British and international faith leaders gathered at Cumberland Lodge in Windsor Great Park on Monday to discuss the worldwide rise of populism, extremism, antisemitism and islamophobia.

The symposium was organised with the Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ).

In her keynote address, Dr Charlotte Knobloch, former President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and Holocaust survivor, said: “Many tend to blame religions for any and all of our

problems. I do not share this view. It is precisely against this backdrop of growing threats to Western democracy that faith communities need to make their voices heard.

“In my opinion, our beliefs have a unique power to unite us and allow us to engage in a meaningful dialogue. We need to speak openly now more than ever – with each other, but also to society at large.’

Doctor Knobloch is 86 and has been Head of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria since 1985.