Muslim and Jewish leaders in Britain are working to turn a difficult period in interfaith relations into a sustained program of cooperation, with practical projects expected to follow a recent national summit in Westminster.
The “Together We Rebuild” summit gathered senior religious leaders, interfaith campaigners and young people at the Adam Hub in London’s Millbank Tower on July 16. It was convened by Imam Dr. Qari Asim, co-chair of the UK Muslim Network, and Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, with support from the British government.
According to a Religion Media Centre account of the gathering, participants considered how their communities could counter antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, defend religious freedom and strengthen education. They also examined how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has affected relationships among British Muslims and Jews.
Dialogue that acknowledges disagreement
The summit did not ask participants to minimize grief, political disagreement or the deeply different ways in which communities understand events in the Middle East. Its premise was that disagreement should not be allowed to harden into hostility toward neighbors in Britain.
Asim emphasized that rebuilding trust would require courage, compassion and sustained cooperation. Rosenberg similarly called for communities to resist importing conflict into British civic life and instead work together in support of peace.
This approach gives the initiative credibility. Interfaith work is least convincing when it depends on avoiding every difficult subject. The Westminster gathering instead recognized that participants may continue to disagree profoundly while sharing a responsibility to protect one another’s safety and dignity.
Jewish News reported that the summit was intended to launch a practical drive against hatred and deepen cooperation after nearly three years of heightened tension. Young people were included alongside established religious and civic leaders, widening the conversation beyond institutional representatives.
From a summit to shared projects
The organizers have said they will work with participants to develop new joint projects and reinforce Muslim-Jewish initiatives that continued operating during the recent period of polarization.
The areas discussed offer several possible paths: educational programs that improve religious literacy, youth projects that create sustained relationships, coordinated responses to hate incidents and public advocacy for the freedom of every community to worship safely.
These efforts will matter most if they become visible in local neighborhoods. National summits can create momentum, but trust is usually built through repeated encounters: educators sharing resources, congregations supporting one another after an attack, young people completing community service together and leaders speaking consistently against prejudice even when their own community is not the target.
The presence of government representatives signaled broader institutional support. British officials at the event included senior political and faith-policy figures, while Christian colleagues also attended. Their participation placed Muslim-Jewish cooperation within a wider commitment to a society in which people of different religions can flourish.
A patient model of peacebuilding
No single meeting can repair all the damage caused by fear, inflammatory rhetoric and war. Participants will still need to decide which projects to prioritize, how to include a broad range of voices and how to measure whether the initiative is strengthening relationships beyond the summit room.
Nevertheless, “Together We Rebuild” offers a constructive model because it treats dialogue as the beginning of responsibility rather than its conclusion. The goal is not a ceremonial display of agreement. It is the slower work of maintaining relationships, protecting neighbors and finding areas where cooperation remains possible.
In a polarized climate, the decision by Muslim and Jewish leaders to stay in conversation is itself meaningful. Turning that commitment into education, youth engagement and mutual protection could make it more enduring—and give local communities practical tools for resisting both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred.