Seven decades of strengthening inter-faith relations in Britain were celebrated as the Council of Christians & Jews marked its 70th anniversary with a gala reception and dinner at Crosby Moran Hall.
The charity’s patron, Her Majesty The Queen, was the guest of honour accompanied by His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh at the event, where she met Lord Sacks, The Chief Rabbi. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who could not be at the event sent messages of good wishes and support.
Founded in 1942 by Chief Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz and Archbishop William Temple the CCJ was founded to create constructive dialogue between Jews and Christians on a wide variety of topics, including today the Israel-Palestine situation and the global economic crisis. On arrival The Queen was received by Sir David Brewer Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and The Mayor of The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Cllr Julie Mills and welcomed to Crosby Moran Hall by the Vice-chair of the Council of Christians & Jews, Mr. Christopher Moran, who hosted the evening at his London residence.
On arrival The Queen was received by Sir David Brewer Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London and The Mayor of The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Cllr Julie Mills and welcomed to Crosby Moran Hall by the Vice-chair of the Council of Christians & Jews, Mr. Christopher Moran, who hosted the evening at his London residence.
In his address to guests Mr. Moran said, “Faith matters not just for individuals, but for communities and society at large. Hollowing out the foundation of faith will fracture our society. That is of great concern to us all and a challenge for us to face. During the civic unrest of the summer, one wondered what value system those who felt the need to riot and loot believe in? Is their lack of care for themselves and others a by-product of our secular society?
“With some notable exceptions amongst ethnic communities the chaos depicted an astonishing lack of social infrastructure. All over our urban centres we need local people who will be role models and guide young people desperately seeking leadership.
“In the past faith has provided us with such people in every parish, temple & mosque. People who understood the community, its needs, its desires, and its weaknesses. We still have those missionaries embedded at the heart of our society and in our time of need we must turn to them again.”
Guests were also addressed by The Rt. Hon. Francis Maude MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, who said: “The Council of Christians and Jews has a magnificent history of building relations between faiths. For seventy years it has brought people together to focus on shared values of altruism and respect. This mission is as important today as it has ever been. We all want a bigger, stronger society, where everyone takes responsibility for others around them. Faith groups have been doing this throughout history and must be leaders in these challenging times.”
Other senior religious figures in attendance included Bishop of Manchester Rt. Revd. Nigel McCulloch, The Most Revd Kevin McDonald, Archbishop Emeritus of Southwark, H.E. Archbishop Gregorios (Theocharous) of Thyateira and Great Britain, Rabbi Danny Rich, Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg and Rabbi Dr. Abraham Levy.
See also article summarizing the event in Church of England newspaper, 17 November 2011, by Nick Dean : https://www.churchnewspaper.com/21017/archives
