On a Sunday night last month, a group of friends and acquaintances gathered together at a restaurant in Prestwich. They came from different backgrounds, from across Greater Manchester.

But they had one thing in common. In the face of the ongoing horrors of the war in Gaza, they were determined to maintain ties between Greater Manchester's Muslims and Jews.

For 20 years a small group of volunteers have been bringing the two communities together. The aim is to build cultural and social connections.

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And the Israel-Gaza war has made the efforts of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester all the more vital. "It's important not to import the conflict over here," says the forum's Muslim co-chair Mohammed Amin.

"What's happening in Gaza is on a different scale to anything that's happened during the life of the forum and I'm extremely conscious of how much damage the conflict is doing to community relations over here."

After the war began on October 7, the forum called on all 'to act responsibly and to support and protect each other against any form of hatred and provocation'. "We should unite in remembering that what we have in common far surpasses the differences in our culture and heritage," the forum said in a statement.

Forum member David Berkley KC, says it's important to acknowledge the war has led to tensions between the communities. "It's meant not only a challenge but an obligation to look at how the forum must play a part in ensuring the very good relations that we have enjoyed between the two communities continue," he said.

"And while there have been some really worrying trends that have been observed over recent weeks we are also grateful to several members of the Muslim community in demonstrating their support for the forum."

Fellow forum member and Manchester councillor Rabnawaz Akbar agrees. "We have to be honest, at the moment there are tensions within and between the communities," he said. "That's why it's important that we continue to talk and continue to socialise.

"It's not an easy subject to discuss, but we will get through this period. Ultimately I feel the majority of people I have spoken to want an end to the violence and suffering."

Salford councillor Heather Fletcher, the forum's Jewish co-chair, says in Greater Manchester at least, that process will be helped by the long-standing efforts of the forum. Before its formation she says the region's Muslim and Jewish had 'very little' communication.

Since then they've organised almost 150 events such as meals, picnics and talks, where hundreds of Muslims and Jews have come together. "At those events people meet and mix who would never have never mixed before," said Coun Fletcher.

"Ignorance leads to intolerance. When Muslims and Jews mix together the unknown becomes the familiar. Mixing leads to harmony."

Mr Amin said the forum has helped improve community relations in Greater Manchester in 'significant, but subtle ways'.

"When we first started I would tell people about the forum, invariably the comments I always got were 'Aren't Muslims and Jews always fighting?'," he said "Oddly enough that doesn't happen any more.

"In Manchester at least, it's now normal to talk about Muslims and Jews doing things together."