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The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 1760 by a group of
Sephardic Jews Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
, the board presents itself as a forum for the views of most organisations within the British
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
ish community, liaising with the British government on that basis. Notably, while Lord Rothschild was President of the Board of Deputies, the Balfour Declaration was addressed to him and eventually led to the creation of a
Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...
in Palestine. It is affiliated to the World Jewish Congress and the European Jewish Congress. The current president is Phil Rosenberg.


History

The Board of Deputies of British Jews was established in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1760. Seven deputies were appointed by the elders of the Sephardi congregation of
Spanish and Portuguese Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the fe ...
to form a standing committee (Portuguese: ''deputados'') founded to pay homage to
George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
on his accession to the throne. The
Ashkenazi Jew Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
ish congregation then followed suit, establishing a public affairs committee to address urgent political matters Roth, Cecil. ''A History of the Jews in England''
Chapter 10, The Reign of George III, 1760–1815
, 1941
and safeguard the interests of British Jews in the British Isles and the colonies.Jacobs, Joseph
London Committee of Deputies of British Jews
The two bodies began to meet and united in the 1810s.History of the Board
, Board of Deputies of British Jews
The joint organization was named the London Committee of Deputies of British Jews. In the mid-19th century, the organisation was headed by Sir Moses Montefiore, the Sephardi lay leader of British Jewry, and Nathan Adler, the
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
Chief Rabbi. The current name was adopted in 1913. In the course of its history, some of the major disputes were between Sephardi and Ashkenazi leaders and between religious and lay leaders. The Board became more prominent in British society in the early twentieth century due to its support of refugees, notably leading an ultimately failed campaign against the Aliens Act 1905. However, by the 1930s, the Board's position had shifted to a more assimilationist position in order to improve the perception of Jews among the non-Jewish British population, including adopting a position of non-Zionism. In 1933, Neville Laski was elected as the Board's President, and called for Jews to give "overriding consideration of duty and loyalty" to the United Kingdom. However, the stances of the Board once again had shifted in 1939 with the election as President of Selig Brodetsky, who was described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as the "foremost Zionist in Great Britain". As of 2024 the Board has continued to hold a
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
position.


Members and organisation

The board is led by Phil Rosenberg. The chief executive is Michael Wegier, the former chief executive of the UJIA. He succeeded Gillian Merron, who represented Labour as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln from 1997 to 2010. From 2009 to 2010, she was Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health at the Department of Health. In 2020, she left her position at the Board when she was appointed a
life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
, representing the Labour Party in the
House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. Michael Wegier leads a team of professional staff including Director of Public Affairs, Daniel Sugarman (formerly a journalist at '' The Jewish Chronicle)''. Its membership comprises deputies elected by affiliated individual synagogues, confederations of synagogues, and other organisations within the Jewish community such as charities and youth groups. Most Haredi synagogues have chosen not to affiliate, although in 2021 the Board received its first Haredi deputy since the 1970s, from a
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
in Stamford Hill. In 2012, it was noted that nearly two-thirds of the deputies were over 60 years of age. However, in the 21st century, the organisation has seen an influx of younger deputies, including two vice-presidents in their early thirties and Phil Rosenberg, who at the age of 38 was elected to succeed van der Zyl as president from 1 June 2024. It serves as the principal reference point for government, the media and wider society. All matters tending to impact on the life of Jews in Britain fall within the Board's remit, including an active interfaith programme. It is the British affiliate of the World Jewish Congress, the world-wide umbrella organisation of Jewish communities and is the UK member of the European Jewish Congress. Its offices are co-located with the United Jewish Israel Appeal in
Kentish Town Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town, close to Hampstead Heath. Kentish Town likely derives its name from Ken-ditch or Caen-ditch, meaning the "bed of a waterw ...
. In January 2019, the Jewish Leadership Council reiterated its call for a "unified communal structure" with the Board of Deputies. A previous merger proposal was rejected in 2015 after deputies felt that they would be relegated to second-rate status. In response to the later call, Marie van der Zyl said that "the representative body that speaks for the community must have the legitimacy and accountability that comes from being broad based, democratic and elected." Deputies have in the past noted that, while board honorary officers are accountable to deputies, who themselves are accountable to their constituencies, the Jewish Leadership Council had no such governance structure. However, in March 2020, van de Zyl called in ''The Jewish Chronicle'' for "a more permanent unity" between the organisations.


