Several years before the November 2017 anniversary of the Balfour
Declaration's publication, LNF was looking at possible ways of marking
this key date in both the Jewish and British calendars. A number of
options were discarded and eventually we agreed that a large-scale
public celebration for both Jews and Christians to attend would be the
right way forward. As this project rapidly became larger and more
expensive, a separate limited company was opened and the planning group
grew to include experts from beyond LNF members.
Our intention was always to bring Jewish people and Christians
together, since the Balfour Declaration itself had involved much
co-operation and friendship between British Christians and Jewish
leaders. We wanted to reflect key historical points while at the same
time making statements that would reflect our desire to love and support
Israel and the Jewish people today.
The result of several years of planning, fund-raising and hard work
was "Partners In This Great Enterprise", an evening of music, drama,
dance and singing in the iconic Royal Albert Hall, one of London's
biggest and most prestigious concert venues. Some 3,000 to 3,500 people
from both communities, including a number of peers, ambassadors and
other VIPs enjoyed a mix of Jewish and Christian music, historical drama
sketches and meaningful statements from Christian leaders concerning
Britain's and Christians' relationship with Israel.
The waves that were caused by this centenary event are still travelling and it has been gratifying to see improvements in Jewish-Christian relations in the UK coming about as a result of the event.