Liberal Judaism Chief Executive takes a lead in historic conference

With little publicity an historic conference took place in London last month. Sponsored by the Home Office and facilitated by the Maimonides Foundation and Aleph-Alif, a gathering of nearly one hundred rabbis, imams and educators from both communities studied and discussed ‘Difficult Texts’, ‘Faith Education’ and ‘The Role of Women’. Workshop facilitators included United Synagogue Rabbi Naftali Brauer, Reform Rabbi Michael Hilton and Liberal Rabbi Sybil Sheridan. The Conference was organised by the Rabbis and Imams Group Steering Committee which includes a variety of Imams including Regents Park Islamic Cultural Centre Inter Faith Adviser, Imam Shahid Hussein who will participate in the Liberal Judaism Biennial in Cheltenham next month and Rabbis from across Anglo Jewry including one each from the United Synagogue, the Spanish & Portuguese Congregation, the Masorti Assembly, the Movement for Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism Chief Executive, Rabbi Danny Rich.

In the morning, Paul Goggins MP, Minister of State at the Home Office, addressed delegates. The conference opened with a welcome by former and first Muslim adviser to the Prison Service and current Home Office civil servant, Maqsood Ahmed. Mr Ahmed had initiated the Steering Group meetings and organised funding for the event.

The afternoon session was chaired by Danny Rich, and included report backs from the workshops and proposals for future work.

Rabbi Danny Rich commented, “Not only was it an important chance to meet more Muslim colleagues but it gave an opportunity for rabbis of all strands of Anglo Jewry to get to know each other. It was such a positive experience for all sorts of reasons, and I am pleased that Liberal rabbis who were the leaders in this field played such a prominent part.”

Liberal Judaism delegates included Rabbis Rachel Benjamin (Chair, Rabbinic Conference and Woodford), Janet Burden (Ealing and West Central), Mark Goldsmith (Finchley), Andrew Goldstein (Northwood), Kathleen Middleton (LJS), Rebecca Qassim Birk, Thomas Salamon (Chair, Rabbinic Board), Mark Solomon (LJS).