Our second annual co-chairs retreat took place in London on 10th December. Over 30 Jewish and Muslim women battled through the snow to attend a retreat organised by Nisa-Nashim for co-chairs from over 28 groups. Despite the thick snow, around 30 women attended from all round the country including Leeds, Birmingham, Bournmouth, Manchester, Glasgow and Newcastle. We held a dinner for the women at the Islamic Cultural Centre in West London on the 9th December and the full day seminar took place in Camden at ORT House.
The retreat aimed to highlight how Jewish and Muslim woman can come together and build resilient friendships that encompass trust and mutual support. The two day retreat held a variety of events from taking a tour of Al Manaar Mosque, to a workshop on the effects of antisemitism and Islamophobia, with research provided from Tell MAMA and Hope not Hate.
Julie Siddiqi commented “I feel inspired and motivated after such a fantastic weekend. New friendships were formed but, importantly, we found safe spaces to talk about some of the challenging issues that are affecting both communities and look for ways to approach those better, together. Women really can do things differently and I am excited about what work these women will do together in their local areas.”