LAURA MARKS OBE
In The Media
IWD 2021: Thank you to our women of faith
08/03/2021
When my synagogue put out its first call for Covid volunteers, incredibly now a full year ago, over 600 replied, and 75% of them were women. I for one was not remotely surprised.
It’s about trust: Covid, conspiracies and Britain’s faith groups
03/03/2021
It was a great milestone: the 20 millionth person got their Covid jab at the weekend. But it was overshadowed by further reporting of ethnic and minority groups refusing to get the jab.
Pause for Thought
02/03/2021
‘I have started to appreciate cemeteries which, in Jewish communities are often called a house of peace.’
Why corporates need to go further with understanding the faith agenda
18/02/2021
A plurality of thought is one of the many wonderful benefits of the UK’s democratic system, but in recent times, a feeling that goes beyond plurality has emerged; it is a feeling of division – on a political, economic and, most worryingly, social level.
Pause for Thought
16/02/2021
‘The traditional Jewish birthday greeting is ‘’may you live until 120.’
Why corporates need to go further with understanding the faith agenda
16/02/2021
A plurality of thought is one of the many wonderful benefits of the UK’s democratic system, but in recent times, a feeling that goes beyond plurality has emerged; it is a feeling of division – on a political, economic and, most worryingly, social level.
Why corporates need to go further with understanding the faith agenda
10/02/2021
A plurality of thought is one of the many wonderful benefits of the UK’s democratic system, but in recent times, a feeling that goes beyond plurality has emerged; it is a feeling of division – on a political, economic and, most worryingly, social level.
Women’s interfaith group meets with government official ahead of report
24/01/2021
Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Jewish members met with the the Faith Engagement Advisor Colin Bloom this week.
Holocaust Memorial Day: a moment of unity across the nation
23/01/2021
Every year, when my children were small (and slightly malleable), they were part of the Alyth synagogue choir, which had the honour of performing at the local Barnet Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration.
Kindness might be the most valuable gift
09/01/2021
If ever a new year needed a positive kick start, it must be 2021.
Pause for Thought
22/12/2020
‘Whilst running 5k is hardly a world changing task, it would help change my view of myself…’
Personal interactions key to breaking down barriers
14/12/2020
Last month, in Birmingham, a Jewish woman noticed some antisemitic graffiti on a wall. Shocked and upset she called a local Muslim friend, made through Nisa–Nashim (the Jewish/Muslim women’s network).
Mitzvah Day volunteers have never made a bigger difference
19/11/2020
To my mind, religious communities are a force for good, both nationally and locally including here in north London.
Our day of good deeds has just got longer
12/11/2020
‘The need for acts of kindness is greater than ever and so we, the Mitzvah Day team along with thousands of volunteers across the country, needed to come up with something new.’
Pause for Thought
29/09/2020
‘I thought with deepest gratitude about the remarkable man with no name.’
Misogyny- The new point of Hatred
24/09/2020
As Jewish women, we don’t need to be told about the pain associated with hate crime.
The challenges of The Rule of Six and the New Year
12/09/2020
“I love going to synagogue for the festivals, more than anything, to feel a part of the community. There is something life-affirming for me about hundreds of people being in one place and sharing the rituals going back thousands of years”
Women of faith and covid
04/09/2020
“There’s not enough listening to women, they have a different perspective,” Ms Marks said
Pause for Thought
01/09/2020
‘A touch, a word, a glance, a smile – each of these tiny pieces can reveal meaning.’
Faith leaders call for action to tackle online hate speech
17/08/2020
The UK Government must act as social media companies continue to fall short when tackling racist, antisemitic, Islamophobic and Anti-Hindu hate online.
Community as guilty as BBC on gender pay gap
27/07/2020
Gary Lineker’s agent, Jon Holmes, compounded an already awkward situation this week when it was revealed that the top male BBC presenters were being paid substantially, and consistently more than women in identical jobs.
Pause for Thought
23/07/2020
‘I was glowing, satisfied and replete having re-discovered the joy of re-connecting with friends’
Pause for Thought
07/07/2020
‘I’m sure I’m not the only one worrying about having to face the world again.’
Covering our faces – the new normal?
23/06/2020
Last week, with the shops newly opened, and looking for an outing, I hit Oxford Street with my daughter.
Coronavirus- a nail in the coffin of equality?
10/06/2020
It was no surprise to learn that three quarters of the 240 people signing up to help at my synagogue with the COVID-19 pandemic were women.
Interview: Laura Marks, interfaith social activist
08/05/2020
‘I see interfaith harmony as the obvious and positive way forward for our faith communities’
Pause for Thought
06/05/2020
‘Small acts of kindness are about more than our neighbours – they are about ourselves too.’
Pause for Thought
29/04/2020
‘We are able to make this a better world for all the generations to come.’
75 years on, how should we commemorate the Holocaust?
16/04/2020
The recent ITV documentary ‘Return to Belsen’ was a fitting commemoration for the thousands of Jews, and others, who died in the camp in the most atrocious conditions, both before and tragically even after liberation
Community cries out for gender equality
05/03/2020
Who ever heard of a Jewish communal meeting starting at 9.30pm, and ending 45 minutes later with a full list of agreed action points by each group member?
Mitzvah Day grew into a celebration of family
03/01/2020
Aged six, my daughter Sally went going through a rebellious phase and refused to brush her hair. I’m reminded of this every time I see a family picture, taken 17 years ago, of our clan dressed to visit a Korean care home in downtown Los Angeles. It was the start of our long Mitzvah Day journey.
Women of faith unite to help those seeking a better life
06/08/2019
Black and white, grainy photos of families, children, young people laughing, musicians holding their violins; we’ve seen these 1930s photos before.
