On Wednesday 16th October, the first night of Chol Hamoed Sukkot, The Fed played host to a special interfaith meal, organised by the Manchester Jewish Representative Council.
Relaxing in the residents’ succah at Heathlands Village, more than 40 people of different faiths gathered together to experience a festive meal and learn about the significance of Sukkot.
Among the guests were Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester Cathedral, and Colonel Brian Gorski, MBE DL.
In his welcome, Bernie Yaffe, Chairman of The Fed, remarked how “…evenings such as this enable us to showcase the exciting work we are doing – and allow us to share and learn from each other.”
He continued, using the message of the festival of Sukkot to describe the importance of caring for the wider community – “…in the succah, we experience ‘impermanence’ and ‘insecurity’, like our ancestors did in the wilderness, reminding us not to take from granted that which we ourselves are used to all year round.”
Rep Council President, Russel Conn, was delighted with the turnout.
“We were honoured to host the Deputy Lieutenant, the Mayor of Salford, Dean of the Cathedral, and many other Faith leaders – including Rabbi Daniel Walker, and Rabbi Robin Ashworth who represented the Reform movement.
Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable evening with Heathlands Village showcasing their excellent facilities, and many of our guests admitted they learnt aspects of Judaism they were not aware of before the event.
We hope this will act as a catalyst for future such events.”
Rabbi Walker addressed the gathering on the rituals of the lulav and etrog, and the importance and meaning of the succah itself, after which the visitors and their hosts tucked into a delicious supper prepared by The Fed’s in-house catering team.
