Stamford Hill Interfaith meeting declares “We have faith in the community”
Religious leaders from Stamford Hill’s Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities have come together in a display of unity, as a response to a planned anti-Semitic march by neo-Nazis.
The interfaith initiative took place ahead of the planned ‘Liberate Stamford Hill’ march, organised by a far-right group intent on ending what it calls the ‘Jewification’ of the area.
Stamford Hill has a considerable ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which the march was scheduled to target on 23 March before the organiser was arrested. It had been rescheduled to 2 May.
The meeting of religious leaders took place in Stamford Hill at the offices of Interlink Foundation and included Rabbi Abraham Pinter and Rabbi Jehudah Baumgarten, the former offering the Jewish community’s gratitude to those who took steps to stop the march.
“The expressions of solidarity were unambiguous and came from all our neighbours and friends of every background,” he said. “The threatened march has only served to bring our communities even closer together.”
Interfaith group ‘Interfaith Matters’ ‘ director, Steven Derby, told Jewish News: “It’s been a privilege to work with communities so committed to convivial relations, public benefit and prepared to stand against fascists that would otherwise fracture a cohesive neighbourhood.”
Muslim representative Eusoof Amerat, trustee of Masjid-e-Quba, echoed this sentiment, saying: “The Muslim community stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our Jewish neighbours and friends. Our support is unreserved.”
Stamford Hill’s Christian community also displayed their support also with Father David Smolira, Reverend Charles Card-Reynolds and Father William Taylor attending. Taylor, Parish Priest of St Thomas, said: “We treasure our Jewish neighbours and we fully intend to protect our good relations.”
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.
