On the evening of March 12th, about 35 members of Altrincham Interfaith Group gathered in Rabbi Amir Ellituv’s house adjoining the Sha’are Hayim Sephardi synagogue, still under construction, to hear local historian and writer Basil Jeuda talk about his book “World War 1 and the Manchester Sephardim.”  After a welcome by Rabbi Emir (see photo) Basil (see photo) introduced us to the history of the Manchester Sephardi Jews who are of Spanish and Portuguese origin and who settled in the middle east prior to coming to the UK where they form a small minority of the Jewish population. Many became British citizens and enlisted at the beginning of the war, several being killed at the Battle of the Somme, for instance; notable among these was Joshua Cansino (photo) who died saving an officer. The photo of the battlefield shows members of the Red Cross looking for personal effects so as to be able to inform the families. The most famous name was that of Isaac Leslie Hore-Belisha (photo) who, after the war, introduced the Belisha Beacon, though he was sacked from his position as Minister of Transport for being Jewish. Basil then went on talk about the restrictions placed on the Manchester Sephardim, especially those who were not British citizens and who came from Turkey, Baghdad and Aleppo. Some were interned in the Isle of Man and others were limited in their personal movement. Some aliens had to continue signing on at police stations right up to 1929 (see photo of Freha Leon’s Alien Registration Card). This applied to Turks, Greeks and Armenians of the Christian faith, also, and it was a very difficult time for these communities.

After the talk, we were shown plans for the new synagogue before being treated to delicious snacks (photo) and a chance to mingle and chat.  It was altogether a most pleasant and interesting evening for which we thank the Rabbi and Basil Jeuda.

Carolyn Jones

Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group

On Thursday November 13^th a group of about 24 members of AIG went to visit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sharston, founded in 1964, and were treated to a most interesting and informative   evening.  We were all welcomed most warmly by senior members of the Church and escorted into the main Chapel which was large, light and airy, where we were greeted by Daniel Liptrott, the Stake President. After an opening prayer,  he told us briefly about the Church  and then we were split into small groups and shown around some of the main features of the building.  First, my group were told about the Relief Society, where the women of the congregation were engaged in relief of the poor and destitute and looked after the spiritual welfare of all the women in the church. The role of the family was emphasised and the importance of supporting those in need, with Sunday gospel instruction and teaching manuals to study. We were told about visiting teaching, where women go in pairs to visit others and  to assess their needs and help where possible.

Then we moved to the Family Room where all the geneology is carried out, on microfiche and computer, and this is available to everyone who is curious about their ancestors.  The importance of family was very strongly stressed, as there is a belief in an afterlife where we are reunited with past family members. We were then shown the large cultural hall, which has the facilities for dances, plays and sports and can also be opened out to join up with the Chapel when necessary, to give a very large space for worship.  Lastly we sat down in the High Council Room which had portraits Church officials on the wall, and the hierarchy of the church was explained to us.  Finally, we all returned to the Chapel to see a video about the Church and the seven core beliefs were explained to us, followed by a closing prayer, after which we were treated to an array of delicious cakes and soft drinks and given a chance to mingle and ask questions.

We were very touched by the warm hospitality of the members of the church, who invited us to take away copies of the Book of Mormon plus several leaflets including one about the prophet Joseph Smith, who founded the Church, and booklets for children about making a family tree.  It was altogether a most enjoyable and fascinating evening and people had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to plan the event.  We are most grateful to all the members of the Church and particularly to Cedric Knipe, the Church Patriarch, who enabled the visit to take place. Hopefully, ties have been established which will continue to develop and bring our various communities closer together in mutual understanding.

Carolyn Jones

(Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group)

A small group of us collected at the Multi Faith Centre at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Wednesday October 8^th to hear about the work of the Centre and to look around. We had a most interesting time -  first of all we were invited to refreshments and the members of the team introduced themselves. Then Rev Neil Hepworth gave us a powerpoint presentation showing an overview of the work of the Chaplaincy and we also heard some moving case histories. This prompted a lot of discussion after which we were shown around the Centre with its facilities for ablution and  the prayer room with its beautiful, illuminated prayer tree upon which people had hung leaves with prayers written on them. It was an oasis of calm in the bustling hospital, especially soundproofed so as to be a place of quiet.  We were then taken on a tour of the various hospitals on the site before returning to the prayer room for a few moments of meditation and prayers for peace. It was a most enjoyable event and good to meet a team of such dedicated people. We are most grateful to Rev Peter Gomm and his colleagues for their hospitality and hope some time to return for an evening visit when more people may be able to attend.

Carolyn Jones

(Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group)

It was a packed hall at St Ambrose Preparatory School, Hale Barns, with over 80 people coming to hear the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Peter Fahy, deliver his talk entitled “Do not judge and you will not be judged – The challenges of being a Police Officer and a Christian, and the balance between punishment, rehabilitation and blame.”  His address was eloquent and interesting, touching on several aspects of police work; he stressed that many people were in a prison, not behind walls but in a prison of their minds, with the majority offending as a result of social problems such as illiteracy, drugs and alcohol abuse; 60% of the prison population have been in care compared to the 1% of the general population. Domestic violence was also a big problem.  These trends have caused the police to think about working in another way, cooperating with other agencies to solve these problems. He explained how we must prize diversity, and reach out to try to understand the stranger, not fear him. We all have to play our part, and look out for our neighbours and he cited the work of ROC – Reclaim Our Communities, and the need to care for our elderly.  He summed up his talk with the plea – do not judge others; people are prisoners of their lifestyle and you need to break the cycle. Help others -  churches must be outward-facing, not just focussing on prayer, providing debt counselling, for instance. He was a committed Christian who obviously loved his job and cared deeply about others. There were many questions, mainly on our relations with the Muslim communities, and afterwards we all enjoyed some delicious refreshments.

We thank Mr Driscoll and the staff of St Ambrose Preparatory School for allowing us to use the Hall and all the excellent facilities.

Carolyn Jones

(Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group)