New interfaith commission to probe impact of global conflicts on UK Jewish life

A new national commission has been launched to examine how global conflicts are shaping interfaith relations in Britain, with Jewish leaders among those warning that international crises are increasingly reverberating through local communities.

The Commission on Interfaith Relations: UK Faith Groups and Global Conflicts, convened by the Woolf Institute, has formally launched in Parliament today. It will investigate how overseas conflicts are “imported” into the UK, contributing to tensions between faith groups, and will develop practical guidance for councils, mayors and community leaders.

The inquiry comes against a backdrop of heightened anxiety within the Jewish community following 7 October, rising antisemitic incidents and recent episodes of unrest linked to faith, identity and geopolitics.

Dr Ed Kessler MBE, chair of the commission and founder president of the Woolf Institute, said recent disturbances showed that faith-linked tensions were worsening rather than easing.

“The 2022 Leicester unrest, the 2024 Southport riots and subsequent national community tensions indicate that faith-tied tensions are intensifying, not easing, and it is vital we understand how current and emerging conflicts overseas become points of tension within the UK,” he said. “We will not address every global conflict but will examine the most relevant global conflicts and their direct impact on UK faith relations.”

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-lead of the Movement for Progressive Judaism and a speaker at the launch, said interfaith relationships were now being tested by the emotional weight of global crises.

“Global conflicts now reach our communities not only through politics, but through people’s lives, histories and fears,” she said. “When this happens, interfaith relationships become a frontline test of whether a diverse society can hold together.”

She added that the commission marked a shift away from symbolic gestures towards more sustained engagement. “It recognises that faith literacy, trust and long-term relationships are not optional extras, but essential infrastructure for the health of our society.”

The commission brings together 14 confirmed commissioners spanning faith leadership, policing, academia, youth engagement and civil society, with further appointments expected from local government and the media. Alongside Dr Kessler, commissioners include Humanists UK chief executive Andrew Copson OBE, National Police Chiefs’ Council hate crime adviser Paul Giannasi OBE and Sikh studies professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal OBE.

Its vice-chair, Bishop Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy of Willesden, said global events were being felt “deeply in local communities, often in ways that strain relationships and fuel misunderstanding”.

“Careful research, serious listening and sustained interfaith engagement are not optional extras; they are essential if we are to nurture social cohesion and a shared sense of belonging in the UK,” he said.

Speaking at the launch, Imam Saifullah Nasser said the Muslim community was among many affected by the domestic impact of overseas conflict. “Instead of simply asking people to better get on, the Commission will assess the underlying impact of fracturing relations in the UK and test the mechanisms by which overseas conflict gets imported to the UK. A vital initiative,” he said.

The commission will hold six public participation sessions across the UK in 2026, including events in Leicester, Manchester and Cardiff, before producing a final report and “playbook” in 2027. A parliamentary working group, chaired by Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner, will liaise with the government while maintaining the commission’s independence.