Board of Deputies Vice President Edwin Shuker has condemned a hate attack on an Islamic centre in North-West London. He said: “We denounce the attack on worshippers outside an Islamic Centre in Cricklewood. The rise in anti-Muslim hostility should alarm all of us. According to Tell MAMA, 2017 saw a rise of 16.3% in reports […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has reacted to a speech by Public and Commercial Services Union General Secretary Mark Serwotka in which he suggested that Israel had created the Labour Party’s antisemitism crisis. Marie said: “By trading in conspiracy theories and stock antisemitic tropes, Mark Serwotka has demeaned his office. The only […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl today ‘noted with disappointment’ that Conservative Party MEPs have voted in defence of Hungary’s far-right government of Viktor Orban. She said: “As we have stated previously, we are very alarmed by the messages at the heart of Orban’s election campaign, including his comments about ‘Muslim invaders’, calling […]
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Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl has reacted to the adoption of the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism by the Church of England. She said: “We applaud the decision by the Church of England bishops to formally adopt the full IHRA definition of antisemitism. The adoption of the definition in […]
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Board of Deputies Vice President Edwin Shuker has criticised the Commission on RE Report, Religion and Worldviews as “fundamentally flawed”. He said: “While the commission’s focus on religious education is timely and the provision of extra teacher training is to be welcomed, the report is fundamentally undermined by the dilution of religious education through the […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “I would like to express my thanks to the Archbishop of Canterbury for his important intervention in advance of Rosh Hashanah, saying that the Church of England should adopt the IHRA Definition of antisemitism. This moral leadership is warmly welcomed by our community and is a […]
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Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl has responded to the adoption of the internationally recognised definition of antisemitism by the Parliamentary Labour Party. She said: “We would like to thank the Parliamentary Labour Party which has adopted the full International Holocaust Remembrance Holocaust Alliance definition of antisemitism with all of […]
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Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl said: “The decision by the National Executive Committee to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of Antisemitism in full with all of its illustrative examples had to be the right call. It is very long overdue and regrettable that Labour has wasted […]
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The Board of Deputies of British Jews today confirmed that the guest of honour at the 2018 President’s Dinner, on Monday November 5, will be the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Sadiq was elected Mayor in May 2016, and has since developed close and supportive links with the UK Jewish community. Before becoming Mayor, he […]
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Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman has thanked Westminster City Council for postponing a public meeting which clashed with Yom Kippur. She said: “The Board of Deputies welcomes Westminster City Council’s decision to postpone the next meeting of the Open Public Forum Meeting so that it does not clash with Yom Kippur, enabling Jewish […]
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Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman has condemned the election of Peter Willsman to Labour’s NEC. She said: “The election of Peter Willsman to Labour’s NEC following his reprehensible comments about Jews is deeply concerning.” “This has not been helped by Labour’s appalling attitude to tackling prejudice, as evidenced by Jeremy Corbyn failing to […]
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Board of Deputies Chief Executive Gillian Merron has written to Labour Party General Secretary Jennie Formby, informing her of the essential steps the party needs to take in order to deal with the antisemitism crisis. The letter is a reply to Ms Formby’s own letter “outlining the Labour Party’s recent actions to tackle antisemitism”. In […]
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Jews and Sikhs seek the Common Good 20 August 2018 In what might be a historic first, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Sikh Council UK have started a partnership to join our communiti es in pursuing the common good. As the first in the series of events, on Sunday, Jewish and […]
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The Board of Deputies has reacted to the decision of the Jersey Government not to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. A spokesperson said: “We have raised this with the Jersey Government and we intend to discuss with them the importance of adopting the IHRA definition. We would urge them to listen […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has reacted to rocket attacks on Israel launched from Gaza. She said: “I am deeply concerned about the escalation of violence and the more than 150 rockets fired at Israel. I utterly condemn the ongoing rocket salvo from Hamas that has wounded more than 11 Israelis. Our strong commitment […]
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Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman says there are some positive signs in the government’s announcement of how a new system of consent for organ and tissue donation will work. “The Jewish community is united in wishing to see increases in organ donation in order to relieve suffering and save as many lives as […]
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In this piece published in the New Statesman, Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Jewish Leadership Council Chair Jonathan Goldstein remind Jeremy Corbyn that inaction in the face of racism is complicity https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/staggers/2018/08/jeremy-corbyn-must-remember-inaction-face-racism-complicity
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Post Sabbath, Jewish organisations can now respond to Jeremy Corbyn’s ill-timed and ill-conceived Guardian article on Labour’s antisemitism problem. Once again Mr Corbyn, of all people, has chosen to lecture Jews on antisemitism. His Guardian piece repeats much of his previous Evening Standard article, published the day we met him to explain our concerns. In […]
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The Board of Deputies has sent a submission to HM Treasury’s consultation on pre-paid funerals. You can read the response here.
