When a guest was taken ill at the Liberal Judaism patrons' dinner on Tuesday, the call naturally went out for a doctor in the house. But, in what must have been the first time at a function in recorded Anglo-Jewry history, no Jewish medical practitioner to be found.
Fortunately, there was a doctor at hand, Tarek Seda, a Muslim. He had come to the event as a friend of Liberal chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich. The two had first first met when Rabbi Rich had run out of petrol one day and the gallant doctor had stopped to go and get him some.
Dr Seda attended the dinner even though he had to wait to begin his meal some time after the other guests as he was observing the fast of Ramadan. The movement provided the traditional break-fast foods of dates and olives.