Torn from home: Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January

Torn from home is the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2019.

Kindertransport girls passing through customs

There are activities across the capital to mark this important day. Some of the borough events are listed below. Find an activity near you on the HMD site.

Holocaust Memorial Day is the day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution, and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur.

Torn from home encourages us to reflect on how the enforced loss of a safe place to call ‘home’ is part of the trauma faced by anyone experiencing persecution and genocide. ‘Home’ usually means a place of safety, comfort and security. On HMD 2019 people across the UK will reflect on what happens when individuals, families and communities are driven out of, or wrenched from their homes, because of persecution or the threat of genocide, alongside the continuing difficulties survivors face as they try to find and build new homes when the genocide is over.

HMD 2019 will include marking the 25th anniversary of the Genocide in Rwanda, which began in April 1994 and the 40th anniversary of the end of the Genocide in Cambodia, which ended in 1979. HMD activity organisers may particularly want to acknowledge this milestone anniversary, and reflect on how this theme impacts on members of the Rwandan and Cambodian communities.

Safet is a survivor of the Bosnian War. This photograph is taken in his living room.

Safet was 16 when Muslim men and boys began being taken away to concentration camps. He remembers his father and brother being ordered out of the house, and his mother stopped him from going with them. He came to England with his mother, and later his father and brother joined them.

Safet is holding a school photograph, taken in 1982 when he was six years old, before the war started.

‘It was a really mixed group in terms of religion. We were kids and we didn’t think of religion at all. I have chosen this [photograph] because it shows how things were before, and it just reminds me. It would be nice to be able to go back to how it used to be. It can be done, I’m 100% certain. We have no problems between ourselves, it’s the politicians making these problems, and that’s the most frustrating thing.

‘It’s important to keep the memory alive, because some people are just not aware of what was happening in Bosnia, it’s a surprise to me. People were dying in concentration camps, torture took place, in Europe, in the 90s. Everyone thought that once World War II was over that wouldn’t happen again, but it did.

Click on the dates for borough HMD 2019 events. If you know of others, please add a comment to this post with details. A map of activities is on the HMD site.

Inter Faith Week 2017

Inter Faith Week 2017 has started!

Find all the events taking place in your borough on the Inter Faith Week website map.

There are quizes, visits, discussions on hot topics, meals and gatherings across the capital all week, some hosted by borough councils. If you haven’t added your event to the IFW website, there’s still time.

Above: two members of the Christian-Muslim women’s group in Wandsworth.

LBFN 18 May | Borough Timelines

From Neighbourhood Renewal to Big Society, from mental illness to hate crime, from 9/11 to integration, PCTs to CCGs, Stop & Search to SNPs, interfaith walks & WhatsApp groups – such a lot has changed!

Join us tomorrow evening 5.30pm-7.30pm as we chart the massive contribution that local gurdwaras, synagogues, mosques, temples and churches have made to the wider community and the key contribution of local multifaith networks and forums working in partnership with councils, the NHS, local police & fire services.

Add your significant dates to our timeline (it will be posted online soon), hear from faith forums & public sector officers across the capital and be part of an engaging debate on the current context.

With us will be practitioners from Kensington & Chelsea, Harrow, Wandsworth, Hounslow, Islington, Tower Hamlets, Richmond, Lambeth, Havering, Westminster, Southwark, Barking & Dagenham, Redbridge, Enfield, Croydon, Barnet & the City, with borough London Resilience managers and local police officers.

If you plan to join us & haven’t yet confirmed your place, email asap.  We are meeting at Voluntary Action Islington, 200a Pentonville Road (near the junction with Killick St, next to Cycle Surgery), N1 9JP (King’s Cross tube).

As well as news from key faith forums across the capital, we’ll hear from:

  • Malik Gul, WCEN
  • Yvette Ellis, VAI
  • Steve Miller, FbRN
  • Matt Scott, London Voluntary Service Council

and hear an update on LBFN’s social labs:

  • safety & security (with London Resilience & Ecclesiastical Insurance)
  • peace-building
  • health & wellbeing
  • European links
  • intersectionality

There will be plenty of time to share news and ideas and a simple vegetarian meal will be served.

