Civic Reception

Leader of the House of Commons and Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester spoke at the Civic Reception for the Greater Manchester Jewish community.

On 19 December, the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region (JRC) and the Jewish Leadership council (JLC) hosted a Civic Reception for the community.  The event was held at The Performance Space in Central Library.

Representatives from the diverse Jewish community were joined by: Members of Parliament; Metro Mayor, Andy Burnham; Police and Crime Commissioner, Kate Green; Council Leaders and chief executives; the Chief Constable, Stephen Watson; Vice Chancellor of The University of Manchester, Duncan Iverson; ceremonial leaders from across the city including the High Sheriff, Lord Mayor of Manchester and six Ceremonial Mayors; alongside leaders from other faith communities.

Those present heard speeches from the Chair of the JRC and Trustee of the JLC, Mark Adlestone OBE; the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr Paul Andrews; Leader of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP and Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.  The event was designed to celebrate the immense contribution of the Jewish community to Greater Manchester.

Praise was given to the work of third sector organisations who operate at the highest levels in caring for the vulnerable within our community.  Speakers recognised the challenges of the previous 14 months on the community since the October 7 2023 attack and gratitude was shown to the elected representatives and leaders from civic and ceremonial society who attended for their continued support.

Mark Adlestone OBE – Chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region

“The Jewish community has always been proud of our deep roots across Greater Manchester.  We have contributed to every section of society over many generations.  We have always felt comfortable to openly celebrate our religion as demonstrated by my time as High Sheriff.  My experience is that we have been met with nothing but warmth, kindness, understanding and acceptance.

this has made the last 14 months extremely difficult to comprehend as Jewish people have had to deal with record levels of hate crime permeating every section of society.  however, we have received a huge amount of reassurance from elected representatives  and those charged with caring for our wellbeing.  For that I place on record my gratitude.  At the Reception, we were in the presence of so many leaders from across our great city and this will give our vibrant community the confidence to continue thriving.”

Andy Burnham – Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester

“Greater Manchester is proud of its longstanding historical ties to the Jewish community, welcoming Jews for hundreds of years to have the second largest community in the UK.  The Manchester Jewish Museum is a great asset to Greater Manchester in bringing people together and exploring the rich history of the community – and the huge positive impact it has had – in the city-region.

Greater Manchester will always be a place where the Jewish community is safe and celebrated.  This Civic Reception is a reaffirmation of our commitment to the Jewish community and leaders being here from across our organisations highlights the strength of this commitment.”