A Jewish LGBTQ bloc will return to join the Pride in London parade, Keshet UK, Sapphic Shabbat, and Hineni Project announced on Monday, following a two-year absence from the event over safety concerns.
Sapphic and Hineni are set to lead the Jewish community bloc, with Keshet UK explaining that it would be focusing on training, education, and other projects.
Keshet UK, which had been organizing the bloc for almost a decade, said that the return of the Jewish community contingent comes after the Pride in London organization resolved to participate in antisemitism training from the Community Security Trust to ensure "safe and inclusive participation of the Jewish LGBT+ community and allies at the march."
“We are really pleased to have had constructive conversations with Pride in London about Jewish inclusion, including the importance of antisemitism awareness and understanding the issues that can affect Jewish participants during the march," Keshet UK executive director Ariel Chapman said in a statement. "I’m also delighted that the stewardship of the Jewish bloc will move to two fabulous social organisations who are well placed to organise the day. We wish them all the best and look forward to marching alongside them.”
Sapphic welcomed Pride in London's commitment to antisemitism training, and noted that there was continued dialogue on the subject. The Jewish group said in an Instagram post that the commitment was "a meaningful step toward strengthening understanding and ensuring that Jewish participants can engage fully in the spirit of Pride."
'Return of a visible and confident Jewish presence at Pride'
"Following two challenging years, the return of a visible and confident Jewish presence at Pride reflects both the resilience of our community and the importance of ensuring that Pride is a space where everyone can participate safely and openly," Sapphic wrote.
Hineni said on social media that Pride in London's new leadership was working hard to rebuild trust with the Jewish community.
"We hope this proves to be a real opportunity to build bridges, tackle hate, and help LGBTQ+ Jews feel fully at home in Pride again," Hineni said on Instagram.
Pride in London did not immediately respond to a Jerusalem Post request for comment.
Keshet UK said in May that it had pulled out of the 2024 parade over safety concerns. The group said that it had attempted to correspond with Pride in London in July 2024, but queries went unanswered until early 2025.
The group claimed in a May statement that it made reasonable requests for physical and mental safety reassurances amid rising anti-Jewish and LGBTQ hate crimes in the country. These requests were reportedly turned down, and Keshet UK withdrew, unable to feel that everything was done to keep LGBTQ Jews safe.
"British LGBT+ Jews deserve the space to celebrate our identity alongside all other LGBT+ people in the UK. We are hugely disappointed in Pride in London," a group spokesperson said at the time. "We hope that Pride in London will reflect on the fact that, for two years now, KeshetUK has felt forced to withdraw. We hope that we can receive the necessary reassurances to allow us to return in future years".
Alternate Jewish LGBTQ events were planned on the day of the Pride march.
On April 2, Pride in London announced a leadership change, with its former CEO Christopher Joell-Deshields ousted after an investigation into his conduct.
According to the BBC, Joell-Deshields's tenure was wracked with bullying and financial misconduct allegations.