Look forward to seeing you there!

#LondonIsOpen film for Inter Faith Week

London’s faith communities are open and welcoming!

In step with the Mayor’s #LondonIsOpen message, a short film has been shot on location across the capital and includes Sikh, Quaker, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Christian, Buddhist & Baha’i places opening their doors.

Against a backdrop of international tensions and increased hate crime, London’s faith groups, from humble to grand, are not closed and fearful – we remain open and welcoming!

Inter Faith Week events across London are screening the new film as part of their activities – you are welcome to do the same by using this link.  Can you identify the different places?

london-is-open-logo

Thanks to everyone who responded to our email during the summer and welcomed in the cameras – we were overwhelmed with offers.  A big thank you to Rosalind Parker and Jack Jeffreys for the filming.  For any who would like to get involved in the next stage, our #LondonIsOpen initiative continues – join us at 3pm on Tuesday 6 December at Collaboration House, 77 Charlotte Street, W1T 4PW, to plan for 2017.  Let us know if you’d like to join us.

Upcoming in London

Check out our new What’s On page for a full listing of London events for LBFN members & friends – email us with your news or add items to our Facebook page.

bed flyerThursday 21 May 3.30pm – 9pm Bridging Extreme Differences: Building Dialogue with Extremists at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, WC1A 2LP hosted by BIMA – Belief in Mediation and Arbitration. Download flyer.

Thursday 21 May 6:30pm – 8:30pm Death, Dying and Religion – Spirituality at the End of Life at Trinity Hospice, 30 Clapham Common North Side, SW4 0RN, on the role of spiritual care at the end of life, followed by Q&A. Rafi Fuchs, Spiritual Co-ordinator at Jewish care home Nightingale House, Eva Bellim, Trinity Hospice, Imam Suliman Gani, Tooting Mosque and Dennis Pearce, Bermondsey Buddhist Centre on their perspectives of death and dying, followed by a discussion on how we can work together to improve the relationship between religious communities and hospices.  For healthcare professionals, community leaders and members of the public.

bacTuesday 26 May – Saturday 6 June 7pm Like Mother Like Daughter at Battersea Arts Centre in partnership with Complicite, Women’s Interfaith Network and 3FF.  If you could ask your mother one question about her life, what would it be? What is the most important thing a mother can pass on to her daughter? Performed by mothers and daughters from different religions, Like Mother, Like Daughter is a celebration of the traditions we inherit and what we pass on. LBFN is offered half price tickets (£7.50) – use the promotion code “FRIEND” when booking.

Wednesday 27 – Thursday 28 May European Network on Religion and Belief AGM in Brussels, Belgium.  LBFN has been involved in setting up ENORB from the start.  The AGM is free of charge and open to all. The focus this year is “Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion and Belief and Solidarity: what limitations are acceptable in a plural Europe?”

Screen-Shot-2015-03-30-at-10.05.36Thursday 28 May 1pm – 8pm  Bridge the – GAP Musicians, artists and poets from all backgrounds are invited to to contribute. “This project aims to bring together residents of Camden, from all backgrounds to participate in an event to celebrate and enhance community harmony regardless of your background or beliefs. This will be achieved by designating a day to recognise and repair relationships which may have broken down, or by reaching out to someone not in our normal circle. It is a day in which we attempt to bridge the many gaps that have occurred in our relationships and community.” At Camden Lock – find details here.

lewishamSunday 31 May 1pm – 3.45pm Lewisham Inter Faith Walk for Peace with Lewisham Police and Lewisham Council, including Catford Synagogue, Lewisham Civic Centre, Lewisham Islamic Centre (where lunch will be served), Lewisham Methodist Church, Lewisham Sivan Temple and Lewisham Police Station. Download flyer.

