Wimbledon Synagogue Hosts Civic Shabbat, Affirming Unity Against Hate in Southwest London

1 November 2025 – In an extraordinary gathering that brought together civic, faith and political leaders, Wimbledon Synagogue hosted a historic Civic Shabbat service on Saturday morning, drawing unprecedented attendance both in person and online as the community responded to rising antisemitism with a message of resilience and hope.

The service, held on Shabbat Lech Lecha, was conceived as both an expression of gratitude for solidarity shown to the Jewish community and a public stand against all forms of hatred, particularly following the Yom Kippur attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester.

Among those in attendance were the German Ambassador to the UK, Susanne Baumann, four Members of Parliament including Fleur Anderson MP, Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP, Marsha de Cordova MP and Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, the Mayors of Wandsworth and Merton, London Assembly members, council leaders from three boroughs, the Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, local police, interfaith leaders and the Chair of Reform Judaism.

In his sermon, Rabbi Adrian M Schell framed the Manchester attack as ‘the final link in a chain of words’ and declared that antisemitism represents a test of Britain’s civic covenant. ‘This is not merely a Jewish concern. It is a British concern. The civic covenant that has bound this nation together, respect for truth, fairness, and compassion, and freedom, is being tested,’ he told the congregation.

The Rabbi drew on the week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, which chronicles Abraham’s journey and covenant with God, to challenge those present to embrace moral courage in civic life. ‘Liberal democracy at its heart is a civic expression of the same faith,’ he said. ‘These are not secular ideals. They are sacred ones.’

Fleur Anderson MP, speaking on behalf of the parliamentary delegation, acknowledged the dual rise of both antisemitism and Islamophobia, stressing that ‘there must not be division between the two’. She emphasised her commitment to ensuring that ‘every Jew can live and thrive in our fantastic corner of southwest London without fear, proud of your heritage and identity’.

The Mayor of Wandsworth, Cllr Jeremy Ambache, who spoke of his own mixed Jewish and Church of England heritage, called for the event to serve as ‘a beacon, a sign that Wandsworth and southwest London stand united, that we reject hate in all its forms’. He added: ‘In times of uncertainty, civic society must stand as a bulwark against division and against hatred.’

The service also brought joyful news: the congregation’s adopted hostage, Segev Kalfon, has been returned alive, with hopes to welcome him in person in due course.

Chair Ruth Bragman opened the service by thanking civic partners for their ongoing support and stating the community’s determination to ‘stand together with you to create a stand against antisemitism’.

The service concluded with a reading from Micah’s vision of beating swords into ploughshares, offered as a shared civic aspiration for London, and Rabbi Schell’s closing message: ‘As long as that spark endures, darkness will never have the final word.’