Jewish and Islamic communities joined forces for a ‘cookathon’ which saw thousands of cups of soup handed out to homeless and vulnerable people.

Mitzvah Day, an annual faith-based day of social action, was celebrated in the kitchens of the East London Mosque in Whitechapel by Jews and Muslims who spent the day chopping vegetables side by side.

Kosher, halal, vegetarian and vegan soups were made and delivered to shelters across the capital including PL84U Al-Suffa in Waltham Forest.

The Chicken Soup Challenge on Sunday, November 18 was organised in partnership with Muslim Aid to mark Britain’s biggest interfaith day of social action.

Chicken soup is often known as ‘Jewish penicillin’ for its nurturing and medicinal properties while soup also has significance for Muslims, who are encouraged to water down broth so there is always enough to share with neighbours.      

Laura Marks, founder and chairwoman of Mitzvah Day, said: “Mitzvah Day is all about bringing people together through social action to fulfil the real need in today’s world of breaking down barriers.

“Some of the people from each community taking part will never have met a Jewish or a Muslim person before, let alone chopped vegetables alongside them, and will now be leaving as friends.”  

Jehangir Malik, CEO of Muslim Aid, added: “If we let our imaginations take us back about 80 years, the site of the mosque was the former Fieldgate Street Synagogue, which will have attracted crowds of Jewish people on Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

“This Mitzvah Day #ChickenSoupChallenge is a wonderful initiative to bring our two communities together in a part of London which is meaningful to us both and to spread a positive interfaith message around the world.”  

Enthusiastic volunteers spent the day chopping vegetables, making matzo balls and stirring the soup to keep up with the high demand.

Charities which benefitted include the Salvation Army, St Mungo’s and the Acre Lane Centre in Brixton.   

The cookathon is part of Muslim Aid’s 2018 winter campaign which includes fundraising activities and a school and mosque tour by well-known Qu’ranic recital scholars.