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Rina Wolfson

We’re all celebrating Iftar meals, but what next?

During Ramadan, Jews were queuing up to celebrate with Muslims. But how tolerant are we of our fellow Jews, asks Rina Wolfson.

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June 15, 2018 09:41

This week, I had the honour of joining some friends for an Iftar meal, to break the Ramadan fast. After a guided tour of the mosque, we sat down to eat together. The atmosphere was friendly. The conversation was thought-provoking. And the food was simply delicious.

I’m not the only Jewish person to have partaken in such a meal. Indeed, if my social media timeline is anything to go by, Iftar meals are now the must-attend event for all liberal minded Jews.

Everyone is at it. Alyth Synagogue in Golders Green hosted an Iftar meal, as part of the Faiths Forum for London’s Big Iftar. Meanwhile, Chief Rabbi Mirvis hosted an inter-faith Iftar at St Johns Wood synagogue, attended by political and religious dignitaries, including Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London; the Bishop of London, and the Archbishop of Westminster. Other Jewish communities have hosted similar events.

As concerns about antisemitism and Islamophobia grow, such events are vital. They help fortify relationships between the Jewish and Muslim communities, and act as a reminder of all that we share.

Speaking at the St Johns Wood Iftar, Sadiq Khan said, “Tonight is a perfect illustration of that spirit of unity and that sense of inclusion that truly defines us as Londoners.” I, for one, am inclined to agree with him.

And yet. Something concerns me. It’s not the inter-faith Iftar meals. I fully support those. But I do worry that, as a community, we only really pay lip-service to those notions of inclusion and unity. We are proud to reach out to those of other faiths. But we still have much to do to build bridges across the religious divide within our own community.

It remains disappointingly ironic to me that rabbis representing both the Orthodox and Reform movements are able to co-host an Iftar with an Imam, but would find it significantly more difficult, even impossible, to co-host a Seder with each other.

If we are truly committed to the idea of unity and inclusion, we would do well to look within, as well as beyond, our community.

June 15, 2018 09:41

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