Woolf Institute

Last week, we held the informal launch of ‘Orthodox Choreographies: Boundaries, Borders and Materiality in Jerusalem’s Old City’ by the Revd Dr George Tsourous. The book is an anthropological study of Christian life and inter-communal dynamics in Jerusalem’s Old City, utilising the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a case study of shared space in practice. We were also delighted to be joined by HE Nikitas, Archbishop of Thyateira and Great Britain. Special thanks to Nicholas Philps for convening. @IOCS_Cambridge #OrthodoxChristianity #Ecumenism #Interfaith

🎉Eid Mubarak from the Woolf Institute to everyone who is celebrating Eid al-Fitr across the next few days. #Eid #Islam #EidMubarak

Last Tuesday, faith and community leaders were invited to a meeting with Faith Minister Miatta Fahnbulleh MP ahead of the release of the Protecting What Matters Report. The report makes tangible government commitments towards improving local relations through pre-existing and new place-based schemes and investment. Our Founder President, Dr Ed Kessler MBE was invited to join the meeting and also brought forward the work of the Commission on Interfaith Relations to the Minister. Read the aforesaid report at: gov.uk/government/pub… #Interfaith #CommissionOnInterfaithRelations

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT - WEBINAR ON FAITH IN CONFLICT There’s still time to join us for our webinar ‘Faith in Conflict: How Global Crises Are Shaping UK Faith Communities’, organised in collaboration with the Good Faith Partnership. This webinar, hosted by the Woolf Institute, will delve deeper into findings from the recent report by Hope not Hate and the Good Faith Partnership entitled ‘Questions of Hope and Hate: Faith and Faultlines in a Changing Britain. It will explore which global conflicts have the greatest impact in the UK context, how they affect community cohesion and internal faith dynamics, and what policy and community responses are needed to address both immediate risks and longer-term challenges. Speakers: Nick Lowles MBE (Founder and Chief Executive of Hope Not Hate) The Rt Revd Dr Guli Franic-Dehqani (Bishop of Chelmsford) Laura Marks CBE (Founder of Mitzvah Day, Women's Faith Forum and Nisa-Nashim) Professor Javed Khan OBE (Managing Director, Equi) Professor James Walters (Director of LSE Faith Centre and LSE Religion and Global Society) Register for free at: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…* #Interfaith #Religion #CommissionOnInterfaithRelations

Last Sunday, Dr Mohammed Ibraheem Ahmed, Head of the Secretariat for the Commission on Interfaith Relations, was on local BBC Radio across the 12 regions discussing the Iran War, its potential impact on faith relations, and the current work of the Commission. To listen to the London interview hosted by Jumoke Fashola, see from 1:15:56 bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00… #CommissionOnInterfaithRelations #Interfaith

There’s still time to sign up to this week’s webinar, held in collaboration with the Society for Medieval Mediterranean, entitled ‘Power and Humility’. Date: Wednesday 18 March at 5pm Speaker: Prof. Amira Bennison (University of Cambridge) Chair: Prof. Allen Fromherz (Georgia State University) Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… @socmedimedit #MedievalMediterranean #Medieval

Join us for our next webinar, held in collaboration with the Society for Medieval Mediterranean, entitled ‘Power and Humility’. Date: Wednesday 18 March at 5pm Speaker: Prof. Amira Bennison (University of Cambridge) Chair: Prof. Allen Fromherz (Georgia State University) Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… @socmedimedit #MedievalMediterranean #Medieval

There's still time to sign up to the informal launch of the Revd Dr George Tsourous's book 'Orthodox Choreographies: Boundaries, Borders and Materiality in Jerusalem’s Old City'. Hosted in collaboration with the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies, it takes place on 19 March at 6pm. The evening will begin with a broad framing of coexistence in Jerusalem, with attention to the lived experience of Palestinian Christians and the ways belonging is navigated in a city shaped by layered histories, institutions, and competing claims. It will then move to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a case study of shared space in practice - a site where spatial choreography and sacred materiality play an active role in sustaining (and sometimes straining) relations. A respondent-led conversation will follow the talk, before opening to a Q&A session. Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… @IOCS_Cambridge #Christianity #OrthodoxChristianity #Jerusalem #Coptic

Cambridge Festival 2026 – Dr Esther-Miriam Wagner As part of this year's Cambridge Festival, Dr Esther-Miriam Wagner will discuss how identity drives language change. The talk will investigate the most important factors of language change, how much we are all influenced by linguistic role models, why different generations sound different from one another, and how social groups segregate by speaking in a particular way. Date & Time: 25 March at 2pm Location: Woolf Institute, Madingley Road, CB3 0UB Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… #CamFest #CambridgeFestival #Cambridge #CambridgeUniversity #Interfaith #Faith #Leaders

Following on from our post yesterday for International Women's Day, why not also check out the Inter Faith Network for the UK’s publication ‘Deep connections: Women's inter faith initiatives in the UK’? Based on research undertaken by IFN, it highlights the work of wide range of local interfaith initiatives which are led by women and principally for women. Access at: interfaith.org.uk/resources/deep… #IWD2026 #interfaith #women #GiveToGain

Happy International Women’s Day from the Woolf Institute! Celebrated each year on 8 March, IWD marks the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. It is also a call to action for advancing gender equality, a central aim of our recent report ‘Religious Leadership: A Catalyst for Girls' Education Amidst Rising Extremism’. Published in collaboration with the Muslim World League, the report confronts the global crisis in girls’ education, one that affects over 120 million girls worldwide. It argues that while religion is often used to justify exclusion, it can also be a transformative force for inclusion and equity. Drawing on powerful case studies from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria, Pakistan, and beyond, the report features voices of faith leaders, scholars, and activists who are working at the grassroots level to challenge extremist narratives and expand access to education. Access the report at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/research/proje… @THEMWLLO @Win_Interfaith #IWD2026 #interfaith #women #GiveToGain #GirlsEducation #EducationForAll #ReligiousLeadership

