LAURA MARKS CBE
In The Media
Jewish News
18/04/2024
Opinion: We can’t let connecting faiths fall victim to deliberate smears and fear mongering
Laura shares her thoughts on why, with conflict still raging in Israel and Palestine, it has never been more important to bring people of different faiths and beliefs together to build understanding.
BBC Radio 2: Pause for Thought
12/03/2024
Laura’s Ramadan Pause for Thought: “May the Light Shine on Us All”
The JC
11/03/2024
Coverage of the first ever Women’s Faith Forum event, hosted in Parliament by Marsha de Cordova MP and attended by more than 50 women of at least five different faiths, with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in attendance.
Talk TV
22/10/2023
Interviewed alongside Hifsa Haroon Iqbal by Trisha Goddard, sharing our perspectives from Nisa-Nashim on the impact of the Israel/Gaza conflict on Jewish and Muslim women and communities here in the UK. 
The Times
20/10/2023
Jewish and Muslim women unite to ‘heal the pain’ in British communities.
The House Magazine / Politics Home
16/10/2023
“We must not allow this conflict to poison already challenging Jewish-Muslim relations.”
The Jewish Chronicle
16/06/2023
Laura Marks, founder of Mitzvah Day, the world’s largest faith-based day of social action, recognised with a CBE for her outstanding charitable contributions.
Jewish News
05/04/2023
As Ramadan, Passover and Easter coincide over one weekend, it offers a real opportunity to connect with neighbours of other faiths.
Pause for Thought
27/01/2023
“Ordinary people like you and me make all the difference, because genocide doesn’t happen on its own.” My thoughts for Holocaust Memorial Day 2023.
Sky News
27/01/2023
The UK marks Holocaust Memorial Day, with the King and Queen Consort lighting memorial candles at Buckingham Palace. 
Jewish News
19/01/2023
Coverage of Nisa-Nashim’s remarkable women’s interfaith weekend, and our whistle-stop tour of three places of worship.
Pause for Thought
15/12/2022
Marking a moment in history, as Parliament joins in a silence to mark 80 years since the House was first made aware of the Holocaust.
Pause for Thought
19/10/2022
Remembering my Dad, Dr John Marks.
Interfaith dialogue is far more than 'tea and samosas'
01/09/2022
Calling interfaith dialogue ‘faithwashing’ only strengthens our resolves to build bonds between communities
'Celebrating the uniting power of sport this summer' - Ham and High
03/08/2022
‘Faced with both the Euros and the Commonwealth Games, my choice has been stark – “if you cant beat ’em, join ’em”.’
Pause for Thought
18/07/2022
‘My friend Safet – reflecting on the Genocide in Bosnia.’
LBC
28/01/2022
Marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2022 with survivors, and reflecting on the theme ‘One Day’.
Pause for Thought
24/11/2021
‘Harnessing the restorative power of nature’
BBC Sunday Morning Live
21/11/2021
Sean Fletcher and Kate Bottley explore the ethical and religious issues of the day.
Pause for Thought
10/11/2021
‘This affects each and every one of us whether or not we are directly affected by the climate.’
Pause for Thought
21/10/2021
‘Music is integral to Jewish life.’
Pause for Thought
14/09/2021
‘Life’s book is most blessed when shared.’
Pause for Thought
09/09/2021
‘With huge gratitude, we were, at least all together.’
Pause for Thought
02/09/2021
‘It wasn’t much of a run, but it had been loads of fun.’
Pause for Thought
05/08/2021
‘Military strategists have long recognised that an army travels on its stomach’
There will always be people who need help
03/08/2021
‘Utterly confused and baffled by the constantly changing travel traffic light system (which makes the four-way temporary traffic lights in Camden seem like simplicity itself) we abandoned any plans of going abroad and headed off to staycation in west Wales.’
Pause for Thought
24/06/2021
‘Getting to know our neighbours this year has been the golden lining’
Camden seems to be one mass of roadworks
21/06/2021
‘We semi woke at 7.45am on Wednesday to shouting in the street, and at 8am sharp, my dawning day was shattered as the house began to vibrate, and the pounding noise from drills, machinery and diggers smashed through our bedroom window.’
Pause for Thought
17/06/2021
‘May her memory be for a Blessing’
Pause for Thought
10/06/2021
‘My dad’s third barmitzvah’
Muslim and Jewish women rally on Hampstead Heath for peace
25/05/2021
Muslim and Jewish women gathered on Hampstead Heath to call for peace, following a turbulent fortnight for both communities.
Religious Censorship: persecution or protection?
20/05/2021
Once again, the debate over public displays of religious clothing, as well as the relationship between state and faith, has been brought to the fore.
