A Festival of Jewish Culture, History & Solidarity in East London

Music

Oi Va Voi: Live in Concert

9–10.30pm
East London Venue
£22.50

Acclaimed London band Oi Va Voi mark the 90^th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street with a special concert celebrating music, heritage and community.

For more than 20 years, the band have combined contemporary songwriting and dancefloor rhythms with Jewish and Eastern European musical traditions. This special East London performance promises an evening of vibrant, genre-defying music exploring identity, belonging and shared humanity.

Public art

Murmur Mural

Projected nightly at 7.30pm
Toynbee Hall, Whitechapel
Free · No booking required

Inam Zimbalista’s projected video installation reimagines the Battle of Cable Street through the movement of bird murmurations.

Drawing on archival footage, the work transforms figures from the historic protest into a fluid choreography of collective action, reflecting on solidarity, resistance and the power of people acting together.

The installation will be projected onto the exterior of Toynbee Hall every evening from 4 to 11 October.

Guided tours

Jewish East End Black Cab Tours

Various times
East London
Advance booking required

Explore the history of London’s Jewish East End from an iconic black cab. These individually tailored tours take in Whitechapel, Spitalfields and Brick Lane, uncovering the communities, landmarks and stories that shaped the area and formed the backdrop to the Battle of Cable Street.

Routes can include historic synagogues, Jewish heritage sites and the wider history of migration, community and resistance. The private tours can accommodate up to six passengers, and wheelchair-accessible vehicles are available.

Find out more and book

Walking tour

Surprising Shadwell

11am–1pm
Meeting point provided when booking
£20 plus booking fee

Explore Wapping and Shadwell with guide Rachel Kolsky, discovering the communities that shaped the East End and stood together against fascism in 1936.

The walk takes in the Cable Street mural and the area’s rich dockland history, alongside stories of exotic-animal keepers, rope makers, a mortuary turned natural-history museum, Wilton’s Music Hall, Shadwell Basin and Tobacco Dock.

Book or join the waiting list

Film

Jews Defending Jews: Film Screening and Q&A

7–8.30pm
Central London
Venue details provided to ticket-holders
£15, including a drink

Jews Defending Jews explores the history of Jewish resistance to antisemitism in Britain. Through archive footage and first-hand testimony, the documentary tells the story of communities that organised to defend themselves against fascist violence.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A exploring the continuing significance of solidarity, resilience and collective action.

Panel discussion

Cable Street Matters

2–3pm
East London
Venue details provided to ticket-holders
£10

What does Cable Street mean to British Jews today?

Marking 90 years since the Battle of Cable Street, this panel discussion considers why this defining moment in British Jewish history continues to matter. Speakers will explore its significance for the Jewish community, its place in London’s wider history and the relevance of its legacy in contemporary Britain.

Chaired by Karen Newman, with Phil Rosenberg, Brigit Grant and a representative of the Community Security Trust.

Open house

Jewish Life at Sandys Row

10.30am–1pm
Sandys Row Synagogue, Spitalfields
Drop in · Suggested donation £5

Step inside one of London’s hidden historic treasures and discover more than 150 years of Jewish life in the East End.

Housed in a Georgian building and established by Dutch Jewish families, Sandys Row is London’s oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogue. This open morning includes exhibitions, short talks, historic objects and books, offering visitors a glimpse into the migration, resilience and community that shaped the East End.

Visit the Sandys Row Synagogue website

Families

Cable Street Stories: A Family Story and Creative Workshop

11am–1pm
JW3, Finchley Road
Ages 4+ · Free; booking charges apply

A family workshop inspired by Tanya Landman’s The Battle of Cable Street. Through storytelling and creative activities, children will meet young Elsie and explore friendship, courage and what it means to stand alongside your neighbours.

Families can help construct a colourful East End street, add a decorated brick to a collaborative mural and design miniature placards carrying messages of kindness, fairness and welcome.

Book through JW3

Theatre and conversation

The Merchant of Cable Street

6–7.30pm
East London
Venue details provided to ticket-holders
£17.50, including drinks

Tracy-Ann Oberman MBE, Howard Jacobson and theatre director Brigid Larmour discuss The Merchant of Cable Street and the enduring legacy of the Battle of Cable Street, chaired by journalist and broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti.

Inspired by the events of 4 October 1936, the production reimagines Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in London’s Jewish East End. The conversation will explore identity, prejudice, belonging and collective resistance—and what Cable Street can teach us while antisemitism, racism and intolerance remain urgent concerns.