It was the middle of the night, and it was Ramadan. In flats across North Kensington, Muslim families were awake to eat suhoor, the meal before the dawn fast. Shortly before 1am on 14 June 2017, a fire broke out in Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey block of homes. Some of those awake for suhoor smelled smoke. They woke their families and ran along the corridors, knocking on their neighbours' doors.
Seventy-two people died that night. This page is not about how the fire happened. It is about what the neighbours did next. A church opened at 3am. A mosque opened its kitchen. A gurdwara lit its stoves. Synagogues filled with bags of clothes. We remember the people who were lost, and we give thanks for the people who came.
“Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity; Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.”
Proverbs 27:10 · JPS 1917
An old proverb from the Hebrew Bible. When disaster comes, family may be miles away. The person who reaches you first is the one next door.
Who opened the doors
A year later, the think tank Theos interviewed faith leaders, council staff and emergency services about the first days. It found that at least fifteen faith-run centres had responded. They gave shelter, sorted donations, kept lists of the missing and offered counselling.
St Clement's, the Anglican church in whose parish the tower stands, opened at 3am as a place of shelter. Notting Hill Methodist Church, at the foot of the tower, handed out food and water all day. St John's, Notting Hill set up beds, a play area for children and food for anyone who needed it. The Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre opened its doors with food, drink and shelter, and later paid for counsellors. The Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara, a short walk away, served free food and offered counselling for weeks. Holland Park Synagogue and the New West End Synagogue collected clothes and toiletries that weekend.
What each faith says
Judaism
“The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”
Leviticus 19:34 · JPS 1917
Jewish tradition calls welcoming guests hachnasat orchim, and traces it to Abraham. Sitting at his tent door in the heat of the day, he saw three strangers, ran to meet them and fed them under a tree (Genesis 18). The Torah widens the circle: love your neighbour as yourself (Leviticus 19:18), and the stranger too.
That October, members of West London Synagogue and the New West End Synagogue sat down to a Sukkot lunch in a succah built in Al-Manaar's courtyard. Residents affected by the fire were invited. A rabbi there said the mosque and synagogues had "opened their doors and purses and hearts".
Christianity
“"Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell amongst the robbers?" He said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."”
Luke 10:36–37 · World English Bible (British Edition), public domain
Asked "Who is my neighbour?", Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan: a traveller beaten and left by the road, passed by two respectable men and rescued by a foreigner. Then he turned the question round. The neighbour is not the person who lives nearest. It is the person who shows mercy. Hebrews adds that some who welcomed strangers "entertained angels without knowing it" (13:2).
Islam
“And feed with food the needy wretch, the orphan and the prisoner, for love of Him, (Saying): We feed you, for the sake of Allah only. We wish for no reward nor thanks from you.”
Qur'an 76:8–9 · Pickthall (1930)
The Qur'an lists the people to treat well alongside worshipping God: parents, relatives, orphans, the poor, the neighbour who is family, the neighbour who is a stranger, the friend at your side and the traveller (4:36). The Prophet Muhammad said the angel Gabriel kept urging him to be kind to neighbours, until he thought neighbours would be made heirs (Bukhari 6014).
That summer a group of women began cooking together in Al-Manaar's kitchen to feed their neighbours. They called it the Hubb Community Kitchen. Hubb is Arabic for love.
Without religion
Many who came to help that week had no religion at all. Humanists say kindness needs no reward beyond the good it does. On those first mornings, nobody asked anyone's faith before handing them water.
Sikhi
“No one is my enemy, and no one is a stranger. I get along with everyone.”
Guru Granth Sahib, ang 1299 (naa ko bairee nahee bigaanaa) · our rendering
Every gurdwara runs a langar, a free kitchen where anyone may sit and eat, whatever their faith. Guru Nanak began it, and the Gurus made everyone sit together on the floor, rich and poor side by side. So when disaster comes, Sikhs already have the kitchen and the volunteers. Seva, selfless service, is part of worship.
Hindu traditions
An old Sanskrit teaching says atithi devo bhava: treat the guest as God (Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.2). Many Hindu homes offer a visitor water and food before anything else. Seva, service without expecting a return, is honoured as worship.
