Jews, Muslims and Christians mark 7 October

Muslim and Jewish women came together at the weekend to show unity and counter hatred at a deeply divided time.

Members of the Jewish-Muslim women’s network, Nisa-Nashim, met in London for reflections, readings, prayer and candle-lighting.

The event marked one year since 7 October 2023, a painful day for many. In addition, tensions in the Middle East have spilled over into the streets of Britain. In London, the Metropolitan Police recorded a 286 per cent rise in antisemitic hate crime in the 12 months from September 2023 to August 2024, compared with the same period last year, and a 67 per cent increase in anti-Muslim hate crime in the same period.

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Beyond the statistics, the impact on Jewish and Muslim families, religious congregations and community networks has been profound.

But the 13 women who gathered on Sunday, six Muslim and seven Jewish, have built relationships nurtured over many years of joint activism.

At St Johns Church, Waterloo, they met to talk about the ongoing impact of the war on themselves, their loved ones and their community — and how meaningful friendships can lead to understanding of others.

They lit candles, and committed to doing more to reiterate that hatred, either against Jews or Muslims, has no place in Britain today. Their central message was that by holding onto shared humanity and friendships, we can be safe and our families can thrive.

One of the organisation’s two founders, Laura Marks, said: “The conflict in the Middle East fills me with despair, but the power of meaningful friendship and understanding reignites my hope for the future. The powerful connections we have built between Jewish and Muslim women over many years demonstrate that we share a commitment to our communities, families and children, and the divisions we see on our streets are not the Britain we are building together. We will not let hatred and distrust win.”

Her co-founder, Julie Siddiqi, said: “It feels so important to bring people together at this time. Of course we all feel angry, upset and helpless at what is happening in Israel and Palestine but we just cannot allow that to come between us here. Women bring something special to the table and I’m so glad we have come together to remember and stand in solidarity”.

Meanwhile, a group of Jews and Christians have held a joint service to mark 7 October at St Simon’s Church in Shepherds Bush, West London.

Organisers of the Pillar of Cloud event were Lady Sainsbury and Lord and Lady Reading, with a theme of “untangling antisemitism for the British church”. Those taking part included former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, and Dr Jonathan Oyolede, founder of Britain’s national day of prayer and worship. Martin Green recited a traditional Jewish blessing at the event.