A festival celebrating Jewish culture, heritage, community and history, including a show by the band Oi Va Voi, is being held by the Board of Deputies in east London in October to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street.
The British Jewish group, which for more than 20 years has fused contemporary songwriting and dance grooves with klezmer, said rising antisemitism had made it even more necessary to mark the October 4 anniversary.
The band will perform a one-off concert at arts centre EartH in Hackney, two miles from Cable Street.
Drummer and founding member of the group Josh Breslaw said: “We grew up hearing about the Battle of Cable Street from our parents and grandparents.
"The Jewish community was the target that day in 1936, and what saved them was everyone else showing up, Irish dockers, Communists, trade unionists, and local working-class communities, all standing together to stop the fascists.
“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 festival comes as Jews and “Zionists” have been increasingly omitted or erased from cultural events.
One of the UK's largest trade unions, Unite, claimed it erroneously organised its 90th anniversary event to take place on Shabbat – and without mentioning the Jewish community.
A spokesperson later said: “Unite is grateful to the JC for bringing this matter to our attention.
“We do not wish to exclude any community from the Cable Street anniversary event nor to downplay or ignore the critical role played by Jews in 1936.”
The trade union now mentions the Jewish community’s role in the battle on the webpage for its event.
Organising the Jewish events alongside the Board of Deputies is Debby Lee, whose grandfather took part in the battle in 1936 and lived on Cable Street with her mother, and was “very hurt” that Jews were excluded.
“My grandfather was a communist, and they had nothing. He worked in sweatshops as a tailor and was very involved in the early days of trade union movements and campaigned for the Labour Party. So it's incredibly hurtful.”
📢 Cable Street 90 - A festival of Jewish culture, history and solidarity in East London presented by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) August 27, 2026
🚕 Explore the history of London’s Jewish East End from an iconic black cab and join Reuben on a tour this October.
The tailored tours… pic.twitter.com/UeFJLeE2Tf
Because of her personal link with Cable Street, Lee has attended every major anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street for the last 30 years.
“I never felt that there was a denial of the Jewish presence in it, but we're now living in completely different times, so I really felt that we need to do something.
“There's something very ironic that 90 years on we're feeling the feelings that my grandparents felt. My mother and my aunt were hiding under the kitchen table. They thought it was going to be a pogrom, and they remembered being terrified. My mum was six, and they didn’t know if they were going to see their dad again.”
Lee added: "We haven't got to that stage, thank God, but I don't think any Jew can say that we don't look over our shoulder now, that we don't worry about wearing our Star of David. There's something poignant and sad about where we've got to, but there's also hope because in 1936 we saw incredible allies, and I believe that we have incredible allies out there. We should never forget that this was a country that fought Hitler, and it saved our lives.”
Other events taking place at the Cable Street 90 festival include Tracy-Ann Oberman, Howard Jacobson and theatre director Brigid Larmour discussing The Merchant of Cable Street – a production which reimagines Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in London’s Jewish East End – and the battle’s enduring legacy; and historical tours of London’s Jewish East End from iconic black cabs.
Lee said: “This day should be about unity and solidarity, and people that genuinely stand up against prejudice. You cannot be selective in your prejudices to someone's ethnicity.”
Oi Va Voi will perform at EartH as part of Cable Street 90 on October 1. Tickets here
To get more news, click here to sign up for our free daily newsletter.