This has been a frenetic if exciting week at CCJ. I began the week, together with our Deputy Director, with an annual presentation of our work to CCJ’s Presidents at Lambeth Palace. The next day we were delighted to welcome members and friends to the AGM which focused this year on Christians in the Middle East. I think I speak for everyone when I say that it was an informative, moving and important day. It is so critical, that as Christians and Jews we recognize the burning issues facing our respective communities, educate ourselves and work together to raise awareness. CCJ members have been working to build bridges of understanding for over 77 years and we are a beacon of hope and best practice for others. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Tim Livesey of Embrace the Middle East, Henrietta Blyth of Open Doors, Bishop Christopher Chessun and Archbishop Angaelos for their time and expertise.
To mark interfaith week, we also held an event in partnership with West London Synagogue, The CCJ Central London Branch and the Parkes Institute to launch a travelling exhibition, ‘James Parkes and the age of intolerance’. The launch was opened with a fascinating presentation from Barbara Winton in conversation with Prof Anthony Kushner who addressed the topic of ‘The Refugee Crisis Then and Now’. Barbara is following in the footsteps of her father as a passionate advocate for the support of refugee communities and their rights.
This week our Student Leaders were also active on campuses around the UK to mark interfaith week and we held a special training event for students in partnership with Mitzvah Day on climate change in Manchester. You can read more about these events below.
Finally, we were saddened to learn about the passing of former South East London Branch Chair Fr Tom Creagh-Fuller. CCJ would like to extend our condolences to Fr Tom's family and to the CCJ South East London Branch as a whole. An obituary written for Fr Tom can be found below and we will also be including a further obituary in our next edition of Common Ground to commemorate Fr Tom's contribution to CCJ.
CCJ joint event with the Parkes Institute at West London Synagogue
On Wednesday evening, the CCJ National office in partnership with the Parkes Institute and the CCJ Central London branch held an important event entitled ‘The Refugee crisis, then and now’. Our expert speakers were Professor Tony Kushner from Southampton University and Barbara Winton, daughter of Sir Nicholas Winton, MBE and a campaigner and educator on refugees and refugee rights. The event saw the launch of an exhibition currently housed at West London Synagogue on the life of James Parkes, one of the founders of CCJ and leading campaigners at the time to bring Jewish refugees to the UK during WW2.
Over 80 people attended the event. Both speakers addressed the current refugee crisis and the need for greater compassion and unconditional support for refugees. The speakers also discussed and highlighted the historical parallels.
CCJ prioritises work with refugee communities through our social action initiatives. Last year we trained Christian and Jewish leaders on refugee issues and how to build projects together to support refugees. We also published a useful resource ‘For Refugees with Refugees’ which can either be downloaded from our website(click here)or available from the CCJ National office in hard copy.
In early 2020 we will be providing another opportunity to train faith leaders to build projects to support refugees.
Elizabeth Harris-Sawczenko Director
‘Interfaith Question Time’ at Cardiff University
During national interfaith week, Cardiff University hosted its annual 'Interfaith Question Time’; an opportunity for people to ask a panel, chaired by our coordinating chaplain, about questions concerning faith. Unfortunately, due to a timetable clash, the Sikh society were unable to participate, but the remaining faith societies (Hindu, Jewish, Islamic, Ahl al-Bayt, Anglican & Methodist, Christian Union and Catholic) were represented on the panel. The representative from each gave their personal opinions and offered their faith's teaching on a range of different issues, including how to reconcile the existence of evil with a good God, reactions and perceptions of the environmental crisis, and how we understand transgender identity.
The evening highlighted common ground between us; that we all believe in a benevolent God and that we should all strive for good in our society. Despite our differences in creed, tradition and opinion, the respect given to and shared among the panellists was commendable; we were able to stand together and say together as a diverse people of faith, that we can make this world a better place through our common goal of love.
Olly Hearn Cardiff Student Leader
‘Women of Faith’ at Cambridge University
To mark National Interfaith Week we hosted a relaxed social evening to celebrate the contribution and friendship of women of faith in Cambridge. It was wonderful to be able to create a friendly atmosphere where students were able to come together, share their experiences, and ask each other questions about their beliefs and practices. Around thirty students came over the course of the evening, with many different faiths and denominations represented (Jewish/Muslim/Christian/Jain!).
It was particularly great to meet a number of students involved in the committees of their respective faith societies, demonstrating the eagerness and enthusiasm for further interfaith initiatives at our university. We had compiled interfaith quizzes and posters with prompt words to facilitate discussion, but soon found everyone chatting away about a whole range of topics! It was the first time for several students to attend such an event, and one such student remarked how rare it was to find such an inclusive, welcoming group of people, especially in a university-setting where religious students are often labelled and live parallel lives from each other.
