Muslim and Jewish leaders forge new group to promote dialogue
Lord Wajid Khan, the new Communities Minister with responsibility for faith, attended in first official engagement
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A group of 60 Muslim and Jewish leaders took part inthe launch of what new Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg has dubbed the “Optimistic Alliance”.
The event, organised by the Board, philanthropist Maurice Ostro OBE, and the Faiths Forum for London, was the first official event of Lord Wajid Khan, the new Communities Minister with responsibility for faith.
The evening focused on a range of issues including how to tackle anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hatred; challenge extremism and support mainstream voices; defend shared religious freedoms; confront societal challenges like poverty and climate change; and find ways to engage better over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Following the success of the first event, discussions are now underway about how to expand the initiative over the coming months.
Speaking at the event, President Phil Rosenberg, said: “This ‘Optimistic Alliance’ is the beginning of a journey together, from a place of death and destruction, of division and despair, to a place called hope. A place called empathy. And a place called peace.”
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.
