Joint projects bolster ties between minorities
THE VISIT of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Britain provides the opportunity to assess the links between his country’s diaspora and the Jewish community.
The announcement in June that he would visit Israel later this year revealed the depth of India’s diplomatic, business and cultural ties with Jerusalem, and his arrival in London this week shines a light on the everstrengthening relationship between British Hindus and Jews.
For three decades communal leaders have worked together to make the most of shared experiences as minorities.
The Indian Jewish Association UK, set up i n the 1990s, has co-ordinated joint initiatives between the Board of Deputies and prominent Br i t i s h Hindus.
Jewish c o mmunity building skills have been used to aid the creation of the Hindu Council and then the Hindu Forum of Britain. The association, which has charitable status, meets twice a year and consults both communities when urgent matters arise.
Five years ago a temple in Stanmore, north-west London, was the launch site for National Sewa Day — an initiative which encourages Hindus to carry out good deeds based in large part on the Jewish community’s own Mitzvah Day.
In areas such as the London borough of Harrow, home to large communities from both religious groups, co-operation is very evident.
During the general election campaign earlier this year, Jewish Tory candidate Hannah David was heavily supported by Conservative Friends of India activists in the Harrow West
constituency.