Jewish communal leaders have helped launch a new national effort to combat hate and extremism.
Vivian Wineman, the president of the Board of Deputies, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence of Finchley United Synagogue, and Rabbi Herschel Gluck joined Muslim and Christian figures, and senior Metropolitan Police officers on Sunday to unveil the We Stand Together campaign.
It was initiated in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Copenhagen and urges people to sign a pledge of solidarity, to celebrate diversity and oppose intolerance.
At the launch at London's Central Mosque, Mr Wineman said that hatred was not new, citing Purim as a festival marking an instance of antisemitism from 2,000 years ago. What was new, he said, was that "we are here to confront that hate".
Rabbi Lawrence, who was representing the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, said the Jewish community "stands as one with the campaign. We abhor hatred. By celebrating diversity we can build a stronger United Kingdom".
Rabbi Gluck, founder of the Muslim Jewish Forum, noted there were some who wanted to use British values to divide society.
"We must ensure the beautiful mosaic of Britain, not just by tolerating difference but by celebrating difference."
Commander Mak Chishty, the Met's community engagement lead officer, said that London was one of the most diverse cities in the world.
“We will show that an attack on one community is an attack on the whole community. We will stand together to denounce race and faith hatred in all its forms."
In a statement after the event, Mr Wineman said: “I was privileged to take part in yesterday’s We Stand Together event. There were speakers from the Abrahamic faiths, with messages from the Chief Rabbi and the Archbishop of Westminster and representation from the Dharmic faiths. I was delighted that this was organised by the police. The meeting itself was eloquent testimony not just to the determination of the religious leaders to fight prejudice but also to the eagerness of the police and political establishment to support them.”
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