Monday 1 June  9am – 7pm  Moving Beyond “Us” and “Them”: Challenging Discourses of Religious Otherness and Building a More Inclusive Society at Cumberland Lodge, Windsor Great Park – a forum to challenge the ‘us’ and ‘them’ divide – which is not a simple binary, but a complex relationship in which religion intersects with many other social divisions. Moving BeyondParticipants will discuss possibilities for reducing social divisions within and across groups as well as opportunities to build a more inclusive society in which the voices of Muslim and other minority religious groups are not simply heard, but also understood on equal terms to the majority religious and secular groups. LBFN’s Convener is one of the speakers along with Mohammad Saeed Bahmanpour, Islamic College of Advanced Studies, Justine Huxley of St Ethelburga’s Centre, Fiyaz Mogul, Faith Matters, and Revd Dr James Walters, LSE Chaplain.

planting seeds of hopeMonday 1 June 7pm – 9pm Planting Seeds for Hope at St Martin in the Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JJ.  Join in solidarity with people across the planet as we fast and pray for the climate, leading up to the UN Climate Conference in Paris, December 2015.  An evening of silence, prayer and collective action. Download flyer.  LBFN is supporting multifaith & intercultural involvement in the lead up to the Conference.  Walking and cycling pilgrimages to Paris are being planned.

Wednesday 3 June 6.30pm Examining the Extreme: Radicalisation among Muslim Youth – Mediums and Tools with Alex Krasodomski-Jones, Demos, Naveed Sheikh, Keele University, Anthony Richards, University of East London at the Dialogue Society, 402 Holloway Road, N7 6PZ.

winindex1Saturday 6 June 10am – 4.30pm Westminster Interfaith 30th Annual Multi-Faith Pilgrimage for Peace with Hounslow Friends of Faith, starting at Laxmi Narayan Mandir, 60 Neville Close Hounslow TW3 4JG.

Sunday 7 June 4pm South London Inter Faith Group AGM at Brixton Hill Methodist Church, SW2 2TX. Download flyer.

migrationMonday 8 June 10.30am-3.30pm Day seminar on Migration with London Churches Social Action at The Abbey Centre at St Margaret’s Church, North Street, Barking, IG11 8AS. Lunch provided. “It promises to be an excellent day with fantastic contributions and plenty of opportunity for discussion. A timely opportunity for London Churches to develop some key “Common Voice” messages on this topic.”

Frontline Film ClubMonday 8 June  6.30pm LBFN’s Frontline Film Club led by 18-30s at Collaboration House, 77 Charlotte St, W1T 4PW.  Intercultural discussion group provoked by documentaries and film. Come along & have your say. Booking essential.

HFOF-logoTuesday 9 June 10am – 1.15pm  Feeling secure, keeping safe and countering hate – We Stand Together. Following on from LBFN’s meeting at New Scotland Yard last month, Hounslow Friends of Faith have organised a morning with the Metropolitan Police, Tell Mama and London Resilience at Hounslow Jamia Masjid, Wellington Road South, Hounslow TW4 5HU. Download details.

Tuesday 9 June 6pm-8pm Westminster Faith Exchange: Child Safeguarding at Lord Mayor’s Reception Rooms, 18th Floor, Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, SW1E 6QP.  Panel event looking at the work being done by local authorities, faith groups and charities to help improve the safeguarding of children. Download flyer.

SONY DSCWednesday 10 June 10am – 4.30pm Fundamentals of Project Management  Community and voluntary organisations are working hard to improve the lives of their members, users and the neighbourhoods they live in. There is never enough time or resources to do everything we would like to. Brush up on how to use your time wisely.

  • The project life-cycle
  • Attributes of an effective project manager
  • Building a diverse team
  • The project constraint triangle
  • Risk assessment
  • Finance and budgets
  • Communication and engagement
  • Tools and techniques including network analysis, Gantt charts
  • Project evaluation – soft and hard measures

An intensive day of training (reduced cost £50 for community groups) led by Steve Miller of Faith-based Regeneration Network. This series is a joint project of FbRN, LBFN and Faiths Forum for London. It will take place at our new offices at Collaboration House (Goodge St tube).

