BBC to shine light on Judaism in series examining faith in modern Britain

The BBC has announced it will shine a light on Judaism as part of ‘Year of Beliefs’, a year-long series of programmes examining faith in modern Britain across TV, radio and online.

As part of its programming, the three-part series ‘Earth’s Sacred Wonders’ on BBC One will take viewers to Masada in Israel, the site of one of the oldest synagogues on earth.

In Male Circumcision on BBC One, the journalist Adnan Sarwar will explore issues around male circumcision, while Surrogacy on BBC One will examine  surrogacy in UK.

Big Questions on BBC One will also feature daytime debates which are pertinent to the Jewish community, but more details have not yet been confirmed yet.

The series ‘Year of Beliefs’ seeks to explore faith and belief “at a time when society is more diverse, more complex and more divided than ever before”, according to the BBC.  

As part of the new programme series, the BBC has also commissioned a new survey of attitudes to some of the most pressing ethical dilemmas of our time according to age, gender and geographical region.

The public broadcaster says it will mark Rosh Hashanah and other non-Christian festivals in the next year to run alongside its Christian programming, which the BBC says is “the cornerstone” of its output during Easter and Christmas.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s director of content, said: “With the Year of Beliefs we want to capture the complex variety of faiths and beliefs in modern Britain.

“Not only do we continue to offer our audiences a place they can celebrate and share their own personal beliefs, but we also want to help them understand better the meaning of other faiths and beliefs as well as exploring important ethical issues that impact so many people’s lives.”