How to get on with everybody
An inspiring documentary shines a light into the life of Hackney’s Rabbi Herschel Gluck
A still from the film of Rabbi Gluck on a bus
“Hackney is a community of communities,” says Rabbi Herschel Gluck OBE, after a viewing of a documentary he stars in – ‘How to Get on with Everybody’ – at Abney Park Cemetery.
“This is a place where people respect the otherness in people, respect the individuality in others but, at the same time, build bridges and find commonalities – as well as finding ways how we can work together, not just for our good, but for the common good,” he continues.
The inspiring documentary is a look into the world of Rabbi Gluck who has dedicated his life to ‘peace and reconciliation in various forms’.
It offers an intimate glimpse into the life of one of Stamford Hill’s Orthodox Jewish community’s most deeply respected and much-loved figures – and one of the country’s foremost champions of interfaith relations, who, in 2013, was awarded an OBE for his services to interfaith relations.
Rabbi Gluck says: “Things are so polarised at the moment. It’s not perfect in Hackney, but at the same time we’ve got so many people pulling together here because we’re all so used to getting along with each other.”
The documentary follows the rabbi’s work as president of Shomrim in Stamford Hill (a Jewish neighbourhood watch group), and as the chairman and founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum.
A still from the film of Rabbi Gluck on the Overground
He explains: “I think the most important thing that the Muslim-Jewish Forum has done is to show the power of good, of positivity, of bringing about a better society for everyone – not just for our community, but for all sections of society by working together.”
Filmmakers Elin Moe and Winstan Whitter said they wanted to ‘shine a spotlight’ on Rabbi Gluck because, they explain, “he’s always shining a light on everybody else and supporting everybody else in various organisations.”
They continue: “We always felt that there’s often a lot of misinformation and stereotypes about the Orthodox community in Stamford Hill, and part of it was to dispel some of those myths by showing Rabbi Gluck as a humanitarian.
“He’s an inspiring human being. He’s somebody that has so much energy and makes you laugh and makes you cry.
“I hope people can take inspiration from what he does and his outlook on the world as a human being.”
‘How to Get on with Everybody’ is being shown across the UK, including at the Rio Cinema and Abney Park Cemetery.