Shavuot’s Ten Commandments Jewish festival comes to Canary Wharf early

A festival celebrating the giving of the Ten Commandments to Man on Mount Sinai is coming to Canary Wharf in east London seven days early.

Around 150 Jewish groups and synagogues from all over London are expected at the ‘Shavuot’ celebration being held at Clifford Chance international law firm at Upper Bank Street on Thursday.

It’s being hosted by the law firm and by Canary Wharf Group a week before the actual festival itself.

“We can’t organise festivities on the day,” a Canary Wharf Group spokesman explained. “None of the Jewish groups would be able to attend if it was on a holy day.”

The organisation is busing in pensioners from Stepney Jewish day centre for Thursday’s early bash, when a choir performs from Menorah primary school in north London.

Travel is forbidden in the religion on the holy day which marks the giving of the Law to the Jewish people when Moses came down from Mount Sinai nearly 4,000 years ago with the tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Customs today include decorating homes and synagogues with fruit and flowers and eating dairy food such as cheesecake.