The Movement for Reform Judaism

WALKTALK is an ambitious and challenging initiative offering a wide variety of people of all ages – representing a broad spectrum of opinions and ideas – new opportunities to meet, walk and talk with each other about matters of belief and conscience, especially those that are most challenging and divisive. It has been conceived by Gill Hicks, a survivor of the 7 July 2005 London bombings who lost both her legs that day, and her husband, Joe Kerr, and developed with Zulfi Hussain of Global Promise and Together for Peace, Leeds.

Starting on 19th July, WALKTALK is now on the road to London, click here to find out more. 

Starting mid-July 2008 in Leeds and finishing in central London a month later, a small key team of WALKTALKERS aim to cover about 10 miles each day, spanning one month in total and going through towns and cities, provisionally including:

Beeston, Morley, Dewsbury, Wakefield, Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield,
Chesterfield, Mansfield, Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicester, Market
Harborough, Northampton, Bedford, Luton, St Albans, Barnet, Golders Green,
Hampstead Garden Suburb, Brick Lane, City of London, Central London.

Picture below copyright WALKTALK, photographer Michelle Heseltine, left to right: Zulfi Hussain, Gill Hicks, Mike Love, Joe Kerr 

There will be Official Points at locations along the route for people to come and join WALKTALK, whether for an hour or two, or more as the team walk through. Working in close collaboration with many of these towns and cities along the route, WALKTALK will focus attention on projects which are already fostering local community cohesion. It is hoped that the dialogue will continue in each of the communities where WALKTALK stops overnight, so creating a chain of human connections between Leeds and London.

It is thought that there has never been an initiative of this type in the UK before. Strictly non-political and non-partisan WALKTALK is not a demonstration or a peace walk, or a traditional sponsored or charity walk which aims to raise money with each step travelled. Instead it offers an opportunity to ‘walk in another’s shoes’, to hear a different point of view.Any profits which are made from WALKTALK will be canvassed back into initiatives aimed at community cohesion – just part of what it is hoped will be the WALKTALK legacy.

Just as peacemaking is often the most difficult path, WALKTALK will involve enormous physical effort and perseverance – which it is hoped will attract and inspire people all alongthe route. More than that, honest dialogue with diverse people holding different opinions to our own will be tough. But these difficult conversations are going to be invaluable if we are to understand, influence and learn from one another, and together shape a better society.

Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield, Head of the Movement for Reform Judaism has given his support saying:

"There is no higher value in Judaism than acting mipnei darkhei shalom, in pursuit of peace.  Everything that I have read about WALKTALK tells me that this is an initiative based upon doing those things which provide the best chance of taking people a little further down the long and difficult road to peace.  Gill Hicks is a wonderful example of how human beings can respond positively to personal tragedy.  Both she and WALKTALK have my admiration and support."

Anna Dyson (Pictured second from right) from Sinai synagogue in Leeds has been heavily involved in the initiative:

"Having first got involved with T4P through interfaith and dialogue work around Israel/Palestine, in agreement with Sinai, I’ve been volunteering for Together for Peace for the last few months now. As T4P is one of the main partners in WalkTalk, it's been one of the main areas of work I’ve been involved in.

So along with 3 others, I am responsible for the Leeds event which will launch WalkTalk on Saturday July 19th from Millennium Square in the city centre. It’s quite a task and particularly challenging as I’ve never worked outside the Jewish community before! So it’s great experience and also wonderful to be involved in something city wide that is truly inspirational through its innovative grassroots peacebuilding.

It is great to know that the Reform Movement is backing WalkTalk and I strongly encourage others, particularly in Sheffield and London, to get involved by signing up through the walktalk website and help make a positive difference to our world."

 For more information and to find out how you can get involved, please click here.