A new group is to launch in Manchester two days after Rosh Hashanah with the aim of broadening communal conversation on Jewish affairs.
Its first meeting, scheduled for September 15 and entitled “Seek Peace and Pursue It” – a quotation from Psalm 31 – will feature an online address from Israeli Maoz Inon and Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah, authors of the recently published book The Future is Peace, followed by a panel discussion.
Juliette Coleman, one of the organisers of the event, explained: “There are about ten of us, who are like-minded in that we look at London, and we see that there are lots of very diverse and interesting events that take place there – the kind of things that go on at JW3 and other venues.
“Until now, we haven't really had anything similar here in Manchester. We don't have the diversity of speakers or voices or events that make the community in London more enriched and fulfilled because of that diversity. I've been looking at London and thinking, well, we want some of that in Manchester too.”
She said she had heard “Maoz and Aziz speaking, and the hope for the future that they bring really inspired me. I wanted to organise an event in Manchester so that people can listen to them and hear their story. I want to amplify the voices that bring hope and offer a more positive way forward for the future.”
Inon’s parents, Yakovi and Bilha, were murdered on October 7 at Netiv HaAsara, the closest moshav to the Gaza border, and their house was incinerated. It took 14 days to identify Yakovi’s body. Nothing was left of Bilha, although her art studio survived the fire.
Abu Sarah has also lost family to the conflict. When he was 10, his brother Tayseer, 19, who had been arrested for throwing rocks during the first Intifada, died shortly after his release from prison of damage to his internal organs that he had suffered from the beatings of his captors.
The group, which has the support of Orthodox, Progressive and unaffiliated Jews, adopts no particular political stance. “We know that not everyone's going to agree on everything and that's fine. But we want to be able to have a conversation.”
A member of Yeshurun Synagogue in Cheadle and a talent coach who develops leadership at PwC, Coleman, who is 51, has strong family connections to Israel.
“I'm also a co-founder of an organisation in Israel called Jeremy's Circle, which supports children when there's cancer in the family or they're coping with a cancer loss,” she said.
Other events are in the pipeline. “We’ve got something planned for the end of October to look at the Israeli election results and analyse those together,” she said.
“We’ve got another event planned probably for early December which will be around how we can we can have an influence on the [UK’s] policy direction, about how we can build a relationship with the government within Manchester.”
That will be taking place against the backdrop of the recent creation of Number 10 North in Manchester by Prime Minister Andy Burnham as a regional branch of government.
Seek Peace and Pursue It
Tue Sep15
7.30 – 9pm
At a North Manchester venue
To buy tickets, click here
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