A new series of talks, tours and more explores the legacy of the Battle of Cable Street on its 90th anniversary
On 4 October 1936, East End residents physically blocked a march by the British Union of Fascists in what became known as the Battle of Cable Street. Jews stood shoulder to shoulder with Irish dockers and other Londoners in a historic victory for tolerance and multiculturalism. The events of Cable Street brought about the 1936 Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms and required police permission for marches.
Ninety years on from the march, Cable Street 90, a festival of talks, tours, live music and more comes to London from Thursday 1 to Sunday 11 October. Organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and featuring cultural heavyweights such as actor Tracy-Ann Oberman; actor, author and director Steven Berkoff; and klezmer mainstays Oi Va Voi, the festival explores the legacy of Cable Street for a new generation.
Oi Va Voi
Cable Street 90 takes place at venues across the city. Inan Zimbalista’s installation Murmur Mural, which uses bird images and archive footage to explore collective resistance, premieres at Toynbee Hall, Whitechapel (4-11 October). Acclaimed modern klezmer band Oi Va Voi, whose electronic sounds and club rhythms emphasise Jewish heritage as a constantly evolving force, play EartH in Hackney (1 October). For something more cerebral, Sir Trevor Phillips chairs a discussion on the contemporary cultural importance of Cable Street with Oberman, author Howard Jacobson and theatre director Bridgid Lamour (11 October).
Other festival treats include Cable Street Matters, a panel discussion on what the march means to British Jews today (9 October), a screening of David Herman’s documentary Jews Defending Jews (8 October) and an open house at Sandys Row Synagogue in Spitalfields, one of the capital’s oldest surviving Ashkenazi synagogues.
Tracy-Ann Oberman in The Merchant of Venice 1936
Also on the bill is a walking tour revealing the histories of Shadwell, Wapping and the East End (6 October), and guided Black Cab tours exploring the East End’s Jewish heritage (5-11 October). Plus family fun, with story-based workshops inspired by Tanya Landman’s book The Battle of Cable Street (11 October). Children can get creative with arts and crafts and enjoy storytime to learn about community solidarity.
Cable Street 90 doesn't imagine the events of 1936 as a static moment in the past, but as a day that still reverberates through communities in the present. The festival probes cultural connections between immigrant communities, artistic media and London geography. It’s a chance to be immersed in a pivotal moment of British Jewish history.
By Dan Paling
Cable Street 90 runs Thursday 1 – Sunday 11 October. Times, prices and London venues vary. bod.org.uk/cable-street-90