Outgoing Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie Van Der Zyl OBE shares her reflections on interfaith engagement during her tenure  

The United Kingdom is a wonderfully diverse country with a multitude of religious and ethnic communities. Part of our role as the representative organisation of the Jewish community in this country is to work with other faiths in order to have the best possible relationships. 

This has been a crucial part of my presidency of this organisation. Perhaps the highlight for me was the visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury to the historic Bevis Marks Synagogue in London where he was interviewed by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore in an event we put on for the Jewish community. The Archbishop spoke movingly and frankly about antisemitism and the Church.  

This event came after a more difficult interaction with the Archbishop over an article he co-authored in the Sunday Times which partially blamed Jewish settlers and Israel’s security barrier for falling numbers of Christians in some areas, which, in our view, did not give the full picture. However, we had a very constructive meeting which laid the basis for future engagements.  

A very significant moment both for us and the Church of England was the decision of a Church of England Tribunal to ban priest Stephen Sizer for 12 years. Given that he indulged in 'antisemitic activity' and caused grievous offence to the Jewish community over a number of years, this was the correct decision. 

A personal highlight for me was meeting His Holiness The Pope, alongside Board of Deputies Chief Executive Michael Wegier. I had the opportunity to discuss issues of importance to both our communities with Pope Francis. As two historic religious communities, the relationship between Jews and Catholics is of great significance and particularly in recent decades since Nostra Aetate, since when the relationship has grown from strength to strength. I later had the opportunity to meet The Pope again while in Rome with the World Jewish Congress. 

Another highlight of my presidency was my meetings with King Charles. I and my colleagues from other faith communities had the opportunity to attend a meeting called by His Majesty shortly before the funeral of his mother, Queen Elizabeth. At that meeting he reassured all of us that he wanted to be a King for all of us, saying he was determined to “carry out my responsibilities as sovereign of all communities around this country and the Commonwealth and in a way which reflects the world in which we now live”. His words were all the more moving for the grief which was clearly etched on his face. 

The following Monday, I had the privilege to be invited to lead the procession of faith leaders the funeral as the representative of the UK’s Jewish community. 

A huge positive for interfaith relations both at home and internationally has been the signing of the Abraham Accords. It was as a direct result of this historic agreement between the governments of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, that I and Jewish leaders from the UK were invited to the UAE for by the Abrahamic Family House. This was an opportunity for people from across the religious divide to come together to meet, to promote understanding and to consign historic enmities to the past.  

I have prioritised engagement with Muslim communities at home as well. In my time as Vice President I travelled around the country where I was delighted to meet local Muslim communities and to emphasis the things we have in common rather than the issues that divide us. I was always given a very warm welcome. In this vein we organised an iftar for our Muslim friends. We also invited Muslims and representatives of all faiths to our interfaith Passover Seders which I hosted this year and last. 

Among other important meetings I and my team have undertaken, I had the honour of meeting the Cardinal Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, for a warm conversation about the relationship between Catholics and Jews in Britain. 

The biggest difficulty I have experienced has undoubtedly been in the period following the 7th October massacre in Israel and the ensuing conflict in Gaza. This has placed a huge strain on relationships between the Jewish and Muslim communities and there has been increased tension across the board. Within days of the 7th October attacks, the Archbishop of Canterbury wrote to the Board of Deputies conveying his “deepest sense of solidarity… friendship and prayers”. While we have had other messages of support, there has also been silence from many, which concerns us. However, where we have cultivated strong local relationships, these have held firm and in some cases strengthened, which is very encouraging. 

My hope for the future that we can return to warm and meaningful interfaith relations with all religious communities. We have achieved much during my time in office. Dialogue and mutual support is the only way forward for all of us.