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 Dear Friends,
Much of this briefing focuses on Israel - not surprisingly given the intense activity in the United Nations concerning Palestinian statehood, but also the Durban III Conference, about which more below.
But we are also commencing a new school year; one which has seen the first two Jewish Free Schools open (not to be confused with the esteemed JFS!), and large numbers of children attending our highly successful Jewish schools across the country. Students are also starting or returning to universities, where issues of antisemitism, the impact of tuition fees on gap years and exam clashes with festivals are sure to impact on Jewish students.
All of these issues, and many more, demand the attention of the Board of Deputies, working on your behalf to protect and promote the rights of the Jewish community in this country. Our modest request to you is to help us with this vital work by supporting us through the communal levy (paid through your synagogue bill) or by way of a donation through our new, improved website - details of which appear at the foot of this briefing.
And the next six months also present the community with a further opportunity to get involved with our work, through the elections in synagogues and other organisations to send Deputies to the Board. We are seeing more and more young people, women and men from many walks of professional life wanting to join the Board to represent their communities. Join them. Join us.
A Happy and Healthy New Year.
Shana Tova
Jon BenjaminChief Executive |
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Update on Palestinian UDI at the UN |
 In September, the Palestinian Authority initiated unilateral moves to declare an independent state at the UN. The Board of Deputies has consistently supported the view that only direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians provide any prospect for a real and lasting peace.
In recent months and weeks the Board has been working tirelessly to explain the desire of British Jews for a peaceful solution to the conflict in the region, and the concern that unilateral moves could make negotiations a more distant prospect. The Board has met with Ministers and officials in the FCO, attended separate briefings from RUSI, the Israeli Embassy and Alistair Burt (Minister of State for the Middle East) and written to the Prime Minister to affirm the community's position.
Working with partner organisations both here and abroad, the Board has been engaged with European governments to discuss and determine their positions.To read a blog on UDI by the Board's Director of Public Affairs, click here.
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Board Tackles PSC Extremism | |
As events in the Middle East have intensified, so have the activities of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, a group committed to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state, but which passes itself off as the home for Palestinian rights activism. In response, the Board has challenged their positions and statements, and is exposing their tactics.
Our efforts are proving successful in focussing the attention of opinion makers on the true nature of the PSC, as reported in a recent JC article.
The PSC's latest ruse is to target cultural activities, both nationally, such as the BBC Proms, but also locally, with a Palestine literary festival in Tottenham, including sessions in schools. The Board has been working with local councillors, education authorities and the Department of Education to ensure that the PSC are not able to propagate their pernicious views to primary school children. Following the concerns raised by the Board, the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP, has written to each school personally to ask them to withdraw from the festival.
Click here to read the Board's statement and click here to read a blog on the PSC and the Tottenham Literary festival.
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Dialogue Sprouts in Brussels | |
 The Board's Chief Executive and Director of Public Affairs met with European counterparts in Brussels recently, to discuss communal priorities. Among them was the issue of the unilateral Palestinian bid for statehood and briefings were provided by the Israeli Ambassador to the EU and from the political advisers to Cathy Ashton, the EU's High Representative on Foreign Affairs and to EU Commission President Barroso. Delegates also met with the Ambassador to the EU from Poland, which currently holds the rotating EU Presidency.
The broad consensus among European Governments and the EU is that the only way to achieve a lasting peace is through direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, and it remains a priority for European governments to work towards this goal and not to be deflected by symbolic unilateral gestures. |
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Universal Jurisdiction Change Gains Royal Assent |
 The legal anomaly that saw visiting Israelis and others threatened with arrest on the basis of politically motivated accusations has now been rectified by new legislation.
The Board released a statement, in which it said that "We are grateful to the government for delivering on their promise to pass this and would like to acknowledge the efforts of the various communal groups, in particular the JLC and Friends of Israel groups that have helped to ensure the safe passage of the Bill" |
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Board Speaks Out Against EDL and Extremism |
Earlier this month, the Board released a statement that unequivocally denounced the EDL, their members and their actions, which serve only to stir up inter-communal tensions. Click here to read that statement. |
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Delegates Pulled Out of Durban III |
Towards the end of September the Durban 10th Anniversary Commemoration Conference, commonly known as Durban III, took place at the UN. The Durban Process has been discredited from the start and rather than leading the important fight against racism it has become synonymous with antisemitism.
Following a two year campaign leading up to Durban II in 2009 that was led by the Board and other communal organisations, over the past several months the Board worked hard to expose this conference for what it was and we were delighted that fourteen countries, including the US and the UK, withdrew from the conference altogether.
This position was vindicated when the Foreign Minister of Iran took to the podium only to demonise Israel and Western countries.To read the latest Board blogs on Durban III, click here (by blog Public Affairs Director) and here (by blog Chief Executive). |
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Board's New Website Up and Running |
The Board of Deputies recently launched its brand new, state of the art website that contains a whole host of new features including regualr blogs, updates and community briefings. Click here to visit the Board's new website and explore.
New blogs are being posted on the website all the time. Currently, the latest blogs are as follows:
* President's Rosh Hashana Message (click here)
* Public Affairs Officer's blog on PSC in London schools (click here)
* Chief Executive's blog on Durban 3 (click here)
* Public Affairs Director's blog on Durban 3 (click here)
* Public Affairs Director's blong on UDI (click here) |
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