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A British rabbi has been reappointed to the leadership of a UN-supported initiative bringing religious communities together to tackle hatred and defend human rights.
Rabbi Alex Goldberg, Rabbi of Guildford and Dean of Religious Life in the City of London, will continue as a senior figure in Faith for Rights, which works with religious leaders around the world to challenge discrimination and protect freedom of belief.
His reappointment comes as the University of Oxford prepares to run his Faith for Rights course for a third time, starting in January 2027.
Goldberg will serve on the initiative’s four-person executive, known as the Tetrarchy, alongside Rachel Miner and Professor Tanya Elder. His role will focus on encouraging religious communities to work together against prejudice, including antisemitism.
“At a time when hatred, including antisemitism, is finding new voices, faith and belief communities cannot be bystanders to human rights. We are among their older custodians,” he said.
Faith for Rights is supported by the UN Human Rights Office and brings together religious leaders, academics and community organisations to turn shared commitments on human rights into practical action.
The initiative is led by Professor Ibrahim Salama and Michael Wiener of the UN Human Rights Office.
Goldberg, who has previously addressed the UN Human Rights Council, said religious leaders had a responsibility to do more than simply speak out against intolerance.
“Declarations are where the work begins, not where it ends,” he said.
“The Mishnah reminds us that it is not our duty to finish the work, but neither are we free to desist from it.”
Alongside his international role, Goldberg leads Oxford’s Faith for Rights course, which helps religious leaders develop projects to tackle problems in their own communities.
Around 20 peace programmes have emerged from the course so far, including efforts to prevent Hindu-Muslim violence in India, tackle domestic violence in Northern Ireland and improve relations between religious communities in Nigeria.
Participants have also included faith leaders working in conflict zones and people involved in environmental projects bringing Israelis and Palestinians together.
“What has moved me most about the Oxford course is what participants build,” Goldberg said.
“Leaders arrive with a concern and leave with a project – something real for their own community.”
Goldberg is also joint chief executive of Faith in the City, a multi-faith initiative in London’s Square Mile, and regularly contributes to BBC Radio 2’s Pause for Thought.
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