Interfaith activists recently participated in a women's walk through Golders Green in solidarity following the terror attack on 29 April 2026. The event, captured by photographer James Manning, underscores a growing need for unity against hate.
The Wake-Up Call for the Moderate Majority
Sarah Sackman, the Labour MP for Finchley and Golders Green, has issued a powerful call to action. In the aftermath of the attack, she reflects on the isolation felt by British Jews and the urgent need for solidarity from all communities.
"One day, this terrible war will be over. The time will come when we'll be people again and not just Jews," Sackman quotes from Anne Frank's diary, capturing the sentiment of many British Jews today. As the MP for the largest British Jewish community, she speaks of holding her daughters' hands tighter and the fear that pervades daily life.
The threat is immediate and severe. The government, led by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, has pledged to step up policing, protect Jewish spaces, strengthen criminal laws, and ensure tougher action from prosecutors and courts. However, Sackman emphasizes that security measures alone are insufficient.
The Need for Societal Solidarity
"No amount of government money, or police personnel, or CCTV will keep everyone safe if we fail to tackle the attitudes that fuel antisemitism," Sackman writes. She calls for a fight for an open and tolerant Britain that requires solidarity from non-Jewish communities.
In the past 24 hours, she has received messages from across the UK, from Christian and Muslim leaders, old friends, and colleagues. Yet, she questions where the marches in solidarity with the Jewish community are, and where the response from the liberal-left, anti-racists, trade unions, and civil society is.
Sackman also calls out leaders of tech platforms who allow hate to proliferate via algorithms, university chancellors, cultural sector leaders, and NHS managers who must root out hate in their institutions. She notes that interfaith and community cohesion has proved brittle since 9/11 and particularly after 7 October 2023.
Building Grassroots Cohesion
"Building grassroots social cohesion takes work, investment, a strategy and leadership. It is the challenge of our times," she asserts. The moderate majority must stand up not only against acts of terrorism but also against everyday antisemitism.
Examples of solidarity exist. In 2013, after a Muslim community centre in Barnet was burned down by the English Defence League, Finchley Reform Synagogue opened its doors to the Somali Bravanese community during Ramadan. In a bitter twist, that same synagogue was targeted in an attempted petrol bombing last month. Members of the Somali Bravanese community turned up to Friday prayers to show solidarity.
"That is solidarity. Security and surveillance are a sticking plaster. The real solution is connection and allyship – not just warm words but real, tangible action," Sackman writes.
She concludes: "This is not a fight that Britain's Jews can or should fight alone – it is the responsibility of British people everywhere. So start today. Call up your neighbours. Listen to their experiences. A Britain that treats Jews with dignity is one in which all Britons can thrive."