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Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies, said: “Even by Labour’s low standards, the last few days since the unprecedented joint banner headline by our community’s leading newspapers have been utterly shameful. “Shadow Cabinet members are lining up to oppose the leadership’s position on the IHRA antisemitism definition; one Labour councillor […]
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Responding to the misleading article about Marie van der Zyl and MEND in this week’s Jewish Chronicle, a Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “This is not what happened. The story and the leader are not based on facts. The Board of Deputies’ position on MEND has not changed. We will not be working with MEND. […]
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We are looking to recruit a driven, pro-active fundraiser to co-ordinate the Board of Deputies’ fundraising activities with the objective of raising awareness of the Board of Deputies within the Jewish community and increase the amount of donations received to fund the Board of Deputies’ advocacy for the Jewish community. For a full job description […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl said: “Shechita and Brit Milah are the cornerstones of Jewish life wherever Jews reside. Therefore, I am deeply concerned about the situation regarding religious slaughter and I am also appalled about the proposed register of Jews who intend to buy kosher meat in Austria. The FPÖ, the […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb said: “Israel – as every other sovereign nation state – has the right to defend and protect her citizens and its borders. We strongly deplore the ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza on Southern Israeli communities, which make the lives of so […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb has reacted Israel’s newly passed Nation State Law. She said: “Whilst we celebrate Israel’s Jewish-ness, there is concern that some of the measures in this law are regressive steps. Among Israel’s great strengths are its democracy and diversity. Being Jewish is a wonderful thing, but this should […]
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You can read the Board of Deputies’ briefing on the Inner North London Coroner Area’s Protocol for prioritisation consultation here.
Read more >>>The Board of Deputies is looking for excellent people to fill two new roles – an Education and Youth Engagement Officer and a Public Affairs Assistant. The Education and Youth Engagement Officer will be responsible for assisting and advancing the education policy and youth engagement work of the Board of Deputies. This will include advocating for Jewish […]
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Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Edwin Shuker said: “While we welcome the Clarke-Woodhead Reports on Religious Education’s endorsement of statutory Religious Education, we are concerned of the report’s overall hostility to faith schools. “The report depicts faith schools as part of the problem rather than part of the solution to […]
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“The decision taken by the NEC today to adopt a watered-down definition of antisemitism will be regarded with a mixture of incredulity and outrage by the overwhelming majority of the UK’s Jews. The suggestion that they will now consult with the Jewish community is an insult, given the complete lack of meaningful consultation up until […]
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Click below to catch up with a stream of the July 15th Board of Deputies meeting.
