Jewish, Muslim Manchester Mourners Have Been Friends For10 Years
(JTA) — The elderly Jewish woman and Muslim man whose photo mourning together at a memorial to the victims of the Manchester attack went viral on social media say they have been good friends for over 10 years.
Renee Black, 93, and Sadiq Patel, 46, from Blackburn, Lancashire, one of the most deprived and racially segregated areas in Britain, are both members of The Interfaith Forum, a voluntary group devoted to promoting harmony between different faiths and ethnic communities, the Daily Mail reported.
The two friends told the newspaper that they had intended to stop at Albert Square in Manchester to just pay their respects and leave a bouquet of flowers, but first Black and then Patel broke down thinking about all of the young lives cut off in the blast and remained at the site for a couple of hours, piquing the curiosity of passers-by.
“When I look at Sadiq, I don’t see a Muslim and when he looks at me he doesn’t see a Jew. He is one of my dearest and most caring friends. I don’t know what I’d do without him,” Black told the newspaper.
Patel, who is a devout Muslim, visits Black, who is Sabbath-observant, every few days, and drives her to Manchester to purchase kosher food.
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
