Following the horrific incident that took place on Yom Kippur at Heaton Park Shul in Manchester, Belmont US members proudly welcomed 30 Harrow Interfaith guests to Belmont Shul on Shabbat morning Parshat Ha’azinu, 4 October, for a service of solidarity and prayer.
All of the 30 representatives and distinguished guests, including The Worshipful Mayor of Harrow Anjiana Patel and other councillors, were drawn together at very short notice to express their abhorrence to the deadly attack against the Jewish community in Manchester and their concern for their Jewish neighbours.
In his sermon, Rabbi Michael Laitner, Interim Rabbi for Belmont, told a heartfelt story, related by the late Eli Fachler, of the despair felt by Jews in Berlin during the Kristallnacht pogrom against Jewish communities in November 1938. As Eli and other watched their shul burn, they wondered whether anyone would come to help them. Contrastingly, Rabbi Laitner could speak of his and the Belmont community’s pride that local councillors and faith groups were represented, sitting alongside their Belmont US colleagues on Harrow Interfaith, in an expression of solidarity and care which demonstrated the power of acts of kindness.
In his comments to the full Shul, Anthony Broza, Chair of Belmont US stated that as a community, Belmont US were deeply touched with the heartfelt outpouring of solidarity, friendship, love and support from so many of its non-Jewish neighbours, standing together to fight hatred and intolerance.
Those present in the shul for the Shabbat morning service were leaders and representatives of 10 religious faith groups, including the Ba’hai, Brahma Kumaris, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jain, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian faiths.
9 October 2025