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In a joint letter to the General Secretary of the Labour Party, Jennie Formby, the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Community Security Trust have spoken of “anger in the community” over the modified version of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism adopted by the party. In the letter, JLC Chief Executives […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Jewish Leadership Council Chair Jonathan Goldstein have responded to Labour’s newly approved code of conduct on antisemitism. They said: “It is for Jews to determine for themselves what antisemitism is. The UK Jewish community has adopted in full the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Definition of Antisemitism, […]
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More than 100 people at the Methodist Church Conference last night heard two peace activists – one Israeli and one Palestinian – speak about their hopes for reconciliation. Sana Knaneh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and Sivan Atzmon, an Israeli Jew, were speaking at ‘Invest in Peace’, a joint initiative between the Board of Deputies of […]
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The Jewish community’s priorities were spelled out to councillors from across the East and West Midlands on Sunday, at a local government seminar in Birmingham. Councillors from as far afield as Nottinghamshire and Herefordshire attended sessions on antisemitism, Israel, education and social care. A highlight of the event, which took place at Singers Hill Synagogue, […]
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Following receipt of a report on recent disciplinary cases from Constitution Committee Chair Tony Leifer, Board of Deputies President, Marie van der Zyl, said: “From reading the report it is clear to me that we need to revise the Code of Conduct in light of the experience of using it. It was created in 2013 […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has urged Jewish residents in North London to make their voices heard at the Inner North London Coroner consultation on case prioritisation to be held at Camden Town Hall on Thursday 5 July at 6pm. She said: “It is critical that as many Jewish residents turn out […]
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Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl and Chief Executive Gillian Merron met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Thursday June 21. Following the meeting Marie said: “I was very honoured to meet Mr Netanyahu so early in my term as President of the Board of Deputies. […]
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By Emma Jacobs This spring, the Board of Deputies helped to be one of only 10 Europeans to take part in the ‘First Responders’ programme with the Anti Defamation League and the European Jewish Congress. The two week trip focused on ADL’s dual mission; fighting the defamation of the Jewish people and for all human […]
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The balance between births and deaths in the Jewish population of the UK has changed dramatically over the past decade, with an excess of birth over deaths driving up the overall size of the population. A new report, Vital statistics of the UK Jewish population: Births and deaths, authored by JPR Research Fellow, Dr Donatella […]
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Sheila Gewolb, Senior Vice President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the national representative body of the UK Jewish community, said: “We welcome the Foreign Secretary’s bold, clear and important intervention at the UN Human Rights Council. Alongside his strong speech on the importance of girls’ education, his commitment that the UK will […]
Read more >>>Click below to watch a recording of the June 17th Board of Deputies meeting. The meeting begins at 14.30
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Dr Simon Hochhauser, the Co-chair of Milah UK which promotes and protects the right of the Jewish community to carry out religious circumcision, has welcomed Iceland’s decision to drop its proposed bill to ban circumcision. He said: “We welcome the common sense decision of the Icelandic Parliament to drop this bill which would have criminalised […]
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Muslims and Jews came together in London for an iftar laid on by the Board of Deputies to express thanks for the Muslims Against Antisemitism campaign. The event which was attended by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis as well as representatives from a variety of Jewish and Muslim organisations, took place at the Central Synagogue in […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl wrote the following message which was read out at Sunday’s ‘Stand Against Hate, Stand Against Hezbollah’ rally. “I am sorry not to be able to be with you at this very important demonstration. I am currently making my first visit as Board of Deputies President to the […]
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Vice President Amanda Bowman has condemned the National Union of Students NEC for voting to support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. She said: “Once again, a divisive motion by the NUS NEC has singled out Israel, the region’s only liberal democracy, for hostility, ignoring the human rights abuses by other rogue states […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb has challenged Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn on his statement issued on Tuesday in which he called Britain’s failure to call for an independent investigation into killings at the Gaza border “morally indefensible” Sheila said: “Every country has the right to defend its own borders. Jeremy Corbyn’s statement […]
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Marie van der Zyl has begun her term as President of the Board of Deputies with a series of engagements underlying her commitment to being a leader for the entire community. Her itinerary includes a trip to Manchester to speak to Greater Manchester Metro-Mayor Andy Burnham and community heads, a meeting of the European Jewish […]
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The Board of Deputies has called on Jews throughout Britain to reach out to beyond the Jewish community, at an oversubscribed conference at JW3. Edwin Shuker, in his first speech as the new Board of Deputies Vice-President with responsibility for interfaith, opened the day by setting out his vision for the Board of Deputies to […]
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Board of Deputies President Elect Marie van der Zyl has applauded King’s College London for adopting the internationally recognised IHRA definition of antisemitism. Marie said: “This is the right move by King’s College London. Together with our Jewish communal colleagues we have been in an ongoing dialogue with Professor Byrne to address some of the […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Richard Verber said: “We condemn in the strongest terms the rocket attacks fired from Gaza at Israeli population centres. These were fired at innocent civilians and one landed just outside a kindergarten. This is the attempted murder of Israeli children, pure and simple.”
