Jews and Muslims celebrate Succot in a mosque
Al Khoei Islamic Centre hosted Brondesbury Park Synagogue’s Succah in an event organised by Faiths Forum For London.
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Jews and Muslims celebrated Succot together this week when The Al Khoei Islamic Centre hosted Brondesbury Park Synagogue’s succah..
Organised by Faiths Forum For London, this was the second year that the Jewish and Muslim communities have come together to celebrate the festival of Succot, which saw them share a Kosher Succot brunch.
The partnership – between a British mosque and synagogue – was initially inspired by the terrorist attack on a Jewish Kosher Supermarket in Paris 2015, the events of that day motivating the local Imam and Rabbi from Brondesbury Park to build on the bridges created between their two communities.
This year’s gathering was about reinforcing the cohesion between the two communities and set a practical example to both the immediate and wider communities across the UK.
The event included talks on faith, communities and homelessness, while attendees brought non-perishable food items that were donated to a local food bank.
Rabbi Natan Levy, Head of Operation for Faiths Forum for London, said: “The Succah in a Mosque initiative, supported by The Faiths Forum for London, commemorates the Jewish Festival of Succot. A seemingly simple project but it represents so much more as it brings together the Muslim and Jewish communities promoting dialogue and learning about our commonalities. Food, people and a hut with no doors, where everyone is invited, is a great combination to build on the foundations created from last year’s event.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
