Board and Lord Mann pledge to work with government to improve Jewish-Muslim relations

Communal leaders have offered to work together the UK government in renewed efforts to improve relations between Jews and Muslims in this country in the aftermath of 7 October.

Jewish News understands the Board of Deputies and Lord Mann have both stressed the importance of attempting to calm tensions between the two communities after meeting with ministers, including Communities Secretary Angela Rayner, in the past few weeks.

Lord Mann also submitted a report to Keir Starmer’s office, in his role as the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, which called for urgent support and funding for “joint Muslim and Jewish initiatives” with outreach work to promote “joint leadership programmes for young Jews and Muslims.”

The Board meanwhile, have offered to invite Muslim organisations across the country to join them at a series of inter-faith meetings at which the conversation can turn to things in common with British Jews, rather than divisive topics such as Israel and Palestine.

In meetings with Labour deputy leader Rayner, Board officials are understood to have stressed the initial promise of a meeting held in July in which 60 Muslim and Jewish leaders came together for the launch of what new Board President Phil Rosenberg dubbed the “Optimistic Alliance”.

The event, organised with philanthropist Maurice Ostro, and the Faiths Forum for London, was the first official event for Lord Wajid Khan, the new Communities Minister with responsibility for faith.

Both Labour leader Starmer and his deputy Rayner are well aware of the need for measures to repair some of the tension between UK Muslim and Jews, which has worsened since 7 October.

There are concerns that continued hardline positions from leaders of both communities as the war in Gaza continues have not helped with efforts to repair the damage to relations.

The regular pro-Palestine demos across the country have only served to heighten distrust.

In January, in a speech at JW3, Starmer called for a “mindset change” in attempts to bring Jewish, Muslim and other minority communities together in this country.

He added “the real hard job, I think, is in segmenting, rebuilding and making much deeper interfaith work. We’ve got much more to do than I think any of us appreciated.

“But it will only happen when we have the politics of common cause.”