At this point in the hectic Cambridge term, many of us were experiencing what we call the “Week Five Blues” – stress, constant tiredness, and general gloominess. Our Women’s Interfaith Evening not only provided a much needed break, but also left us feeling inspired, encouraged and empowered by the many incredible women living out their faith so boldly here in Cambridge.
Anna Whitehead Cambridge Student Leader
CCJ celebrates Mitzvah Day
Last Monday CCJ celebrated Mitzvah Day, an annual initiative established by the Jewish community in which faith-based social action is encouraged. For Mitzvah Day this year CCJ collaborated with Faith for the Climate to host an interfaith climate change workshop for students at Manchester University. In this interactive workshop we explored the role of faith in tackling climate change and discussed some of the contemporary challenges of, and solutions to, tackling the current climate crisis. It was great to hear the student voice on the issue and to see so many students of different faiths coming together to address this pressing need for environmental action.
At CCJ we recognise social action work, such as climate action, as a great avenue for people of different and no faiths to unite. We believe it enables people to recognise how, irrespective of differing beliefs, we all share a common humanity: and that we all as a part of that humanity have a common duty to protect and safeguard our shared society from social injustices such as that of climate change.
Pictured: CCJ Programme Manager Esther Sills presenting at the Climate Change Interfaith Workshop
The South East London branch has shared the sad news of the passing of Fr Tom Creagh-Fuller, a Life President and former Chairman of the branch. Fr Tom was inspirational to all in the branch, and indeed to many in SE London. Our condolences go out to Fr Tom’s family at this time. A full obituary will be shared later.
SE Branch Meeting Report
Stephen Weil, Hon. Sec. of the South East London branch reports on the branch's recent successful event with guest speaker Rabbi Chava Koster:
On Tuesday 5th November, Rabbi Chava Koster told us the extraordinarily rich story of Dutch Jewry at a different level.
The Amsterdam community grew to be significant from the remnants of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities (the Sephardi Jews, the Jews from Spain) and the Jewish converts (“conversos”), who were welcomed to Amsterdam initially for their trading connections at a time when the Dutch were breaking free from Spanish and opening up trading companies both in the East and in the West. Rabbi Chava’s own family came from Portugal, and set up in the diamond trade.
To read about previous branch meetings or to get in touch with the branch please click here.
Holocaust Memorial Day Resources
Holocaust Memorial Day 2020 (27 January) will mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Inspired by this year's theme Stand Together, our annual resource reflects on the complex roles of Christians during the Holocaust. It encourages churches in the UK to mark Holocaust Memorial Day in their services and in their communities and includes suggested prayers and commentaries on the readings set for the Sunday closest to Holocaust Memorial Day. There are notes on how to lead an all-age address, examples of survivor testimony, poetry, and images to encourage reflections. We are deeply grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi, Presidents of CCJ, for their contributions to the resource. For the first time this year we have also included stories of Christians who have been recognised by Yad Vashem as Righteous among the Nations for their work in saving the lives of Jews during the Holocaust. These stories can be shared with congregations to encourage the sort of solidarity between faiths which the theme of Stand Together powerfully invokes.
The next Avon CCJ meeting promises to be a fascinating one. Tom Aditya will be giving a talk on 'The Church of the East, and it's Relation to the Jewish Community'.
Please do come along for a most interesting evening, and also of course the usual nibbles and socialising.
Time: Monday 18th November, 19:00 for 19:30 Location: The University of Bristol Multi-Faith Chaplaincy, 1 Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1AU.
To get in touch with the Avon branch please click here.
To view more upcoming CCJ branch events please click here
CCJ North London Branch Meeting
CCJ North London Branch invites you to come to their AGM and Speaker event.
After the brief formal business of the AGM their guest speaker will be Cllr Sheila Peacock, Mayor of Haringey who will be talking about her work in that role.
This will be followed by tea/coffee and biscuits with the opportunity to socialise.
Time: Sunday November 24th 2019, 5.00 PM-7.00 PM Location: St. Ignatius RC Church 27 High Road, South Tottenham London N15. They will be in the Blue Room in the next door suite of meeting rooms.
For any further details or queries you can contact their branch chair Ivor Millman by emailing ivorimillman@outlook.com
To get in touch with the North London branch please click here.
To view more upcoming CCJ branch events please click here
CCJ Birmingham Branch Meeting
CCJ Birmingham will host Dr Alfred White, consultant psychiatrist, who will be holding a talk named ‘A Religious Perspective on Mental Health’.
Time: Tuesday 26th November at 7.45pm. Location: Woodbrooke Quaker Studies Centre (1046 Bristol Road, B29 6LJ).
To get in touch with the Birmingham branch pleaseclick here.
To view more upcoming CCJ branch events pleaseclick here
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