London Beth Din Dayan: ‘Compassion is not a limited fund’ amid Israeli-Palestinian suffering

A senior London rabbi has called for greater compassion towards Palestinians, saying their suffering must be recognised alongside the grief experienced by Jewish communities since the 7 October attacks.

Dayan Eliezer Zobin, a judge at the London Beth Din, made the remarks at an interfaith gathering in Westminster on Sunday, attended by senior Christian and Jewish religious leaders.

Speaking three years after the Hamas attacks on Israel, the rabbi acknowledged the trauma of bereavement and hostage-taking, as well as the fear felt by Jewish communities.

“Compassion is not a limited fund, and recognising the grief of others does not somehow diminish our own,” he said.

“I want to recognise bereavement, displacement, loss of homes, and the fear that our Palestinian brothers and sisters feel, and in the context of our meeting today, recognise the fear, pain, and suffering of those who are part of the ancient Christian community in the land of Israel, and indeed the challenges these communities face across the whole of the Middle East.”

His comments came during an event titled In Prayer for Peace, held at Westminster Cathedral Hall on 18 October as part of a visit to Britain by Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, who oversees the Vatican’s work on relations between different faiths.

For his Christian audience, the challenge was to make their own communities examples of the peace they sought to encourage elsewhere. Religious leaders, he argued, must begin with how they and their congregations treat those around them. “Peace can’t be spoken about, it can only be lived,” he said.

According to an account published by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Dayan Zobin also spoke about the meaning of peace in Judaism.

He explained that the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace, is linked to shalem, meaning wholeness or completeness, and said lasting peace requires more than simply ending conflict.

“Peace can’t be spoken about; it can only be lived,” he said.

“If we talk to others outside our communities but don’t translate it into concrete steps, and actions for ourselves, then we can’t begin changing the world.”

Cardinal Koovakad thanked Dayan Zobin for his remarks and encouraged religious communities to work together to promote peace.

The gathering brought together Jewish representatives and leaders from several Christian denominations, including the Church of England, Methodist Church and Armenian Orthodox Church.

In a video message, Cardinal Kurt Koch, a senior Vatican official responsible for Christian unity, urged religious leaders to speak out against antisemitism, anti-Christian hatred and violence.

“We must stand together to defend one another’s right to worship and live in safety,” he said.

The event also included a two-minute silence and an address by Reverend Dr Nathan Eddy, co-director of the Council of Christians and Jews, who stressed the importance of protecting relations between religious communities during times of conflict.