Fortress mentality? Not at this medieval castle where Jews, Muslims and Christians did Shabbat

The carrots were grown by members of the local Muslim community, the squashes from St Albans Masorti Synagogue, the apples by Christians in Rose Castle orchard, and much of the main course was grown and cooked by members of the Hindu faith.

Also joining for the dinner and services were local teachers, Holocaust educators, interfaith activists, some children, and civic leaders including two deputy lord lieutenants, David Beeby and Chris Holmes, High Sheriff of Cumbria Geoffrey Jolliffe, former leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron MP, and MP for Penrith and Solway Markus Campbell-Savours.

Saturday morning saw a full, 2-hour Shachrit, the prayers of which reverberated throughout the grade 1-listed building’s palatial rooms, towers, studies and libraries for the first time in its history. In the evening, an interreligious havdalah brought the Shabbat to an end.

Deputy Lord Lieutenant Chris Holmes, Canon Sarah Snyder, Soo Redshaw, Deputy Lord Lieutenant David Beeby, and Archdeacon Ross  at the interfaith event (Credit: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

All services were led informatively, charismatically and humorously by Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet of St Albans Masorti Synagogue, who told the JC it was a “privilege” to be a part of an “amazing” weekend.

Later that evening, in the bowels of the home next to a lit fireplace in a lavish drawing room – the bay windows of which looked southwards toward the towering crests of the Lake District – an intimate discussion was organised that sought to break down barriers and build friendships. Hosted by Rabbi Adam, dialogue focused on what each person has found works in their community, and was at times moving and heartfelt, and at times amusing.

One member of Carlisle’s Muslim community, who came to Rose Castle on Friday night and on Saturday with his young daughter, said: “We don’t have a synagogue in Cumbria, so it was so important for me to introduce my daughter to members of the Jewish community and to start making those relationships early.

“We have more in common between us than divides us, and that’s what we demonstrated this weekend. It was family.”

One Cumbrian Christian minster described the services as “splendid” and the conversations, particularly with Muslim counterparts over the Shabbat table, as “enlightening”.

“I felt able to share mine and my community’s innermost concerns and, in return, heard theirs,” he said. “Any tensions I might have had beforehand dissipated. And what an absolutely stirring place to do it in. We are so lucky to be guests here, and to break bread together under one very beautiful roof.”

Left to right: Archdeacon Vernon Ross, Abigail Mann, Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet, and Stuart Diamond (Credit: Jonny Gios)[Missing Credit]

A Christian volunteer with the Rose Castle Foundation – a peacebuilding charity for whom the castle became home in 2016 – said the weekend was made all the more special because of the setting. “This house has a certain convening power in the way it’s laid out, its comforts, its homeliness; it makes people feel welcome and relaxed, I think, which fosters friendly and candid conversations in a way that a local barren church hall perhaps might not.”

A day of communal outreach followed on Sunday, with a range of Mitzvah Day initiatives taking place simultaneously to support underprivileged young people and refugees living in Cumbria.

A group of female refugees who, wishing to repay the hospitality the Cumbrian community has offered them, formed a sewing circle to upcycle fabric to make items such as clothes and Christmas decorations for people in need.

Elsewhere, a team of volunteers cooked and distributed meals for the homeless, while a group of young carers enjoyed a day immersed in various outdoor activities: food-growing workshops, woodland art and weaving, cooking over an open fire, and a visit to an alpaca farm.

Carers visiting an alpaca farm in the Lake District[Missing Credit]

In Carlisle, Anne Frank Trust Cumbria volunteers ran a hate-crime awareness workshop for local young people, while another group of disadvantaged young people learnt nutrition and cooking skills, using surplus food grown and harvested for the Shabbat dinner in Rose Castle.

Abigail Mann was the organiser-extraordinaire behind the weekend’s activities, planning for which began at the beginning of the year. “In such a polarised world, we have been able to provide a beacon of light to show that hope and positivity can emerge from difficult times,” she said.

“We would not have been able to achieve any of this without the outstanding generosity from the Rose Castle Foundation, together with our many volunteers who have given numerous hours to make this weekend such a success.”