Derbyshire Jewish community reaffirms positive relationship with local council

DJC co-founder Harry Sassoon said the motion “sends an important and reassuring message that Jewish residents are valued members of the borough, that antisemitism has no place in Chesterfield, and that the fear and insecurity experienced by members of our community are being taken seriously”.

The motion was put forward by Councillor Amanda Serjeant and seconded by Councillor Martin Stone, who gave a personal account of violent antisemitism experienced by his father and grandfather.

Sassoon said that Stone’s testimony “reminded us that the consequences of hatred can continue to affect families across generations”, and he hoped that their local partners could work together “to turn this commitment into meaningful action”.

He added: “Listening to councillors from different political parties speak with such compassion and unity was a valuable reminder that party differences need not prevent mutual respect or a shared commitment to the communities we serve.”

DJC was once two smaller community groups, which merged in November 2024. One began when Sassoon, feeling isolated after October 7, formed a community support group in Chesterfield, where he lives. “It was a time when we really felt like we needed a proper community,” he told the JC.

Meanwhile, his soon-to-be co-founder Eve Sacker had done the same thing in Derby, for the “exact same reason”. When they were introduced via the Jewish Small Communities Network, it was a “no-brainer” to combine forces and create a larger, county-wide group.

Community drinks in Chesterfield, with Sassoon (second from left) and Sacker (third from left) (photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

DJC has quickly blossomed since the merger. While the groups previously comprised between ten and 20 people each, DJC now has more than 85 members.

“We've got some members in their 80s; we've got the young couples with babies as well, so it's a real mix,” said Sassoon, who is in his early 30s, and lives in Chesterfield with his wife. “The people who come to our events are mostly middle-aged, I'd say.”

At present, their main event is called Nosh & Natter, an event for people in the community to mingle in a safe and welcoming space for Jews across the religious spectrum.

Members come with food – all vegetarian – to share. “They bake cakes, bring biscuits, fruit, tea, milk, whatever, and we just have a natter,” Sassoon said.

He shared a heartwarming anecdote about a member who had over the years somewhat relinquished her connection with Judaism, but whose involvement with DJC had inspired her to rekindle her connection with her faith.

“She felt so alone that she stopped lighting Friday night candles or doing anything Jewish, and ever since we discovered her, she now lights Friday night candles again; she'll bake challah and fry latkes,” he said.

“She just suddenly embraced her Judaism again after spending years away from it and she thanked us for it.”

DJC has since started second regular meet-up, which they call The Spark, similar to Nosh & Natter, but in Chesterfield, which is more convenient for those who don’t live near Derby city centre.

Interfaith Seder in Derby for Pesach 2026 (photo: courtesy)[Missing Credit]

Sassoon explained that as things stand, they neither receive nor need any funding, as they can use free community rooms for their social events and attendees contributed the refreshments

The pair also send out emails to the community with details about festivals and community goings-on. 

And they have come to act as the representatives for the community on a local level. “There's a lot of dealing with politicians and whoever else wants to speak to us from a Jewish perspective,” Sassoon said.

They have also hosted Chanukah parties for the last two years, which were both “really successful”. Sassoon said he might try to host a Seder during Pesach next year, and emphasised that “we’ve been guided by the community” and will listen to their members when it comes to future plans.

There is no synagogue in Derbyshire, since the Derby Hebrew Congregation wound up in 1986. Many of their members attend more congregations further afield, such as Nottingham Liberal Synagogue, Seven Hills Shul, a Reform synagogue in Sheffield, or Kehillat Or Tzion, a Masorti synagogue in south Manchester.

As for keeping kosher, Sassoon says that he gets a monthly delivery from the Kosher Deli in Manchester, and makes use of the big chest freezer in his basement. “Houses with basements are affordable up here,” he chuckled.

To find out more about Derbyshire Jewish Community, click here.