A five hour walk through central London on February 19 by Christians, Jews and Muslims from all walks of British life was a powerful show of unity in response to the hatred that drove the January attacks in France and Denmark. This “Coexist Pilgrimage” was devised by our colleague, Masorti Senior Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg of New North London Synagogue in cooperation with a Christian minister, the Reverend Margaret Cave and the assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Sheikh Ibrahim Mograbi.
The Walk
"The Paris attacks were extremely frightening. The violence -- it was an assault on freedom, on the sanctity of life and it's an assault on Judaism, which again we saw in Copenhagen," said Jonathan Wittenberg. "We can't let that be the last word...I felt it was very important that there should be a response." The walk began at London's Central Mosque at Regent's Park, proceeded to the Central Synagogue and then through the crowds of Soho to Westminster Abbey, Parliament (where they were greeted by the Speaker, John Bercow) and finally, St Thomas’s Hospital.
At each venue participants gathered for a moment of reflection, led by the local imam, rabbi or priest, to emphasize their shared values and hopes for peace. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus were welcomed to the mosque by its senior imam, Sheikh Khalifa Ezzat who declared that "the terrorists hope to divide us but these atrocities are uniting us. We need to be together to demonstrate coexistence and tolerance,” adding that Islam could coexist with every faith and no faith and that it has more in common with British values than what divides it.
Unity Among and Within Religions
What was particularly striking about the march for British Jews was the participation of both the Orthodox and non-Orthodox which is highly unusual in Great Britain. The fact that Jonathan Wittenberg is a Masorti rabbi and Rabbi Barry Marcus, minister of the Central Synagogue is Orthodox, was irrelevant. As Dean Witcombe, Dean of Coventry joked, “Sometimes it’s easier to get over your internal differences when you are reaching out to other faiths.” As the walkers crowded into the Central Synagogue – bombed during the Second World War and rebuilt immediately after – Rabbi Marcus said he hoped a seed had been planted: “I want this event to stretch out a hand in an effort to make our society a better one.”
Summing up the meaning of the march Sheikh Mograbi declared that “Above our religions, ethnicities, cultures, social and financial standings, is our common humanity and respect for life, and care for God’s creation,” and our colleague Jonathan Wittenberg said the event should be a symbol of freedom and “deepest respect” for all religions. He notes that there is significant and growing dialogue between the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities that enables channels of communication, especially in tense times. "But", he emphasizes, "there is much more to do and there are many places the dialogue still needs to reach. In these hard times there is good will in many quarters and there are opportunities which must be taken."
This event was covered widely throughout the European media by at least 16 different news organizations including: BBC World, BBC London TV, BBC London Radio, BBC 1 Lunchtime News, BBC Arabic Service, BBC Radio 4, Agence France, Presse Getty Images, Premier Christian Radio, RAI Italian Radio and TV, French Radio and Israeli sites as well including Arutz Sheva and Time of Israel - http://www.timesofisrael.com/londons-faithful-walk-together-in-show-of-solidarity