Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on January 27, 2015

BRADFORD'S Synagogue Council has appointed its first Muslim member as links deepen further between the two faiths.

Jani Rashid, a member of the Friends of the Synagogue in Bowland Street, Manningham, has been formally adopted on to its ruling body.

The suggestion to add Mr Rashid to the board came from the synagogue's chairman, Rudi Leavor, who said it was "passed unanimously" by the council.

"We have already established close links with the Muslim community, and thought it was about time they were formally represented on the council," said Mr Leavor.

"I have known Jani for many years, and within ten seconds of me asking him, he said 'yes'.

"The council all said adding a Muslim member to the group was a fantastic idea, and it is a matter of forging even closer links with that community."

A spokesman for the synagogue in Bowland Street, Manningham, said the addition of Mr Rashid to the council marked another chapter in the "strikingly close relationship" between the Jewish and Muslim communities in Bradford.

In 2013, community groups, including Bradford Council for Mosques, rallied together to save the Grade II-listed building - an example of Moorish Victorian architecture dating back to 1880 - when dwindling funds put its future in danger.

COMMENT: SMALL GESTURE HAS VERY DEEP SIGNIFICANCE

"Jani has been a long-term ally and significant supporter of the synagogue for some years now, as part of an increasingly large group of local Muslims who have supported it in many ways, including with significant financial help," said the spokesman.

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City's synagogue council appoints first Muslim member as 'strikingly close' relations between two faiths deepen further

Category: Synagogue
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