Succot to go on in Barcelona despite violence over Catalonia vote
Jewish community leader in the Catalonian capital says congregations won't be affected by the controversial referendum
Violence between police and pro-independence protesters in Barcelona will not disrupt holiday services there, a leader of the Jewish community said.
Victor Sorenssen, a leader of the Jewish community of the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region with its own language and many residents who seek independence from Spain, said the city’s Jewish congregations will not “be affected by something that is essentially a political discussion.”
Sorenssen said this following riots Sunday during the poll in which more than 300 people were injured in clashes with police, who were under orders to prevent a referendum of independence organised by the Catalonian government even though a top court in Spain ruled it was illegal.
Community events, including Succot celebrations and Simchat Torah, are at present to go on as scheduled despite the tension around the referendum, Sorenssen added. He said he was not aware of injury to any of the community’s members in the clashes, he added.
Like the Catalonian population at large, the Jewish community is also divided on the independence issue, Sorenssen also said, prompting the Jewish community to “not make any statement or declaration” on the issue at hand.
“The Jewish community is a religious and a cultural institution and we respect all the different approaches and points of view of our members, that range from pro-independence to being against,” he explained.
Barcelona has approximately 15,000 Jews out of 45,000 living in Spain, according to the European Jewish Congress.
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.