FTiL logoWednesday 10 – Thursday 11 June Mental Health First Aid Training with Faiths Together in Lambeth, TOPAZ and South London & Maudsley NHS Trust. Two day Mental Health First Aid course, free for members of FTiL, others welcome to inquire. Download flyer.

Saturday 13 or Sunday 14 June **details tbc** – contact Bethan for latest plans. 10.30am at Imperial War Museum Peace Garden & 12.30pm at Battesea Park Peace Pagoda Road to Peace Pilgrimage Walk sets off from London to Glastonbury in tribute to the Dalai Lama’s 80th year and his advocacy for Global Peace and Interfaith Harmony. “Like troubadours and pilgrims of old, we will offer screenings of Road to Peace and musical performances to local community and faith groups in towns and villages, in exchange for traditional hospitality by way of food and lodging,” Download flyer

Wednesday 17 June 4-5pm Westminster Cathedral Interfaith Group Guest speaker is Joan Salter “Being saved from the Holocaust”.  Download flyer.

Community Reconciliation St Ethelburga'sWednesday 24 June 10am – 4.30pm Community Reconciliation: Collaborative Inquiry at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation & Peace. Full-day conference. Speakers from Search for Common Ground, Community Resolve, Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland and Bradford University. The day will include a) Reviewing the scale and nature of the need for community reconciliation work around the UK, b) Looking at what theoretical ideas can helpfully inform practice, c) Examining approaches that have proved most useful & d) Taking stock of what resources are available to support local action. £20 including lunch. Download flyer.

Inter Faith Week 2014 in London

Inter Faith Week starts soon!  Find out what’s going on in your borough by zooming into the capital on the IFW map.  Check the list below to download flyers and invitations.

London is very busy with a huge range of exciting activities planned, including:

6 November    Youghusband Lecture, Westminster

8 November    Peace in Tulse Hill, Lambeth

11 November   Talk on Shabbat Croydon Faith Education Resources

12 November   Humanism in Europe: working together across religion & belief traditions, Westminster (book your place)

15 November   Concert in aid of Kingston Foodbank  Kingston Inter-Faith Forum

16 November  The Contributions of Faith Communities to the First World War Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe

16 November   30th Anniversary Celebration Harrow Inter Faith Council

17 November (closing date)  Westminster Faith Exchange Art Competition

17 November   Inter Faith Week Launch in Sutton  Sutton Faith & Belief

17 November   Encompass – work in action, with Barry Mizen MBE, Encompass – The Daniel Braden Reconciliation Trust

18 November   Faith and Wellbeing Faiths Together in Lambeth

18 November   Religious Tensions in the Holy Land and their wider impact  Islington Faiths Forum

18 November   Sacred Treasures Camden Council and the British Museum

18 November   Faith involvement in peace making today  Hounslow Friends of Faith

19 November   Faith: Too Significant to Ignore FaithAction National Conference, Westminster,  £70

19 November   Praying for Peace Balham & Tooting Community Association

20 November   Is Interfaith Dialogue Worthwhile?  Barnet Multi Faith Forum with Alyth Gardens Synagogue

22 November  Southwark iWitness – Trail & Mayor’s Reception Southwark Council

22 November   Celebrating culture through dress and food – women’s event  Hounslow Friends of Faith

22 November  Town Centre Event  Barking & Dagenham Faith Forum

22 November   Inter Faith Quiz  Enfield Faith Forum

25 November   How can Humanists and Muslims live and work together in 21st Century London? London Humanists, Conway Hall, Camden

If you are planning activities and would like them listed here, please leave a comment and/or let LBFN know!

