Charities that bring Jewish and Muslim people together say their work to overcome division is more important than ever, following an alleged attempted murder of two Jewish men in Golders Green, north London. Laura Marks, co-founder of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish-Muslim women’s network, described feeling “punch drunk” from the relentless attacks. “Every day it feels like there is something else. It’s relentless,” she said.
Background of Nisa-Nashim
Nisa-Nashim was established eight years ago as a charity to bring Jewish and Muslim women together through social events. The aim was to nurture relationships in UK communities that could help overcome distrust, division, and religious stereotyping exacerbated by Israel-Palestine tensions. The violence in Golders Green, part of a wave of attacks targeting the Jewish community amid the deepening Middle East conflict, can feel like a demoralising rebuke to such voluntary projects that have worked tirelessly for community cohesion.
Despair and Determination
Marks, a former advertising executive with years of social activism, admits to occasional despair but remains determined. “I’m an optimist. If I don’t believe I can make things a bit better, then what am I doing? But it is difficult,” she said. She clarified that the work is not primarily aimed at addressing extreme radicalisation, where “a bit of hanging out together is not going to make any difference.” Instead, the challenge lies in countering the fear, suspicion, and distrust exacerbated by local violence and the wider conflict. The goal is to help ordinary Jews and Muslims acknowledge their similarities as well as their differences, whether in culture, history, scripture, or food.
Impact of October 7 Attack
The 7 October 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent Gaza conflict made this work much more difficult, Marks noted. As the Gaza crisis grew, support for Nisa-Nashim waned. Some volunteers were put off by online abuse or extremist threats, others were demoralised, and some were dissuaded by their families. The immediate priority is community safety. “Right now, all people [in the Jewish community] can hear is walls, police, security. I understand that. It’s like a hierarchy of needs: if we are not safe, we can’t do anything else. But long term we can’t live behind walls. We have to build bridges,” she said.
Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester
Mohammed Amin, co-chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester, a voluntary group set up more than 20 years ago, expressed “horror and dismay” at the Golders Green attacks. He believes the forum’s work makes a real and tangible difference to community relations by encouraging tolerance, understanding, and empathy. “People get to know each other. We have seen real friendships emerge,” he said. Amin looks forward to a forum-arranged trip to a kosher-halal fish and chip restaurant in Leeds, staffed by Muslims and Jews. While such events cannot change the course of international politics, he says they help change the atmosphere and defuse tension.
Need for Political Leadership
Amin, a businessman and former Conservative party member now a Liberal Democrat, says addressing cultural cohesion requires political leadership and a change in political culture. “Some politicians in our society trade on sowing division and resentment,” he said, citing Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s comments after the 2024 Southport riots. “If politicians are going to pour petrol in the flames do not be surprised by the outcome.”
Government Investment Needed
Marks says that while community safety is crucial, the government must also invest in interfaith and cohesion work, a relatively unloved part of civil society. “At the core of what we do is mixing people, bringing people together. This is social cohesion at the coalface,” she said. For Amin, community tensions ebb and flow with Middle East conflicts, but local interfaith work has a vital role. “If you increase connectivity, you decrease hostility. The key is to recognise we are all ordinary human beings,” he concluded.
