“This is what the world should be like all the time,” said Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as he visited a North-West London mosque for the planting of trees and herbs to celebrate Mitzvah Day.
Rabbi Mirvis joined Muslim leaders at the Al-Khoei Mosque in Queen’s Park – once the site of a synagogue – for the planting of fig and apple trees, primrose, hyssop and basil. The trees and plants have ritual significance to both faiths and the event chimed with the “going greener” theme of the day of social action.
The Chief Rabbi said: “When people come together in an atmosphere of harmony and peace for the sake of growth – for growth within the environment which is a symbol of human growth and development in our very challenging world – we’re standing here making a huge statement.
“We are all part of mankind and we should be blessed in togetherness and unity all the time. And I thank all our brothers and sisters in the Muslim community for joining in the initiative of Mitzvah Day.”
Rabbi Mirvis told the JC that “Mitzvah Day provides a wonderful opportunity to reach out to people of other faiths – as you can see right here – and I’ve also been very impressed to see the extent to which Mitzvah Day has resonated with people right around the country.
“When I engage with Cabinet ministers, they all know what Mitzvah Day is – from the Prime Minister down. It certainly has been a wonderful reflection of Jewish values, something which is respected and something for which there is a huge desire to emulate.
“Performing mitzvahs inspires us to do many things and there are many varieties of mitzvahs. I am very pleased that interfaith activities have been included as one feature of the broad spectrum of mitzvahs that we can perform.”
However, he acknowledged that rather than Mitzvah Day, “I would prefer it if we had a ‘Mitzvah Life’ - that really is the essence of mitzvot.
“If Mitzvah Day can encourage us to perform mitzvahs round the year, then it would have reached its ultimate achievement.”
Dr Sheikh Ramzy of the Oxford Islamic Information Centre said: “It is important we celebrate each other’s special days. This is very important for integration, for cohesion, because, after all, we are cousins.
He also felt Mitzvah Day was “very important for our children, [who] can put all the hatred, all the difficulties away and come together.
“Every little counts. This [event] is maybe very small, but it still counts towards the world we cannot neglect.
“A thousand mile journey starts with the first step. Everybody has to do something. It’s part of a bigger network which we are trying to do - and for the sake of peace.”
