Networks bringing Jewish and Muslim people together say work to overcome division more important than ever
‘I
feel punch drunk,” says Laura Marks, the co-founder of Nisa-Nashim, a Jewish-Muslim women’s network, referring to the alleged attempted murder of two Jewish men in north London this week: “Every day it feels like there is something else, its relentless.”
Nisa-Nashim was set up as a charity eight years ago to bring Jewish and Muslim women together through social events. The idea was to nurture relationships in UK communities that could help overcome the distrust, division and religious stereotyping exacerbated by Israel-Palestine tensions in the Middle East.
The violence in Golders Green, the latest in a wave attacks targeting the Jewish community in the UK amid the deepening Middle East conflict, can feel like a demoralising rebuke to voluntary projects such as Nisa-Nashim that for years have been working relentlessly for community cohesion.
