OPINION: British Jews and Indians working side-by-side rather than just face-to-face

Setting out on a rain-wept Sunday morning to celebrate the planting of trees is not a run of the mill experience, but that’s exactly what happened last weekend. A group of us from the British Indian Jewish Association gathered at Canons Park in north London to mark the occasion. We were joined by the Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Janet Mote, who was particularly impressed by the project, remarking: “It is wonderful to see faith groups working together in Harrow; as well as enhancing our environment, this initiative also strengthens the fabric of society.”

The project was part of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC), originally conceived as part of the Platinum Jubilee, and which has now morphed into a tribute project for the late Queen. Given the inclement weather for our event, it felt like “long to reign over us” was as much a line from the weather forecast as from the National Anthem! As a result of the QGC, over one million trees were planted in the first planting season up to March this year, and there are still four months to go in this planting season.

We planted seven trees several months ago, one for each of the decades of the Queen’s historic 70-year reign.

Why did BIJA do this? We were founded over 25 years in a spirit of friendship between our two communities. Together, we believe that our relationship should not only benefit both sides but also have a positive impact on wider society. We want to bring benefit and blessing to Britain. One of our strands of work is social action, whether it be food relief, countering Covid or green projects.

During the pandemic, we raised well over £120,000 for Covid relief efforts in India. Knowing that the landmark Platinum Jubilee was approaching, we decided to participate in one of the official projects by “planting trees for the Jubilee.” We think that a tree is a powerful metaphor for our work. As communities, we need to be rooted in our identity, but also grow upwards and outwards, recognising our role as active and proud British citizens.

During the pandemic, we raised well over £120,000 for Covid relief efforts in India.

This project is a template for two communities working together. It is what Rabbi Sacks termed side-by-side rather than face-to-face relations. It is this type of engagement which really animates and excites the younger generation. Together, we are repairing the cracks in society, or perhaps even rebuilding it.

Judaism teaches about the importance of care for the environment. This is replicated in the great faiths of Hinduism and Sikhism, which constitute the religion of the overwhelming majority of the 1.5 million British Indians. In Jewish teaching, planting trees is encouraged. There is even a special festival dedicated to trees and the liturgy – whether the Torah, daily prayers or the Psalms – is full of references to trees. In the Book of Genesis, we read about trees in the Garden of Eden and that Adam and Eve ate from the wrong tree.

The Jewish and Indian communities share so much in common. We have similar values when it comes to investment in education, belief in hard work and enterprise as well as respect for the elderly. It is amazing how often we hear members of each community express admiration for the other.

Planting trees together seemed a positive and worthwhile thing to do, especially in an area with significant Jewish and Indian populations. The fact that our gathering coincided with the first day of the COP-27 Summit in Egypt, where leaders are discussing our commitment to tackling climate change, seemed particularly apposite. We hope that the trees we have planted grow and flourish, and are a symbol of the friendship between our two communities, which can serve as a boon for the whole of the country.