Alf Keeling Memorial lecture November 8th 2018 by Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen

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Alf Keeling Lecture 2018.  Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen is Associate Rabbi at Manchester Reform Synagogue. The talk was entitled :

‘Interfaith in Action: Loving the Stranger Within’

A short report on the event by AIG Hon. Secretary Carolyn Jones

This year’s Alf Keeling Memorial Lecture was a truly interactive experience and very different from all previous events; Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen from the Manchester Reform Synagogue engaged with her audience, shooting out questions and getting a wide variety of responses from people of all faiths, making it a stimulating and interesting event. Her theme was “Loving the Stranger Within” and there was a lot of discussion about the definition of the word “neighbour” and about being a “wanderer,”  especially in relation to being Jewish as Jews have a history of wandering even from the time of Abraham. The Bible tells the Jews to love the stranger for they were strangers in the land of Egypt, thus we all have a duty to love the stranger and be empathic to them, be they immigrants or foreigners, and try to cross the divide between them and us. Rabbi Robyn said that being a wanderer is part of being human -  feeling apart from other people – and that we should all see ourselves as wanderers with no distinction between them and us. She discussed work by Etty Hillesum (1914-1943) who died in Auschwitz and was an example of compassion and also Hannah Arendt who was a Jewish political theorist.  She closed by urging us to first love ourselves and then to love the stranger.  There was then a lively question and answer time and finally refreshments were served.

We thank Mr Driscoll of St Ambrose Preparatory School for allowing us the use of the hall and all those who helped to make the evening a great success.

Carolyn Jones (Hon. Sec., Altrincham Interfaith Group)

Visit to Whitworth Art Gallery 6th Sept 2018 : Textiles from the Islamic World.

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Visit to Whitworth Art Gallery . A guided tour of the exhibition ‘Four Corners of One Cloth’ Textiles from the Islamic World. 

A group of members of Altrincham Interfaith Group and friends met up at Whitworth Art Gallery on the evening of September 6th for a tour of the exhibition  “Four Corners of One Cloth: Textiles from the Islamic World” given by Uthra Rajgopal, Assistant Curator of Textiles and Wallpaper.  This exhibition showcased different cultures from the Islamic world, and we started with a fragment of the Kiswa, the cloth that covers the Ka’bah, the most holy site in Islam, which is replaced each year during Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Positioned in the direction of Mecca, it was in the centre of the gallery, and around it were various displays of cloths from places such as Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Yemen, as well as Uganda and Egypt. Of particular interest was a courtly dress from Iran that was covered with figures, and there was a lively discussion about representation of humans in Islamic art. Another unusual piece showed a fire hose on a piece of material -  this was considered a great asset to a town or village, hence its depiction.  We also saw how William Morris and his contempories were influenced by Islamic Art in their designs. It was a most enjoyable and informative tour and we thank Uthra for her time and expertise.

Carolyn Jones (Hon. Sec. Altrincham Interfaith Group).

Annual Shared Meal 17th Feb 2018

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Annual Shared Meal on 17th February 2018 at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys. Our Guest Speaker was Waseem Ahmedi a representative from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. We made a profit of £690.58 and £200 was donated to the Mayor’s Charities.

The Chairman Azhar Rasul in conversation with our Guest Speaker

YUGPURUSH

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On Saturday February 3rd members of Altrincham Interfaith group were privileged to be invited to see the production of “Yugpurush” which was being presented at the Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester, for one night only.   This was timed to coincide with Hate Crime Awareness Week.

The play is subtitled Mahatma’s Mahatma,  and is about the special relationship between Shrimad Rajchandraji, and Mohandas Gandhi who later was known as Mahatma (venerable or high-souled) Gandhi. Gandhi first met Shrimad on the 6th July 1891, when he was 21 and had returned to Bombay from London having trained as a barrister. Shrimad impressed him by his amazing memory as well as his spirituality and wisdom.  They corresponded by letter when Gandhi moved to South Africa and Shrimad became his spiritual guide. Gandhi wrote of Shrimad “The more I consider his life and his writings, the more I consider him the best Indian of his times. “  Shrimad died young, aged on 33, but his writings continued to influence Gandhi, and he contemplated them again and again throughout his life.

In the play, we saw Gandhi as an old man, reminiscing about his life and friendship with Shrimad until his death by an assassin’s gun, which was truly shocking. During the play we heard many philosophical discussions between the two men – the timeless nature of the soul was stressed, and the importance of truth, compassion and non-violence for which, of course, Gandhi was renowned.  The production was very well directed, the sound quality was suberb and we found the whole experience to be very moving.

Carolyn Jones (Honorary Secretary)