This week’s publication of the report by Colin Bloom, the government’s Independent Faith Engagement Adviser, is a significant moment.
The report is entitled “Does government do God?”, a surely deliberate evocation of the infamous remark by Alastair Campbell of his boss, Tony Blair, that “ we don’t do God”. The irony was that Blair was — and is — a man of deep faith and respect for religion.
But all too often, government and the public sector generally behave as if faith is entirely an alien concept. At its most banal but nonetheless important level, that can mean key meetings for Jewish employees, for example, being scheduled for Yom Kippur.
The report is a welcome call for more faith literacy, and it is to be hoped that its recommendations are acted on. Bloom is not Jewish, but his report is of pressing and valid concern to the Jewish community.
