"If any city in the UK can turn this dark period of history into a moment of connection and hope then it is the Greater Manchester Jewish and Muslim communities," declared the leaders of the two communities in a joint commitment on Tuesday.
The eight leaders promised to ensure that there is a viable and open relationship between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Greater Manchester and to work to develop difficult discussions and mutual understanding.
The declaration particularly focuses on the deterioration in relations following Hamas's October 7 massacre, and discusses how the two communities can work to rectify it.
The two communities of Greater Manchester have been particularly impacted by the conflict in the Middle East. In March 2024, the third-highest annual number of religious hate crimes in Greater Manchester’s history was recorded, according to Home Office data.
Signatory Mark Adlestone, the chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region, said that the positive interfaith networks he had spent years building "collapsed" after October 7, 2023. However, he said that it was the avoidance of addressing the topic that most divided Jewish and Muslim people, "creating extreme tension across Greater Manchester."
"I am grateful to my friends from the Muslim community and across wider Civic society for working with us to find a way through this impasse," he added.
Rabnawaz Akbar, a Manchester City Councillor, praised the initiative for bringing Greater Manchester Muslim and Jewish communities closer following nearly 22 years of the "severest strains."
"I am hopeful that, over time, open and honest dialogue will not only help overcome mistrust and build bridges but also manifest in a reduction of hate incidents/crimes that both communities are experiencing at elevated levels.”
The declaration addresses the war between Israel and Hamas in relatively neutral terms. It calls the "October 7 attack by Hamas" a "source of distress and despair" and prays for "an urgent end to hostilities, the release of all those held hostage and humanitarian aid reaching those who are vulnerable and in desperate need."
Calls for a 'viable Palestinian state alongside safe and secure Israel'
It also calls for a "viable Palestinian state that can be created alongside a safe and secure Israel."
The declaration also considers the war through the lens of rising hatred and crime in the UK, noting the "significant rise in both Islamophobic and antisemitic hate incidents/crimes."
In a deviation from many interfaith declarations, this one does not shy away from "strongly condemning" the weaponization of the pro-Palestinian cause for antisemitic purposes.
"We must also be mindful of individuals/groups hijacking the Palestinian cause to target Jewish individuals, as we saw with the murder of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington and the targeting of Jewish-owned buildings, such as the attack on an office block in Greater Manchester," it states.
"These attacks are designed to create fear amongst the Jewish community, are a deliberate attempt to further divide the Muslim and Jewish communities, and are in no way helping the genuine cause of the Palestinians."
Additionally, it notes that while the relationship between the communities is at its worst, it "was brittle before October 7, and any disagreements or tensions were papered over and tempered through collaborative and interfaith work, which, although very important, never really discussed the Middle East and the Israel/Palestine issue."
The declaration argues that such conversations "will not and cannot be expected to resolve, for example, the issue of borders, the status of Jerusalem, etc," but that both communities need to respect each other and be willing to sit down and listen to each other’s views.
"If we can collectively agree on just this principle, then, if nothing else, we are confident that we can begin to help reduce anti-Muslim and antisemitic hate incidents/ and crimes in our city region."
"The first small step towards each other, the first greeting, the first handshake seems a difficult hurdle to overcome at the present time, but we owe it to the future generations of Muslims and Jews in this city region to never lose hope," it concluded.