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A Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “We applaud the UK Government for taking a stand against a World Health Organisation resolution taking Israel to task over the situation in the Territories. A statement issued by the Government points out that the World Health Organisation decision had nothing to do with the health needs of the […]
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Board of Deputies President Elect Marie van der Zyl has announced her divisional heads for the next three years. Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb, who polled highest in the vice presidential elections, will chair the International Division. Vice President Edwin Shuker will chair the Communities and Education Division, which now includes the interfaith activities of […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to ensure that Ken Livingstone will not be allowed back into the party. He said: “Ken Livingstone has jumped when he should have been expelled for his toxic and odious distortion of history. His departure from Labour has all the signs of […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush and President-Elect Marie van der Zyl have supported calls for an inquiry into wrongful deportations of members of the Windrush generation. They said: “The news that 63 members of the Windrush generation could have been wrongfully deported from our country is deeply distressing to anyone who cares about justice […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush and President-Elect Marie van der Zyl have reacted to the violence at the Israel-Gaza border They said: “We are profoundly anguished at the violent scenes and loss of life at the Israel-Gaza border. “No state could allow its borders to be breached by those who openly wish harm to […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Richard Verber has reacted to the suicide bombings which have rocked Indonesia over the weekend. He said: “The Board of Deputies utterly condemns the appalling suicide bombings on worshippers attending church services in Indonesia, which claimed eight innocent lives and caused many more injuries. Our thoughts and prayers go […]
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Marie van der Zyl has been elected President of the Board of Deputies. Marie defeated Simon Hochhauser, Edwin Shuker and Sheila Gewolb to succeed Jonathan Arkush in the role. Following the election, Marie told Deputies: “I’m overwhelmed. I want to thank everyone who put their confidence in me. It will be an honour and a […]
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Click below to watch a live stream of the May 13th Board of Deputies meeting. The meeting begins at 11.15am
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has reacted to the Government’s announcements on faith schools. He said: “We welcome the Government’s commitment to facilitating the opening of more faith schools, including Jewish schools, through designated funding provided to local authorities. The popularity of faith schools with parents reflects their academic results, ethos, behavioural standards and […]
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An exhibition aimed at helping people to gain a greater insight and understanding of Judaism was launched yesterday (Tuesday 8 May) in Newcastle by the Board of Deputies, as part of the ‘Together We Are Stronger’ campaign. The Jewish Living Experience, run by the Board of Deputies, will be held at the United Hebrew Congregation, […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Richard Verber has reacted to antisemitic statements made by Palestinian Leader Mahmoud Abbas. He said: “We condemn the antisemitic comments of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the strongest possible terms. His statement, that the Holocaust of European Jews was the result of their financial activities, has nothing to do […]
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The Deputies standing for Honorary Officer positions are attending a number of Hustings in the lead up the the vote on May 13th. Where possible the Board of Deputies are live streaming each event and providing an archive of these key discussions. Click below to watch a recording of the May 8nd Hustings in London. […]
Read more >>>Professor David Katz and Dr Simon Hochhauser, the co-chairs of Milah UK -the Jewish organisation concerned with maintaining our tradition of circumcision -have welcomed the recommendation by Icelandic parliamentarians to dismiss the proposed anti-circumcision legislation. They said: “Milah UK welcomes the recommendation by Iceland’s Judicial Affairs and Education Committee to dismiss the anti-circumcision bill. While […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies Vice President Marie van der Zyl has welcomed the decision of the High Court to rule against Mary Hassell, the Senior Coroner for Inner North London. Marie said: “We welcome this decision, which will help law-abiding Jewish citizens to mourn their loved ones according to their traditions. We would particularly like to […]