'No place' for antisemitism in north London after 'sickening' incident
19/05/2021
Reports of antisemitism have drawn condemnation from politicians and community leaders, while the Met Police stepped up patrols to protect north London’s Jewish population during a religious holiday.
Primrose Hill's night-time closure has split north London residents
13/05/2021
‘We were definitely 20 years older than anyone else. But, as none of our own grown-up children were there for us to embarrass, David, Denise, my husband and I threw caution to the wind and danced our way into the early hours last midsummer night, watching the sun go down, on Primrose Hill.’
Pause for Thought
28/04/2021
‘Our hair is our choice, an expression of ourselves’
Pause for Thought
21/04/2021
‘If you have faithful friends, hold fast to them’
Faith is the forgotten D&I characteristic
19/04/2021
Why recognising faith groups within the workplace can provide a much needed lift to your diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
Pause for Thought
14/04/2021
‘Age and aging is taken seriously in Judaism’
BBC London News
26/03/2021
Pesach 2021
Vanessa Feltz Show
26/03/2021
Pesach 2021
It’s time to work together to make Camden a safer place to be
19/03/2021
‘Last Saturday night at 9.30, when we are normally following our lockdown Saturday tradition of arguing over what to watch on Netflix, we were instead on our doorstep along with our neighbours.’
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.’
My Covid-19 vaccination experience
25/02/2021
‘I’m rarely early, in fact I’m never early – not because I don’t want to be but because I always think I can fit in one more thing. But last week for my vaccine, I made an exception finding a pay by phone parking place on Lawn Road NW3 and walking down to the Royal Free well ahead of my 3pm appointment.’
Pause for Thought
23/02/2021
‘We can beat the virus, if we do it together.’
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
There’s always one moment on Mitzvah Day that brings everything home to you.
Pause for Thought
07/12/2020
‘Caring is done alone and unseen.’
Pause for Thought
17/11/2020
‘Acts of Kindness never die.’
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
11/11/2020
‘We are changed not by what we receive, but by what we do.’
Pause for Thought
04/11/2020
‘A person who saves a single life, saves the world.’
LBC News
14/10/2020
Hate crime figures
Pause for Thought
07/10/2020
‘The sunshine of friendship shone resolutely through.’
Pause for Thought
29/09/2020
‘I thought with deepest gratitude about the remarkable man with no name.’
Pause for Thought
08/09/2020
‘What matters hasn’t changed.’
Pause for Thought
01/09/2020
‘A touch, a word, a glance, a smile – each of these tiny pieces can reveal meaning.’
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.’
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.’
Pause for Thought
31/03/2020
‘Apart doesn’t mean we can’t be together.’
Pause for Thought
27/02/2020
‘Joy is a social emotion.’
Pause for Thought
20/02/2020
‘I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me.’
Pause for Thought
13/02/2020
‘Saving the planet feels overwhelming.’
Whataboutism is a way to avoid other people’s pain
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.
Pause for Thought
10/06/2019
‘Whatever the odds are, I hit the jackpot.’
Pause for Thought
05/06/2019
‘To see my dad enjoying the company of his grandchildren is incredibly special.’
Pause for Thought
22/05/2019
‘Sustenance is much more than food.’
Pause for Thought
16/05/2019
‘Having time to recharge, rest and share is restorative.’
Pause for Thought
03/05/2019
‘I try to stand up to oppression and prejudice every single day.’
Pause for Thought
24/04/2019
‘We were slaves, but now we are free.’
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
17/12/2018
‘Sharing wonderful memories of the past is a gift.’
Pause for Thought
10/12/2018
‘The best letters are the ones that are sent, quite simply, with love.’
Pause for Thought
29/11/2018
‘My immigrant grandparents brought the gift of traditions.’
Pause for Thought
21/11/2018
‘Helping the stranger is often easier than we think.’
Pause for Thought
20/11/2018
‘I will invite the lonely outsider, in.’
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
01/10/2018
‘I felt so valued.’
Pause for Thought
09/07/2018
‘Together, we could change the world.’
Pause for Thought
28/06/2018
‘I hope that young people find their way to a loving home.’
Pause for Thought
20/06/2018
‘Learn to do right, seek justice, and defend the oppressed.’
Pause for Thought
13/06/2018
‘Adapting expectations and allowing new paths to open is sometimes the best way forwards.’
Pause for Thought
05/06/2018
‘My favourite places are those I share with the people I love.’
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.’
Pause for Thought
16/05/2018
‘Marriage is bigger than just two people coming together.’
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
13/06/2017
‘Learning is a shared responsibility.’
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.’
Pause for Thought
24/05/2017
‘We are all in this together.’
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.’
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.
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.