Near Neighbours – additional boroughs

Near Neighbours areas

Areas of London eligible for funding under the expanded Near Neighbours programme.  Contact coordinators Becky or Tim (see Borough by Borough page) for details.

The Near Neighbours programme has expanded into more boroughs.  It offers small grants (£250 – £5,000) to bring together neighbours and develop relationships across different religious traditions & ethnicities in order to improve our communities.

Check whether areas of your borough are included and contact Becky (West and South London) or Tim (East and South East London) if you’d like more information or would like to talk over an idea.

Launch events for the new boroughs are planned and we hope Becky & Tim will join us at LBFN before long to tell us more.

Walks | pilgrimages | fundays

Three local walks and pilgrimages and a funday are coming up during September.

BATCA flyerSaturday 13 September Balham & Tooting Community Association’s annual Funday will take place at Gatton Muslim Primary School and St Augustine’s Church of England in Tooting, Wandsworth.  Attractions will include food from around the world, a clown, fairground rides, traditional sideshows, penalty shoot outs, creative arts, free NHS health checks for over 40s, craft stalls, farm animals, a fire engine and much more.

The theme this year is “Celebrating Life Together.”   Download details here.

WF walkSunday 14 September

The Women’s Interfaith Network in Waltham Forest is leading a Friendship Pilgrimage “Sounds of Spirituality” around the borough.

They will visit nine places of worship, starting at the Sri Karpaga Vinayagar Temple and ending with supper together.

People are welcome to join the pilgrimage at any stop.

Download the flyer and programme.

ftilSaturday 20 September Faiths Together in Lambeth will be leading an Inter Faith Walk, starting at Church of the Holy Spirit, stopping at four more places of worship and practice in the north of the borough and finishing at Lambeth Masjid and Progressive Community Centre.

Walkers are invited to join at any time.  Download the flyer and map.

st e walkSunday 21 September The Ethelburga Walk from Barking to Bishopsgate will raise funds for St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace.

It will make its way through “surprising green spaces in East London.”  There’ll be storytelling, music and refreshments en route for a great day out and for a good cause. Children and dogs welcome.

Download the flyer here and register at www.stethelburgas.org/walk.

Are you planning a walk or community event?  Let LBFN know and we can add it to the blog.

Mayor’s police & crime roadshows

Stephen Greenhalgh, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, is revisiting every London borough with senior Metropolitan Police officers.  Sixteen boroughs were visited early in 2014.

They will be talking about local policing, telling us how they’ve been putting the Police and Crime Plan into practice and answering our questions.

Following our recent meeting at New Scotland Yard with Commander Mak Chishty, the roadshow may provide another opportunity to contact our Borough Commanders to talk about their engagement plans with local faith forums.

The next 16 events are scheduled from September to December.  Attendance is on a first come, first serve basis. They are asking people to register now and to let them know of any access needs.

Sophia Hubs – sustainable local development

Sophia-CourseGood friends of LBFN over the years, Jonathan Evens and Rosy Fairhurst, have been working to establish Sophia Hubs.  The first Hub is going live next month in north east London – sign up at sophiahubs@yahoo.com.

Jonathan writes,

Sophia Hubs are proud to offer you the Sophia Course, if you want to be part of the economic and social regeneration of Seven Kings & Newbury Park.

This free, practical and transformative course will support and nurture new social enterprises and entrepreneurs from the local community using: Existing skills of participants; Local assets and expertise; Specialists; and Resources and wisdom of local faith traditions.

Venue: St John the Evangelist, St Johns Road, Seven Kings, Essex IG2 7BB

Dates: September 10th, 12th, 17th and 24th at 2.00pm

OR

September 12th, October 3rd, 10th and 17th at 7.30pm

For more information and to book your place, contact the Sophia Hubs team on 020 8598 1536 or sophiahubs@yahoo.com. We look forward to welcoming you!

Sophia Hubs are a network of local incubators for new businesses and social enterprises, using the wisdom and resources of the faith traditions, leading to sustainable social and economic development and change.”