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Town hall chiefs from across the country and political spectrum have backed the Board of Deputies’ Jewish Manifesto for Local Government and its Ten Local Commitments. The Ten Local Commitments summarise the manifesto and include support for the full International Holocaust Remembrance Association definition of antisemitism, faith-sensitive coroners’ services and specialist Jewish social care services. […]
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Our meeting with Jeremy Corbyn today was a disappointing missed opportunity regarding the problem of antisemitism in the Labour Party. We welcomed Mr. Corbyn’s personal involvement in the discussion and his new comments recognising and apologising for antisemitism in the Labour Party but he failed to agree to any of the concrete actions we asked […]
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Jews and Cypriots in the UK last came together to celebrate their communities in the Commonwealth. the Board of Deputies of British Jew, in cooperation with the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK and the Commonwealth Jewish Council, hosted the event entitled “A Celebration of Cypriot and Jewish Communities in the Commonwealth” to coincide […]
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Hundreds of Cumbrian schoolchildren and members of the public will be learning about the Jewish way of life this month following the launch of the Jewish Living Experience (JLE) in Carlisle on Monday. Children from all over the region will attend the JLE, in which Liberal Judaism are partnering with the Board of Deputies, […]
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Board of Deputies of British Jews Senior Vice President Richard Verber has expressed concern over the treatment of migrants who arrived from the Commonwealth as children in the 1950s and who may now face deportation. He said: “Like other migrant communities, Jews know what it is like to be treated as the ‘other’. Therefore we […]
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Responding to the victory of Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party in the Hungarian elections, Board of Deputies Chief Executive Gillian Merron said: “We are very concerned at some of the messages at the heart of Viktor Orban’s election campaign, including his comments about ‘Muslim invaders’ and calling migrants ‘poison’. “There were also worrying antisemitic undertones in […]
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Board of Deputies Chief Executive Gillian Merron has condemned a series of Swastika daubings which have disgusted residents of the North West London district of Dollis Hill. Gillian said: Dollis Hill, with its historic connection to Winston Churchill’s stand against fascism, will not be divided by the actions of idiots. We hope the police catch […]
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Jonathan Arkush, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Jonathan Goldstein, Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council and, have issued a joint reply in response to Jeremy Corbyn’s letter and request for a meeting. You can read the full letter here. You can read Jeremy Corbyn’s letter to Jonathan Arkush and Jonathan […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush and Jewish Leadership Council Chair Jonathan Goldstein have issued a statement thanking all of those who travelled to Parliament Square on Monday to demonstrate their opposition to antisemitism in the Labour Party. They said: “Yesterday, thousands of people from our community and far beyond came together in Parliament Square to […]
Read more >>>Below is an open letter sent by the Board of Deputies of British Jews to John Cryer MP, chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Today, leaders of British Jewry tell Jeremy Corbyn that enough is enough. We have had enough of hearing that Jeremy Corbyn “opposes antisemitism”, whilst the mainstream majority of British Jews, and […]
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Ahead of the Judicial Review on practices at the Inner Noprth London Coroners’ Service, The Rt Revd Rob Wickham, the Bishop of Edmonton has appealed to the Senior Coroner for Inner London to ensure that religious communities are treated in accordance with their religious beliefs. He said: “The death of a loved one usually brings […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has congratulated the UK Government for voting against two anti-Israel motions at the United Nations. He said: “Once again, countries with the worst of human rights records have sought to pass motions that abuse the platform of the United Nations by attacking Israel and attempting to distract from their own […]
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Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Richard Verber has condemned the terrorist attack against civilians at a French supermarket. He said: “The Board of Deputies condemns the horrific attack against innocent people in Trebes, France. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families of all those affected.”
