The UK’s first ever Jewish Culture Month runs from 16th May to 15th June, celebrating Jewish creativity, heritage, and community life as part of a nationwide festival.
Jewish Culture Month is a new initiative from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, with the aim of making space for joy and celebration during difficult times. With more than 100 events confirmed spanning talks, tours, screenings, workshops, live performances, and supper clubs, it runs during the Jewish month of Sivan and is open to all. As Board of Deputies (BoD) President Phil Rosenberg puts it: “We want both Jewish people and our friends and neighbours of different faiths and beliefs to experience all the light, creativity, and laughter of Jewish life in the UK. After a difficult few years for the Jewish community, we believe that Jewish Culture Month will be an unmissable opportunity for less ‘oy’ – and more joy.”
The celebrations in Leeds coincide with the 400th anniversary since the city was granted its first town charter. The city’s programme opens on 18th May with a launch reception at Leeds Civic Hall, hosted by Lord Mayor of Leeds Councillor Dan Cohen. People will be able to explore artefacts and displays from the Jewish Leeds History Project and encounter the Jewish Living Experience exhibition – an introduction to Jewish traditions, culture, and everyday life created by the BoD.
Two new community projects will be unveiled at the launch that are well worth getting involved in. The first is 100 Jewish Things of Leeds – a citywide invitation to suggest the people, places, and objects that best represent Jewish life in Leeds over the past 400 years. The Lord Mayor will choose the first entry at the event, and the project will gradually build into a collective portrait of Jewish Leeds. The second is a community art competition that’s open to participants of all ages and all media, asking: what does Jewish Leeds mean to you? Both projects will run throughout the month with the aim of capturing the spirit of the community today as much as honouring its history.
Holocaust Centre North – based at the University of Huddersfield and rooted in the Leeds Jewish community – is hosting its own Jewish Culture Month event on 28th May: ‘What Does It Mean to Be Jewish?’, a family-friendly, hands-on afternoon at the centre. Founded by Holocaust survivors from the Leeds community, Holocaust Centre North has always about celebrating Jewish life as well as commemorating the dark periods of the past.
Nationally, institutions including the V&A, Tate, the British Museum, the British Library, the Southbank Centre, and the National Portrait Gallery are all hosting events across the month, covering Jewish contributions to fashion, architecture, music, food, literature, and comedy.
Jewish Culture Month Director Liat Rosenthal – a former curator at Tate Modern – described the programme as a chance to: “showcase the richness and diversity of Jewish culture in all its forms.” Actor Tracy-Ann Oberman MBE agrees: “The UK Jewish community has given so much to art and culture. This celebration will be a wonderful opportunity to share some of our greatest hits.”
For full programme details visit Bod.org.uk/jewish-culture-month