Pause for Thought
05/06/2019
‘To see my dad enjoying the company of his grandchildren is incredibly special.’
Jews Can't, And Shouldn't, Just 'Get Over' The Holocaust
16/05/2019
“Jews,” said, Judge Jim Lammey of the Shelby County Criminal Court, Tennessee, this week, should “get the f**k over the Holocaust”. After over 70 years, is it time to let it go?
Pause for Thought
03/05/2019
‘I try to stand up to oppression and prejudice every single day.’
Pause for Thought
17/04/2019
‘Passover promises freedom, a new start and fresh opportunities.’
'Jews should lead the way on anti-racism'
26/03/2019
Anti-Muslim comments on a Jewish Facebook group horrify community activist Laura Marks.
Pause for Thought
10/12/2018
‘The best letters are the ones that are sent, quite simply, with love.’
Word on the street: There is no better way to break down barriers than to share food
22/11/2018
There’s always one moment on Mitzvah Day that brings everything home to you.
Pause for Thought
05/11/2018
‘One of the highlights of my year as a child was Guy Fawkes day.’
Jo Wagerman stood up for women
17/10/2018
Laura Marks reflects on the passing of a role model, a former JFS head and Board president.
Pause for Thought
13/06/2018
‘Adapting expectations and allowing new paths to open is sometimes the best way forwards.’
Pause for Thought
31/05/2018
‘Ups and downs and successes and failures – they’re what makes life so very special.’
Pause for Thought
23/05/2018
‘Even though life can be very uncertain, the seasons come and go with reassuring regularity.’
Whataboutism is a way to avoid other people’s pain
23/04/2018
What do Parliamentarians including Ruth Smeeth, Luciana Berger and Baroness Ros Altman have in common with business pioneers like Facebook vice president Nicola Mendelsohn and student leaders such as incoming UJS president Hannah Rose?
Jews and Muslims should unite in fight against racism
28/03/2018
Lack of contact between the two communities fosters negative misconceptions.
We must have more female trustees
16/03/2018
I heard audible sighs of relief this week with the publication of the trustee gender figures, compiled by Ben Crowne. With 32 per cent of our charities’ board members now women, and the national average at around 36 per cent, the community had largely caught up.
A step together in the right direction
08/03/2018
I’ve discovered the joys of marching. Cutting up cardboard and finding a broomstick for a banner, packing a backpack with snacks and a phone charger and Tubing into town on a Sunday to march.
Why opponents of the Golders Green mosque must mind their language
11/10/2017
The rhetoric from some of the critics of the planned Shia centre is Islamophobic, plain and simple, says Laura Marks.
Pause for Thought
08/09/2017
‘The whole world is a narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to be afraid’.
Pause for Thought
01/09/2017
‘Say not in grief ‘she is no more’ but in thankfulness that she was’.
Mitzvah Day is now more vital than ever
05/08/2017
Although Mitzvah Day is a charity that operates all year round, it’s this time of year when things start getting very busy… and exciting.
Celebrating women in Jewish leadership
20/06/2017
Few people outside our community can believe that Jewish women struggle for equality.
Pause for Thought
06/06/2017
‘The events of this weekend have made me think to celebrate every day, as well as life itself.’
Pause for Thought
30/05/2017
‘It is my place, and the place of every person, not to forget and to ensure that we learn from the past.’
Did we finally reach gender equality in Thirty Under 30?
04/05/2017
Thirty bright, twenty somethings, driving change, challenging the norms, and speaking up. Added to this, another thirty who ‘just missed out’ and about 110 more nominated on top, and the Jewish News’ Thirty Under Thirty has given us optimism for the future of our community.
Pause for Thought
02/05/2017
‘This is my link with grandma and all that her generation did for us.’
Pause for Thought
28/03/2017
‘Sometimes just living our lives to the full is the best way to move forwards.’
Women Came Away From Our Event With Hope... Now We Need Action
10/03/2017
Last weekend, as I co-chaired Britain’s first ever Jewish/Muslim conference with my ‘Muslim sister’ Julie Siddiqi, I saw the efforts of so many of us starting to come to fruition.
The Gulf Between Jews And Muslims Is Widening - It's Time For Women To Fix It
02/03/2017
Negative press stories and social media memes fuel mistrust in both the Jewish and Muslim communities at best, and prejudice and dislike at worst.
2016 saw hate go mainstream, in 2017 we must unite
29/12/2016
As we head into the New Year, you won’t be reading many articles this week looking back at 2016 with anything but shock, sadness and a little rage.
We’re looking for 40,001 heroes this Mitzvah Day
28/10/2016
It’s hard to watch the news without seeing something that outrages our Jewish values, whether it’s Donald Trump boasting about sexual assault, people trying to stop child refugees seeking sanctuary here or the recent rise we’ve seen in racism and anti-Semitism.
Alarming Muslim survey is a reason to do more, not less
19/04/2016
Last week’s Jewish News reported on a poll from a Channel 4 programme called ‘What British Muslims Really Think,’ which can only be described as dispiriting and very worrying.
British Jews and Muslims doing good
22/11/2014
If you were on the streets of Britain on Sunday 16 November you may well have seen people in green t-shirts with balloons and flags bustling around together, covered in mud, flour, paint or carrying guitars.
No Matter What Religion, We're All Internally Wired With a Yen to Do Good
14/11/2014
By collectively working to make the world a better place and by rooting it in religious doctrine, we bring our values to the wider world.
A woman’s place on the dais
02/10/2013
At a leadership level in particular, women are few and far between. I am one of only five women who have ever sat at the top table of the Board of Deputies.