Jewish Culture Month, celebrating British Jewish culture, community and creativity, kicked off on Sunday night at the Freud Museum in Hampstead, North London in front of 150 guests, including U.K. Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed.
The festival, marked from May 16 to June 16, will involve performers, poets and deep thinkers, according to the organizers.
The program of more than 100 events is taking place across the United Kingdom with partners such as Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the British Museum, the British Library, the National Portrait Gallery, the Science Museum, Museum of the Home, Southbank Centre, Hayward Gallery, the Freud Museum, London Metropolitan Archives, Manchester Museum, the Whitworth, UK Jewish Film, Museum of Liverpool and the BBC, among others.
The inaugural Jewish Culture Month was launched last night at the Freud Museum, in Hampstead in front of 150 guests, including Communities Secretary Steve Reed, broadcaster Vanessa Feltz, representatives from participating cultural institutions, members of the Jewish community,… pic.twitter.com/AqAnxgjJKF
— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) May 18, 2026
“This is a time to celebrate Britain’s Jewish community and its contribution to our shared story. It’s a time for coming together. It’s a time for friendship,” Reed was quoted as saying at the event last night by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, a British NGO that represents members of the Jewish community.
“Jewish experience cannot just be about defending against fear, it also has to be an expression of hope and joy and freedom,” he added.
Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz was cited as saying, “We Jews excel at finding beauty and humour in the most unpromising places. This revivifying month of Jewish culture will bring balm to our souls and smiles to our faces and much needed stimulation to our beleaguered brains.”
The website of the festival reads, “With almost 1,000 years of shared history, the programme is as diverse as Britain’s Jewish community.”
Britain’s Jewish community has faced a series of antisemitic attacks in recent months, with local authorities pledging to clamp down on the phenomenon. Investigations have pointed to the possible involvement of Iran.
