Jewish culture month is launching – and your community needs you
The President of the Board of Deputies writes about plans for British Jews to experience 'less oy, more joy'
No regular reader of this newspaper needs to be reminded of how traumatic and scary the past two years have been for Jews in the UK, from the awful events of 7 October 2023 to the murderous terror attack on Heaton Park Synagogue on Yom Kippur.
However, the lives of British Jews cannot and will not be defined by fear and anxiety. We have had enough “oy” in our lives and we need more joy. We are justly proud of our way of life, our achievements, and our contribution to British culture.
So now for the first time we are unveiling a showcase for our community. It is called Jewish Culture Month and it will happen during the month of Sivan next year, (May 16-June 14). This will be the first of what we envisage as an annual celebration of everything positive in our community. We want to show our creative side. We have great artists, singers, cooks, writers, actors, dancers, comedians, pop stars, classical musicians and athletes among us. In the hundreds of years since Jewish people settled in this country, we have produced iconic books, productions and music. Think Howard Jacobson, Amy Winehouse, Stephen Fry, Tracy-Ann Oberman, David Bomberg, Claudia Roden, or Marc Bolan. There are very few fields of culture in which we don’t excel. It’s time we blew our own trumpet – or shofar – with the energy it deserves.
This will be a major celebration. There will be showcase events happening in all fields of art and culture throughout the month. We will be publishing a full timetable in the new year and we want you, your friends and family to attend and to take pride in who we are. We also want the news of this festival of Jewish culture to spread far and wide, so that the great British public experiences the best we have to offer.
We are encouraging major British cultural institutions, public bodies and schools to celebrate British Jews and to showcase our contribution to those who may know nothing about us. And of course, we also want to give a platform to our brilliant Jewish cultural venues and organisations, who are all playing a central part.
However, there is going to be an added dimension to this festival. This is not just going to be about large events featuring big celebrities – although we do hope to have a number of these. We also want to encourage you to come up with ideas for events to be held locally under the Jewish Culture Month banner.
And the great thing is, these events will be yours. The key stipulation is that you cover an element of Jewish culture in a way which shines a light on what it means to be Jewish and British. It could be as simple as a poetry reading or, if you like, a musical with full orchestra – that’s up to you. We want to hear your ideas, which is why we are opening registrations now. Our vision is that the country will be lit up with events which entertain and inform about who we are, the contribution we’ve made and all that we are doing now. We are also very keen that local Jewish centres, including synagogues, schools, and charities, to open their doors to visits from local schools and other groups, so that people will have a glimpse into who we are and what we’re about.
I know that our community is packed with creativity and talent. It’s about time we unleashed it. Let’s spread some positivity in 2026. Start now by registering at this link and send us your ideas. Let’s make this a month to remember.
Phil Rosenberg is President of the Board of Deputies
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