Jewish and Muslim leaders gather in Italy for interfaith summit

Religious leaders gathered in southern Italy for an interfaith summit on challenges faced by Jewish and Muslim communities across Europe.

Delegates from across 15 countries gathered in Matera this week for the conference organised by the Muslim Jewish Leadership Council.

The organisation is an interfaith group of Muslim and Jewish members who, according to its website, seek to promote “intercultural and inter-religious dialogue.”

Rabbis, muftis and imams travelled from the UK,  France, Switzerland and other countries for a chance to discuss ways to work together to combat threats like antisemitism, Islamophobia and the rise of the far-right.

Among those attending the three-day meeting was a group of 10 religious leaders from the Conference of European Rabbis, an orthodox rabbinical alliance of over 700 members led by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt.

Shechita UK’s Shimon Cohen said he was “very proud” to be taking part in the event.

The campaign director urged participants to draw inspiration from the Jewish community by improving training and seeking regulation for practitioners in circumcision and the religious slaughter of animals for food.

“Recognising our differences can help us help each other,” he added.