Campaign honouring First World War soldiers of different faiths gets £2m boost
‘There But Not There’ initiative, which has backing of the Chief Rabbi, will see silhouettes installed in places of worship
A campaign to honour First World War soldiers of different faiths in synagogues, mosques, temples and churches has had a £2 million boost from a government fund.
‘There But Not There,’ an initiative led by Lord Dannatt, former Chief of the General Staff, and backed by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, includes artistic silhouettes places throughout places of worship in the UK.
The silhouettes honour those who served from 1914-18 and have already been installed at the North Western Reform Synagogue (Alyth) in Golders Green, where two silhouetted ‘Tommies’ stand guard, while other silhouettes – designed in Perspex and wearing a kippah – have been placed seated among the congregation.
The £2 million in extra roll-out money, from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, will be made available to faith schools, community centres and places of worship in the form of £500 micro-grants, with application accepted until 30 June.
Mirvis said: “Jew, Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh all answered the call of King and country. On the East London Synagogue Roll of Honour, some 680 Jewish names alone mark those that paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
He added that the campaign was “a wonderful way for everyone to commemorate, educate the next generation and help heal the wounds of those heroes who have served in more recent conflicts”.
Among the other venues to feature the silhouettes so far include Arundel Cathedral, Palmers Green Mosque and Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, the largest Sikh temple in London, as well as a Belfast classroom, a Welsh church and the Indian Army Memorial Room at the Royal Academy Sandhurst.
The British Army during the First World War was one of the most ethnically diverse ever seen, with more than 800,000 Muslim men volunteering.
Listen to the Jewish Views Podcast:
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.
