LONDON — An Orthodox rabbi is joining millions of Muslims around Britain in observing the month-long Ramadan fast, writes Justin Cohen. Rabbi Natan Levy – who will break from the fast to enjoy Shabbat meals with his family – hopes his unprecedented act will help to increase understanding of Islam within Anglo-Jewry. The rabbi, who is the Board of Deputies’ interfaith consultant, told Jewish News: “I’m not fasting as a prelude toward Islamic conversion. I’m just trying to understand how another faith works and maybe create a touchstone for conversation.” Saying he is “frustrated with how little my community is willing to engage with Muslims”, he added: “I hope this gets us thinking and talking as a community about two things; the hungry poor in our midst, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Ramadan is a time for charity and hungry people care about hungry people. “And secondly, that we Jews and Muslims can share, and fast, and feast and talk, and stop hating each other from behind closed doors. I want my children to know that their father is fasting with over one billion people for this long Ramadan, that God speaks to others”. In conjunction with the Board, he plans to tweet each day of the fast ...      Read more