A funding appeal run by the Bath and North East Somerset Faith Foundation has raised £3,000 for a new campaign to tackle and raise awareness of antisemitism, anti-Jewish hatred, across the local area.
The organisation, which promotes and encourages social cohesion and dialogue between religious groups, launched a fundraising campaign last year.
Director of the Faith Foundation, Nathan Hartley, said:
“Thanks to everyone who has donated to our appeal. We’re 100% funded through voluntary contributions and grants and without the support and generosity of others we wouldn’t be able to carry out the important work that we do.”
The £3,000 was raised thanks to donations from the public, plus grants from the Medlock Trust and the Spalding Charity.
The Medlock Trust is a Bath-based grant-making organisation focused on supporting local projects that address deprivation and social need.
The Spalding Charity is a national organisation that funds educational and faith-based projects across the UK that promote social cohesion and interfaith dialogue.
“This funding means we can now launch our ‘stand up to antisemitism’ campaign for 2026 and run a series of events throughout the year.” added Nathan.
The £3,000 will be used to fund a number of events and workshops this year across Bath & North East Somerset, which will include:
• Tree planting events
• School assemblies
• Film showings
• Art exhibitions
• Interfaith and civic gatherings
• ‘Bridging Generations’ public awareness campaign
As we see a rise in antisemitism across the UK, local political and charity leaders across B&NES are calling for more to done to address the worrying level of violence and abuse the Jewish community is experiencing.
Cllr Karen Walker (Independent, Peasedown) is the Leader of the Independents for B&NES Group on the council. She said:
“I’ve written to B&NES Council’s Chief Executive this week to ask not only what the local authority is doing to support our district’s Jewish community, but to find out what measures and procedures have been put in place to address any antisemitic incidents that take place within the council itself.
Antisemitism is completely unacceptable, and we all need to work together to ensure it’s stamped out and has no place in Bath & North East Somerset.”
Cllr Karen Walker was the most senior politician to publicly call for the resignation of the former Mayor of Bath last month, after it had been discovered that he’d been posting a series of antisemitic hate comments on his social media channels. Cllr Dr Bharat Pankhania resigned shortly after and has since been stripped of all his positions of responsibility on the council.
More details about the campaign and how people can get involved are available from the Bath & North East Somerset Faith Foundation at info@bathnesfaithfoundation.org.uk
The Bath and North East Faith Foundation was established several years ago to:
• Support, encourage, and strengthen the work of faith groups across the district.
• Act as a conduit between faith groups and public bodies in ensuring they have a voice and have representation on issues that matter to them.
• Carry out research into socio-religious trends in Bath, Somerset and the wider area.
• Run community engagement projects with faith (and non-faith) groups
• Organise events that promote social inclusion, learning and understanding
