02 June 2020

Rabbi Rebecca Birk of Finchley Progressive Synagogue joined with other faith leaders last month for a special celebration towards the end of Ramadan to help those in need.

Rebecca teamed up with Mother Carol Barrett Ford and Imam Muhammed Bodrul Haque for the ‘Iftar For All’ at Queen’s Crescent Community Centre (QCCA) in Camden, where they handed out free hot takeaway Iftar meals.

It was a joyful moment for the QCCA’s ‘Iftar For All’ project, which ran throughout the holy month but was interrupted in the first week when a man ran into the centre with gunshot wounds. Staff were able to stem the bleeding and the Iftar carried on as normal the next day.

QCCA’s CEO Foyezur Miah said: “Having three faith leaders come together here was an important reminder of the unity, love and peace that there is in every community. It was particularly good to have Rabbi Rebecca from Barnet because we don’t have a synagogue on our doorstep in Gospel Oak, but we wanted the evening to bring everyone together.”

Rebecca added: “Handing out meals two days before the end of Ramadan was a powerful collaborative experience and I was delighted to connect with Mother Carol, Imam Bodrul and everyone who makes QCCA such a vital hub for community support.”

Demand for QCCA’s ‘Iftar For All’ was so high that the charity will continue it beyond Ramadan, as a ‘Supper For All’ project. 70% of people who take the meals are non-Muslim and 20% are homeless. It is raising funds with a Go Fund Me page.

Finchley Progressive Synagogue usually runs its own Iftar for the local community, which includes several Syrian refugee families, but lockdown prevented that this year.