New blog - Faith, Refugees and Migration: Conversations That Matter Last month, we held our annual research symposium on ‘Faith, Refugees, and Migration’ which sought to provide a space for thoughtful, rigorous, and constructive dialogue on how faith leaders and communities engage with issues of migration, asylum, integration, and diversity. Dr Amy Grant, Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Nation of Refuge Project at the University of Reading, attended the symposium and has written an insightful blog post about the event. Read for free at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/blog/faith-ref… #Refugees #FaithAndMigration #Faith #Migration

Join us for a webinar entitled ‘Faith in Conflict: How Global Crises Are Shaping UK Faith Communities’ on 27 March from 11-12pm. In January, Questions of Hope and Hate: Faith and Faultlines in a Changing Britain, a report produced by Hope not Hate in collaboration with the Good Faith Partnership, was officially launched in Parliament. This report explores how religion is becoming increasingly visible, contested, and politicised in public life in Britain. Drawing on interviews with senior Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and Hindu leaders, the report examines how democratic fatigue, global crises, and internal shifts within faith communities are reshaping the relationship between religion, identity, and public life. This webinar, hosted by the Woolf Institute, will delve deeper into the report’s findings, with a particular focus on how overseas conflicts are shaping UK faith communities. It will explore which global conflicts have the greatest impact in the UK context, how they affect community cohesion and internal faith dynamics, and what policy and community responses are needed to address both immediate risks and longer-term challenges. Register for free at: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…* @goodfaith #Interfaith #Religion #CommissionOnInterfaithRelations

🎉Last week, we held our annual interfaith Iftar 🎉 After some brief reflections from Dr Esther Miriam Wagner, we heard from Imad Ahmed (PhD Scholar at the Faculty of Divinity) on his research into the Islamic Calendar and why British Muslims differ so strongly in their approach to the Islamic Calendar. This was followed by a prayer led by Luke Wilkinson (Woolf Affiliated PhD Scholar) and a shared meal. Thank you to everyone who came – it’s always such a special occasion. #Interfaith #Ramadan #Islam #Muslim

Last week, we held a panel discussion entitled ‘Are you a cultural Christian?’, organised in collaboration with Lucy Cavendish MCR and National Multifaith Youth Centre. Participants heard reflections from Dr Jonathan Chaplin and Dr Marietta van der Tol, before being invited to ask questions and provide comments. The presentations and subsequent discussions examined the disparate expressions of ‘Cultural Christianity’, highlighting its varied use by conservative and progressive political actors. They also addressed the frequent disputes over who holds authority or ownership over the term and Christianity more broadly. Particular thanks to the speakers, Aidan Scully for chairing the event, and Jeeves Rohilla. #CulturalChristianity #Christianity

🎉Happy Purim to all those who celebrate🎉 Purim commemorates the story of Queen Esther in the Torah. It is often marked with readings from the Book of Esther, sharing gifts, donating money to the poor, and by sharing a festive meal. #Purim #Judaism #TheBookOfEsther #Esther

Cambridge Festival 2026 – Dr Beth Phillips As part of the Cambridge Festival, Dr Phillips will deliver a session entitled ‘Disagreeing Well: Conflict Transformation’. The workshop which will help participants identify how they reflexively engage with disagreement and conflict, as well as what strengths they possess for disagreeing well. Participants will learn skills for cultivating their best selves in situations of difference, disagreement, and conflict. Together they will explore how disagreement can be a gift and conflict can be an opportunity. Date & Time: 18 March at 2pm Location: Woolf Institute, Madingley Road, CB3 0UB Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… #CamFest #CambridgeFestival #Cambridge #CambridgeUniversity #Interfaith #Faith #Leaders

Three Women, a Rabbi and a Musician From Bohemia – A new book by Mike Frankl MBE Three Women, a Rabbi and a Musician From Bohemia explores the lives of members of a Jewish family who lived in rural Bohemia for over two hundred years, from early in the 18th century. It follows: - Three incredibly strong women forced to bring up their families on their own following the early deaths of their husbands. - The rabbi who, after living in Vienna, moved back to Bohemia, helping other family members on the way. - The musician who survived being bayoneted in Serbia in World War One, and then moved to Berlin where he fell in love with a ballerina. The book will be published by Troubador Publishing Ltd on 28 March and can now be ordered in store or online from major book sellers. Some copies will also be available on the night. Please email mikebooklaunch1@yahoo.com if you would like to attend a launch event at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Cambridge on 19 April at 7:30pm. More info at: beth-shalom.org.uk/book-launch-th… #Judaism #BookLaunch #JewishFamily

Cambridge Festival 2026 – Dr Lucy Peacock Don’t miss Dr Lucy Peacock’s talk entitled ‘Conflicts on Campus: Universities as Sites of Interfaith Encounter’ which will explore how interfaith engagement has great potential to tackle religion or belief-related hostility and foster peaceful student relations. Date & Time: 17 March at 2pm Location: Woolf Institute, Madingley Road, CB3 0UB Register at: woolf.cam.ac.uk/whats-on/event… #CamFest #CambridgeFestival #Cambridge #CambridgeUniversity #Interfaith #Faith #Leaders

Have you got experience of working across different religious communities to resolve conflict? The Commission on Interfaith Relations — chaired by the @Woolf_Institute president — wants to hear from you. ✍🏻Weronika Strzyżyńska hyphenonline.com/2026/02/25/com…