Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge, recently celebrated the 90th birthday of one of our members. It caused me to reflect on conditions for Jews in the world back then. For example, Berlin in 1936 was not such a good place to be a Jew. There were attacks on Jews in the streets, synagogues had fire bombs thrown at them and Jewish businessmen were being forced to sell their businesses. Jewish children were thrown out of schools and students excluded from universities.
At the same time in East London antisemitism in London peaked, driven by Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists, the BUF. Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were attacked, and “Jew-baiting” became common in the East End. The fascists planned a march on 4 October. Over 100,000 residents, including Jews, Irish dockers, and communists blocked the march, creating the Battle of Cable Street. There was a massive public outcry against the fascists and the subsequent, rapidly enacted Public Order Act of 1936 banned political uniforms, which significantly hampered the BUF’s influence in London.
The Jewish People’s Council Against Fascism and Antisemitism was formed during this period to combat the rising bigotry via coordinated protest. Today we have a plethora of organisations dedicated to combating antisemitism and I should add Islamophobia. But attacks on Jews are occurring as evidenced by the recent knife attack in Golders Green, and attacks on synagogues in various locations,
Including Finchley Reform Synagogue (FRS), which had had bottles full of petrol thrown at it two weeks ago. It’s also the synagogue where my children grew up and where I really began to learn about Judaism and what it meant to be a Progressive Jew, consistent with being a tolerant liberal social democrat. What we loved about FRS was its openness and its inclusivity.
In the 1990s, a group of FRS members set up a lunch club in the synagogue for the homeless in Finchley, which eventually developed into ‘Homeless Action in Barnet’, a charity that is still going strong. Interestingly, at the same time Henry Rothschild, a member of our community in Cambridge, was initiating the establishment of Winter Comfort.
Today FRS is surrounded by a seven foot high wire fence all around the building, locked security gates, CCTV scanning every inch of the roads in the immediate area and a permanent, trained security officer inside monitoring cameras and the gates and tightly controlling the entrance to the building.
Of course, since 1936, the State of Israel has been founded. The 1948 Declaration of Independence includes the following; “The State of Israel will devote itself to the developing the land for the good of all its inhabitants. It will rest upon foundations of liberty, justice and peace as envisioned by the prophets of Israel. It will maintain complete equality of social and political rights for all of its citizens, without distinction of creed, race or sex. It will guarantee freedom of religion and conscience, of language, education and culture. It will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions. It will be loyal to the principles of the United Nations Charter” (end quote).
Today leaders of the Israeli government are accused of committing war crimes and Israel is accused of committing genocide. These accusations still being considered, come from The International Court of Justice.
To be honest, I don’t really understand how this has all come about.
The Judaism that I love and care about and try to teach in our community is a caring, thoughtful, principled religion that has at its fundamental core the principle of ‘Treating other people as you want them to treat you’ This is of course, supported by loads of ritual, customs and traditions.
We are fortunate that here in Cambridge, we have Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Baha’i friends who also believe in, and try to practice, the same principles as we do.
None more so than Abdul Kayum Arain, the Chair of the Cambridge Muslim Trust, who is here with us today and after the recent attacks sent out a heartfelt message to his own Muslim community:
“I am deeply shocked and saddened by the terrible incident in Golders Green, North London, where two Jewish men were brutally stabbed. Such acts of violence are not only attacks on individuals, but also on the values of safety, dignity, and coexistence that we all hold dear.
At moments like this, we have a clear and urgent responsibility to stand in allyship and solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters. No community should feel fearful for simply living their lives or practising their faith.
I have never witnessed this level of hostility directed at Jewish people across our country. It is deeply troubling, and it demands a united response from all of us, especially at a time when many communities are feeling vulnerable.
We must also recognise that there is deep pain and anguish being felt by many over the suffering in Israel and Palestine. These are human tragedies that weigh heavily on hearts across all our communities.
But we must be absolutely clear: our neighbours here, whether Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or of any other faith — are not the enemy. They are part of our shared community. Across all our communities, many feel one another’s pain and carry a shared sense of grief for lives lost and suffering endured.”
It’s a wonderful message and my conclusion is that we should all try and participate in as many interfaith activities as possible. By talking to our neighbours, we learn and understand other traditions and rituals and with understanding we build friendships and shared community bridges.
- This article originally appeared in the Cambridge Independent.