary.
They also supported the Jewish-Muslim Women’s Network Nisa Nashim in Harrow for their project, funding and packing lunches for the homeless at Stanmore Mosque.
Unity project co-ordinator Radha Dudhia said: “Working together in this way on social action initiatives is really important and means a great deal to our members. We are able to build understanding and friendship between our communities whilst helping those in real need.”
Rosalind Bluestone the CEO of Goods4Good said: “Its inspiring that Jewish and Muslim women have united to make a huge impact and difference”.
Sadaqa Day, which was started in 2015 by Julie Siddiqi was inspired by Mitzvah Day, a Jewish-led day of social.
Siddiqi said: “People rose to the challenge with those of all ages, and all backgrounds, joining in and creating a great buzz.” Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks said Sadaqa Day “is a gift for the Jewish community. It provides another day for Jewish/Muslim engagement.”
Mitzvah Day’s interfaith chair Daniela Pears said: “It is a privilege for Mitzvah Day to partner with Sadaqa Day, which offers both Jews and Muslims another opportunity to get together through a mutual desire to help those in need around us”
Other interfaith projects took place across the country between 17 and 20 March.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
