The Church of England has dismantled a Gaza remembrance exhibition at Leeds Minster following claims that the display honored militant operatives. The decision came after Jewish community leaders identified several names linked to terrorist organizations on the memorial tapestry.
The 18 names that triggered the removal
The Church of England removed the "Stitch Their Names Together" tapestry from Leeds Minster after the Leeds Jewish Representative Council (JRC) provided evidence that at least 18 names on the display matched individuals associated with terrorist groups. According to the report, the Jewish Leadership Council in London had previously identified 12 names with a "very high confidence match" to operatives of militant organizations, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
The tapstry was intended to remain at Leeds Minster until Sunday as a remembrance project for adults and children who have died in the war between Israel and Hamas since October 2023. Organizers had presented the work as a way to honor the human cost of the conflict and create a space for mourning across various communities.
Simon Myerson KC and the failure of due diligence
Simon Myerson KC, the chairman of the Leeds JRC, has called for a formal inquiry into how the memorial was approved. Simon Myerson KC argued that the Jewish community was not consulted before the project was planned and that there was a significant lack of oversight and due diligence before names connected to violent extremist groups were placed in a public religious setting.
This lack of communication has turned a gesture of mourning into a point of contention between the church and the local Jewish community. The demand for an inquiry suggests that the community views the incllusion of these names not as a mistake, but as a failure of institutional responsibility.
Mary Evers and the "smear campaign" defense
Mary Evers, the founder of the Stitch Their Names project, has rejected these criticisms, characterizing them as part of a smear campaign. Mary Evers maintains that the project was designed specifically to recognize the human cost of the conflict and to express grief over the deaths of civilians and children.
By focusing on the "human cost," the project aimed to create a space for mourning across different communities. However, the tension between the founder's intent to honor civilians and the identification of militant operatives has left the project's legitimacy in question.
Rev Paul Maybury's initial approval of the display
The Rev Paul Maybury, rector of Leeds Minster, stated that the parochial church council had reviewed the panels upon the exhibition's opening and did not find any names that should have been excluded. The Rev Paul Maybury had initially described the memorial as an appropriate addition to a building that already commemorates hundreds of people, framing it as a fitting tribute to lives lost in Gaza.
This suggests a disconnect between the church's internal review process and the external intelligence provided by the Jewish Leadership Council. The fact that the parochial church council saw nothing wrong initially indicates a gap in the ability of the institution to vet names against militant rosters.
The Jewish Chronicle's report on police involvement
This incident reflects a broader, agonizing struggle to maintain neutral, shared spaces of remembrance during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. When religious institutions like the Church of England attempt to host memorials for one side of a conflict, they risk inadvertently validating combatants if their vetting processes are insufficient. The tension highlights how the definition of a "civilian victim" becomes a battlefield in itself when names are listed without rigorous verification.
Significant questions remain regarding the vetting process, particularly why the parochial church council failed to identify the names later flagged by the Jewish Leadership Council. Furthermore, as reported by the Jewish Chronicle, the matter has been referred to the police. It remains to be seen whether the inclusion of these names will be treated as a clerical error or a more serious violation of laws regarding the glorification of terrorism.
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