A performance on October 1 by acclaimed London band Oi Va Voi will kick off 11 days of music, film, theatre, talks and heritage events to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.
The band, which mixes klezmer with contemporary styles will take to the stage as part of Cable Street 90, a programme organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews to explore the history and continuing significance of the 1936 confrontation with fascists in London’s East End.
The concert will feature Berlin-based singer and rapper Shaked Miller and up-and-coming artist Benji Miller as the support acts.
The group said: “We are excited to be playing in the heart of Hackney for such an important occasion. Cable Street 90 is a moment that deserves to be celebrated, and we can't think of a better way to do that than with live music, community and a night to remember.”
For drummer and founding member Josh Breslaw, the anniversary has a personal resonance.
“We grew up hearing about the Battle of Cable Street from our parents and grandparents,” he said. “At a time when antisemitism in Britain is rising and Jewish people are once again being made to feel unwelcome, it feels more important than ever to mark this anniversary. We want the show to be a celebration of survival, community and joy.”
The Battle of Cable Street took place on October 4, 1936, when members of the Jewish community, communists and trade unionists gathered in the East End to prevent a planned fascist march by Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists through an area with a large Jewish population.
The anniversary festival will revisit that history through a mixture of contemporary culture and events designed to explore the Jewish East End and the communities that shaped it.
Among the programme’s highlights is Murmur Mural, an outdoor video installation by artist Inam Zimbalista, which will be projected on to Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel every evening from October 4 to 11. Using archive material and the imagery of bird murmurations, the work reflects on collective action and solidarity.
Visitors will also be able to explore the area’s Jewish history on black cab tours, while historian Rachel Kolsky will lead a walking tour of Wapping and Shadwell, taking in sites including the Cable Street mural, Wilton’s Music Hall and Tobacco Dock.
Historian Martin Sugarman will discuss the contribution of Jewish volunteers to the fight against Franco in the Spanish Civil War, followed by a screening of Jews Defending Jews, a documentary examining Jewish resistance to antisemitism in Britain, followed by a Q&A.
The Cable Street Matters panel will consider what the battle means to British Jews today, with Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg, Jewish News executive editor Brigit Grant and CST head of investigations Marc Goldberg among the speakers.
The festival will also turn to theatre and literature. Actor and writer Tracy-Ann Oberman, novelist Howard Jacobson, director Brigid Larmour and broadcaster Sir Trevor Phillips will discuss The Merchant of Cable Street, exploring the Jewish East End, Shakespeare and the continuing cultural legacy of the battle.
Families can take part in a free creative workshop, inspired by Tanya Landman’s The Battle of Cable Street, while Sandys Row Synagogue in Spitalfields will open its doors for a morning, exploring more than 150 years of Jewish life in the East End.
There will also be a screening of Steven Berkoff’s They Shall Not Pass: The Battle of Cable Street, followed by a Q&A with the actor, writer and director.
Debby Lee, who is helping organise the Jewish events alongside the Board of Deputies and whose grandfather took part in the battle, said: “This day should be about unity and solidarity, and people that genuinely stand up against prejudice.”
Cable Street 90 runs from October 1 to 11. For more information and to book tickets, click here
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