Jewish weddings remain under lockdown, despite Jewish Community Council claims
Government flatly denies Stamford Hill Orthodox group's assertion that authorities 'accepted our proposed plans' for ceremonies to take place
The UK Government has flatly rejected claims of “success” made on Monday morning by an Orthodox Jewish group in Stamford Hill that ministers had “agreed” to its proposals to allow small Jewish religious weddings.
The Jewish Community Council of North London (JCC), led by Levi Schapiro, said it had “successfully been working with government officials on a very senior level” and had offered “plans to ensure weddings and religious ceremonies can be removed from lockdown orders”.
The JCC added that “the government has accepted our proposed plans to allow small weddings with limited guests,” saying it “will be announced imminently”.
However, on Tuesday, a government spokesperson said: “All weddings, including religious weddings, remain prohibited to control Coronavirus and protect the public.
“We understand the inconvenience and disappointment this will cause and in step two of our recovery strategy we will examine how to enable people to gather in slightly larger groups to better facilitate small weddings.
“We will continue to work with councils and faith groups over the coming weeks to explore how best to achieve this safely. Final decisions will be based on scientific evidence at the time.”
On Monday, shortly before the JCC announcement, the government published a guidance document titled ‘Our Plan to Rebuild’ which noted so-called Step 2 actions to ease the lockdown restrictions, which could include small weddings.
It further noted the government’s “intention to enable small wedding ceremonies from 1 June,” dependent on the national situation nearer the time.
The JCC said it had been “inundated with calls from constituents, community members and Askonim raising concerns about weddings and Simchas during lockdown”.
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.