Beyond the Abrahamic faiths
Buddhists practise dana, generous giving. Bahá'ís speak of humanity as one family. The open door is one of the oldest signs of faith.
Same and different
Each tradition gives its own reason for opening the door. Jews remember they were once strangers in Egypt. Christians follow Jesus, who said to go and show mercy. Muslims serve God, who commands kindness to the near neighbour and the far one. Sikhs serve in the langar because God is in everyone. Humanists help because a person in need is reason enough. The reasons differ. The open door looks the same.
A moment to reflect
- Who is the neighbour you would go to first if something went wrong? Do they know they are that person?
- Jesus turned "Who is my neighbour?" into "Who acted like a neighbour?" Which question matters more to you?
- The women of the Hubb kitchen fed people because they loved them. Why do you think cooking for someone means so much?
- Many traditions say we should thank God for our neighbours. Who would you thank today?
Do it together
Use our Meet the Neighbours sheet. Knock on two doors this month, swap names and numbers, and ask whether anyone nearby lives alone and would like a visit.
Borrow the Hubb idea: everyone brings one dish from their family. Write each recipe on a card with the cook's name and a line about who taught them. Bind the cards into your own street cookbook.
On a map of your area, mark every church, mosque, gurdwara, synagogue, temple and community centre. Find out which ones run a food bank, a night shelter or a langar. Write a thank-you card to one of them.
Go deeper
- After Grenfell: the faith groups' response (Theos, 2018) · report
- How faith groups helped in the Grenfell aftermath (Religion Media Centre) · article
- Al-Manaar: Grenfell and mosques in Britain today · article
- Luke 10:25–37, the Good Samaritan (Bible Gateway, WEB) · scripture
- Qur'an 4:36 (Quran.com) · scripture
- Grenfell United: the survivors' and bereaved families' group · find out more
Sources (15)
- Fire broke out shortly before 1am on 14 June 2017 in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, North Kensington; 72 people died: Wikipedia, Grenfell Tower fire
- Residents awake for suhoor smelled smoke and knocked on neighbours' doors (eighth-floor resident, aged 20; local witnesses): HuffPost UK, 14 June 2017
- St Clement's opened its doors at 3am; Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara gave free food and counselling for weeks; Al-Manaar employed counsellors; 6,000 fed in the first three days: Religion Media Centre, How faith groups helped in Grenfell aftermath
- At least fifteen faith-run centres responded; at least 6,000 people fed in three days; forms of help; St Clement and St James as the parish in which the tower stands: Theos, After Grenfell: the faith groups' response (Amy Plender, 2018)
- Notting Hill Methodist gave food and water all day; St John's Notting Hill set up beds, a play area and food; Sikh volunteers; local synagogues active: Christian Today, Grenfell Tower: how the Church responded
- Notting Hill Methodist Church sits below the tower; Revd Mike Long: Methodist Church in Britain, Grenfell fire two years on
- Al-Manaar opened its doors with food, drink and shelter; Hubb Community Kitchen, counselling, holiday camps: Al-Manaar, Grenfell and mosques in Britain today (2019)
- Holland Park Synagogue and New West End Synagogue collections: Jewish News, 14 June 2017
- Interfaith Sukkot lunch in Al-Manaar's courtyard with West London Synagogue and New West End Synagogue members; 'opened their doors and purses and hearts': Jewish News, 8 October 2017
- Hubb Community Kitchen began at Al-Manaar in summer 2017; Together: Our Community Cookbook, over 50 recipes: The Royal Family, Duchess of Sussex supports cookbook (12 Sept 2018)
- Proverbs 27:10, Leviticus 19:18 and 19:34, Genesis 18 text: Sefaria, JPS 1917
- Luke 10:36–37 and Hebrews 13:2 text: World English Bible (British Edition) via bible-api.com
- Gabriel kept urging kindness to neighbours: Sahih al-Bukhari 6014 (Book 78, Hadith 45)
- Guru Granth Sahib ang 1299, naa ko bairee nahee bigaanaa: BaniDB / SikhiToTheMax
- Atithi devo bhava, Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.2: Wikipedia, Atithi Devo Bhava