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University of Bristol undergraduate Sally Patterson has won the UK’s first ever Campus Pitch Competition, a contest for students to pitch their idea for addressing Jewish issues on campus. In the competition finale, Sally picked up £5,000 investment for her project ‘Women of Faith in Leadership’. She defeated three other teams to clinch the prize […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has condemned the racist remarks made by Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel. Jonathan said: “We deplore the reprehensible racist remarks made by the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef, who used a slang term and apparently referred to a black person as a monkey. In so doing he […]
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The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council last night launched a paper entitled Brexit and the Jewish Community which seeks to outline the opportunities and challenges Brexit presents to the Jewish community. At a packed event in the Houses of Parliament, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has called for an independent inquiry over antisemitism faced by Labour councillors in their local parties. He said: “Over the last few weeks we have seen a number of revelations from Labour councillors about the antisemitism that they are facing in their local parties. It cannot have been easy […]
Read more >>>Senior Vice President Richard Verber shas reacted to the murder of two Israeli soldiers on Friday. He said: “We utterly condemn the terrorist attack that took the lives of two Israeli soldiers on Friday, and seriously injured two others. Our hearts go out to the families of Netanel Kahalani, who was just 20 years old, and Ziv […]
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In his first meeting with the Jewish community, the Universities Minister Sam Gyimah has been briefed on issues affecting Jewish students on campus including antisemitism, hate-speech and disruption of events, by Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush and Union of Jewish Students President Josh Holt. Following the meeting, Mr Gyimah said: “Today was a productive […]
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The Board of Deputies has reacted to the Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper released by the Government today. Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush said: “The Jewish community has a long-record of positive integration. We have been in frequent dialogue with the Government on the development of the strategy and we look forward to sharing […]
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The Board of Deputies has condemned “Punish a Muslim day” letters which have been sent out around the country. A Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “The ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letters are sickening. We also note that potentially harmful substances and anti-Muslim letters have been sent to some Muslim MPs. Our community knows all too […]
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UK Jewish community leaders yesterday met the Polish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bartosz Cichocki, and the Polish Ambassador Arkady Rzegocki to convey the strong concerns of the Jewish community regarding the Polish legislation that risks criminalising references to the complicity of Poles in the killing of Jews in the Shoah. The delegation was led […]
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More than 150 people attended a Board of Deputies’ International Women’s Day event at Parliament to discuss women’s role in peacemaking. Baroness Neuberger, the senior rabbi of West London Synagogue, called for women to take “a more public role in peacemaking, adding that they were “too often behind the scenes.” Melinda Simmons, director of the […]
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Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid has told the Board of Deputies and AJC that he is committed to doing everything within his power “to fight back against those who seek to isolate and undermine Israel”. At a meeting in Parliament, the Secretary of State said: “As long as I […]
Read more >>>The Board of Deputies has reacted to the Labour Party’s decision to suspend Ken Livingstone indefinitely pending further investigations into his actions. A spokesperson said: “Ken Livingstone’s readmission to the Labour Party would have been a disaster for the already strained relationship between the Jewish community and the Labour Party, so it is fortunate that […]
Read more >>>Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has welcomed the intervention of the Chief Coroner of England and Wales Judge Mark Lucraft into the actions of Mary Hassell, the controversial Senior Coroner for Inner North London. Judge Lucraft described Ms Hassell’s actions as, “discriminatory”, in breach of the Human Rights Act and unlawful. Jonathan said: “The […]
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Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has applauded the announcement of the first ever official royal visit to Israel, to be undertaken by the Duke of Cambridge, this summer. Jonathan said: “We are delighted that in the year of Israel’s 70th anniversary, the Duke of Cambridge will be making the first official royal visit to […]
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The Jewish Manifesto for Local Government, the definitive document for councillors and candidates who wish to serve Jewish residents in their wards and boroughs, was launched in Leeds yesterday. The document, which has been collated by the Board of Deputies of British Jews after consultation with more than 250 community organisations, is being sent […]
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By Karen Newman I joined the Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (now Jewish LGBT+ Group) in 1999. I was reasonably secure in both identities, although I had never felt the need to manifest both in the same nano-second – I joined together with my partner primarily in order to find the person who is now […]
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The government is consulting on the introduction of an “opt-out” or “presumed consent” system of organ donation, whereby, unless a potential donor has actively made their wishes known, they are assumed to be content to donate organs. This is a threat to Jewish freedoms and family rights around burial and mourning rites. The majority of […]
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Senior Vice President Richard Verber has accused the Polish Government of causing a “national embarrassment” over its latest statements on the Holocaust and its actions in honouring a group which collaborated with the Nazis. Richard said: “Through their misguided legislation, their wild distortions of history like casting the Jews as the authors of our own […]
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Board of Deputies of President Jonathan Arkush has reacted to Labour’s decision to expel Tony Greenstein from the party. Jonathan said: “This had to be the right decision. Tony Greenstein’s long record of noxious behaviour makes him an unsuitable member for any respectable political party. It is to be hoped that significant outstanding Labour Party […]
Read more >>>Click below to watch a live stream of the February 17th Board of Deputies meeting. The meeting begins at 11.15am
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