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Heaven help us! Rabbi goes out to bat at Lord's
Rabbi Liss was one of a number of clerics from different faiths inaugurating a multi-faith prayer room at Lord's Cricket Ground
June 9, 2022 11:46
Rabbi Liss was one of a number of clerics from different faiths inaugurating a multi-faith prayer room at Lord's Cricket Ground
June 9, 2022 11:46Highgate Synagogue’s Rabbi Nicky Liss was in action on the Lord’s outfield on the first day of the opening Test between England and New Zealand last Thursday.
Representing Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the rabbi was one of a number of clerics from different faiths inaugurating a multi-faith prayer room at the famous ground.
They also unveiled a unity statement promoting inclusion in the sport.
Rabbi Liss, chairman of the United Synagogue’s Rabbinical Council, is himself a keen cricketer who has donned his whites in the cause of interfaith relations.
He was drafted into the Archbishop of Canterbury’s XI against the Royal Household in Windsor three years ago but was unable to travel to Rome for a fixture against a Vatican team.
He also turns out for a side called Heaven Help Us, made up of religious leaders, celebrities and sports journalists. World Jewish Relief is among the charities it will be supporting this year.
After the scandal that embroiled cricket when former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq revealed the racism he had suffered, Heaven Help Us approached the English Cricket Board to see if there was anything they could do to help.
The initiative was led by actor Colin Salmon and Heaven Help Us founder Mohammed Sadiq Patel.
“Tom Harrison [outgoing ECB chief executive] was incredibly supportive and the ECB wrote an introduction to the statement,” Rabbi Liss said.
In his own contribution to the statement, Rabbi Liss said: “The Chief Rabbi’s favourite sporting analogy is that, away from the cricket field, we should all try to be batters and not bowlers.
“Whereas it is the job of the batter to score runs for the team, it is the task of the bowler to bowl the opponents out. However, real life should not be like cricket.
“We should never prioritise attacking others for what they believe above the pursuit of what we hold dear and we should focus on creating bonds of friendship over belittling and excluding others.
He added that there was “much to be gained from taking heed of the rabbis of the Talmud, who taught that true wisdom is the capacity to learn from every person and genuine heroism is the ability to turn an enemy into a friend.”
And within hours of its dedication, the Lord’s prayer room was in use for Jewish cricket fans.
“I sent a text round saying we’d be having minchah at 5 o’clock and we got 25 people,” Rabbi Liss reported.
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