OPINION: Sir Ephraim is also chief rabbi for Britain’s Muslims
Harris Bokhari says newly-knighted Sir Ephraim counts a number of interfaith 'firsts' among his record of achievements
Despite the household names and celebrities being awarded honours this year, the one name that underlines how the establishment has started to recognise the contribution of our faith communities is the knighthood for Ephraim Mirvis.
My father was part of the first interfaith leadership team of a school. The headteacher was Catholic and my father, a Muslim, was the joint Deputy Head with Rowie Shaw. My father later became the first Muslim headteacher in the UK, Rowie later became one of the first Jewish women to be a headteacher of a London school and the chair of my late father’s charity, the Naz Legacy Foundation.
From a young age my father would always invite his Jewish friends to be a part of our family. Every other Sunday we would make the trip to Whitechapel to eat salt beef sandwiches and latkes from Blooms. When Blooms moved to Golders Green we followed and when Blooms closed, Reuben’s on Baker Street became our regular kosher deli.
Food is so important to the Jewish and Muslim communities that it was fitting that the first event the Chief Rabbi and I organised together was bringing together Jewish and Muslim women, youth and national stakeholders to meet each other for the first time and eat together at Kinloss Synagogue.
From being one of the few Muslims invited as his guest to his installation ceremony to more recently exchanging gifts at the recent birth of my first son, the Chief Rabbi is more than a national faith leader to me, as we have forged a personal friendship which I think is very rare in the Jewish and Muslim communities.
Despite facing numerous personal threats against me for working with the Chief Rabbi, sadly some which continue to today, the Chief Rabbi went on to speak at numerous high profile interfaith youth iftars (evening meal with which Muslims end their daily Ramadan fast at sunset) I helped organised at Lambeth Palace, Archbishops’ House, St John’s Wood Synagogue and the Tower of London. He became the first Chief Rabbi to host an annual personal iftar at his home and office and during the Covid pandemic become the first Rabbi to speak at virtual RamadanAtHomeIftar.
However, it has been his leadership to speak out against anti-Muslim hatred which has been his most impactful role as a faith leader. When I organised the memorial for the victims of Christchurch Mosque terrorist attack at Regents Park Mosque, it was the Chief Rabbi who was the first person to give his support and stress the urgent need for this event. It brought together leaders of all faiths and backgrounds to stand together against hate including the Home Secretary, Communities Secretary and Mayor of London. He has always been a strong advocate against Islamophobia, especially highlighted when he spoke out on the plight of China’s Uyghur Muslim minority and more recently in organising the ground-breaking Jewish and Muslim faith schools ‘first of its kind’ interfaith workshop.
As a practising and actively engaged Muslim, the Chief Rabbi’s sincerity and commitment to bringing our two communities together is inspirational for us all and is a sign that the honours system is now reflecting the great work our faith communities do in our diverse and modern Britain.
As I have said in every event when I introduce the Chief Rabbi, he is your Chief Rabbi, he is our Chief Rabbi, he is the country’s Chief Rabbi and as a country we are grateful to him.
- Harris Bokhari OBE Founder and Trustee of Naz Legacy Foundation and Board Member of The Prince’s Trust Mosaic Initiative.
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