Mission

The issues which the board states it addresses are: * Antisemitism and extremism * Israel and the Middle East * Education * Religious freedoms and inequalities * Interfaith and social action * International advocacy


Controversies

In 2003, the Board, on its website, reproduced an extract from a US State Department report that suggested that the aid organisation Palestinian Relief and Development Fund (Interpal) was helping to fund terrorist organisations. Interpal threatened to sue for
libel Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, whereupon the Board retracted and apologised for its comments. In the same year the Jewish Leadership Council, which says it "brings together the major British Jewish organisations to work for the good of the British Jewish community", was founded. In 2005, after the
Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...
, Ken Livingstone, compared a Jewish ''
Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...
'' reporter, Oliver Finegold, to a
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
guard, the Board, along with the Commission for Racial Equality, filed an ultimately unsuccessful complaint to the
Standards Board for England The Standards Board for England was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government. Established under the Local Government Act 2000, it was responsible for promoting high ethical standards in local ...
, calling on Livingstone to apologise. Livingstone responded by stating "there is no law against 'unnecessary insensitivity' or even 'offensiveness' to journalists harassing you as you try to go home" and that he had a "25-year running battle" with the paper's owners. In 2014, at the height of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, the Board issued a joint statement with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) condemning antisemitism and Islamophobia. The statement with its slogan 'to export peace rather than import conflict' proved controversial among some on the conservative wing of the Jewish community but was supported by others on the progressive wing and by groups in inter faith circles. The principle of such a statement was approved by a majority of over 75% at a meeting of the Board on 21 September 2014. In December 2015, the new leadership of the Board distanced itself from the MCB over the latter's alleged links to the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. In 2018, over five hundred British Jews signed a letter from Yachad saying that the Board had "deeply misrepresented" their views after the board criticised
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
for "repeated violent attempts at mass invasion" but did not call for Israeli restraint or acknowledge that the IDF may have acted disproportionately in massacring Palestinians at the Great March of Return. Liberal Judaism said that "the Board's credibility as the voice of British Jewry depends wholly on its willingness to listen to, hear from and reflect the values of all sections of the community". In July 2018, the Board suspended Roslyn Pine, deputy for Finchley United Synagogue, for six years, following comments she made which were described as Islamophobic, and for admitting to holding anti-Arab views. Writing in ''The Jewish Chronicle'' in November 2018 about antisemitism in the Labour Party, Marie van der Zyl said, "Over the summer, we showed how we could keep this issue of antisemitism on the front pages day after day, week after week, exacting a severe political and reputational cost for continued failure." In 2019, following
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...
's decision to resign as leader of the Labour Party, the Board asked candidates for the leadership to sign up to ten pledges in order to "end the antisemitism crisis". The pledges included a resolution of outstanding disciplinary cases, lifetime membership bans for some individuals, an independent disciplinary process, full and unconditional adoption of the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), until January 2013 known as the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research or ITF, is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1998 wh ...
(IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism, and engagement with the mainstream Jewish community. Most of the candidates for leader or deputy leader signed up unconditionally. In 2020, the Board clashed with the new Israeli ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, and some members of the community over the Board's continued commitment to Palestinian statehood as part of a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict.


Scotland

After Scottish devolution in 1999, the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities was formed to give the Jewish Community of
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
a single democratically accountable voice in dealings with the
Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...
and Executive, other communities, and other statutory and official bodies. The intention when it was established was for it to stand in the same relationship to the
Scottish Government The Scottish Government (, ) is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was formed in 1999 as the Scottish Executive following the 1997 referendum on Scottish devolution, and is headquartered at St Andrew's House in ...
as the Board of Deputies of British Jews does to the UK Government. Consequently, the council is autonomous in matters devolved by the Scotland Act, such as justice, health and welfare, and community relations, whilst the Board of Deputies speaks for all Britain's Jews on reserved matters such as foreign affairs and equality legislation.


List of presidents

The most historically notable and longest-serving past president was the Victorian-era banker
Moses Montefiore Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Sheriffs of the City of London, Sheriff of London. Born to an History ...
, who in the 19th century travelled widely to assist Jewish communities in foreign countries, faced by persecution at the time. A complete list of presidents and interim positions is as follows: 18th century * Benjamin Mendes Da Costa (1760) * Joseph Salvador (1766) * Joseph Salvador (1778) * Moses Isaac Levy (1789) 19th century * Naphtaly Bazevy (1801) * ''No record'' (1802–1812) * Raphael Brandon (1812) * Moses Lindo (1817–1829) * Moses Mocatta (1829–1835) * Sir Moses Montefiore (1835–1838) * David Salmons (1838 October–November) * I. Q. Henriques (1838–1840) * Moses Montefiore (1840 May–July) * Hananel De Castro (1840–1841) * Moses Montefiore (1841–1846) * David Salomons (1846 March–August) * Moses Montefiore (1846–1855) * Isaac Foligno (1855 April–December) * Moses Montefiore (1855–1857) * Isaac Foligno (1855 February–September) * Moses Montefiore (1857–1862) * Joseph Meyer Montefiore (1862–1868) * Moses Montefiore (1868 June–November) * Joseph Meyer Montefiore (1868–1871) * Moses Montefiore (1871–1874) * Joseph Meyer Montefiore (1874–1880) * Arthur Cohen (1880–1895) * Joseph Sebag Montefiore (1895–1903) 20th century * David Lindo Alexander (1903–1917) * Stuart Samuel (1917–1922) * Henry Henriques (1922–1925) *
Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild, (8 February 1868 – 27 August 1937) was a British banker, politician, zoology, zoologist, and soldier, who was a member of the Rothschild family. As a Zionist leader, he wa ...
(1925–1926) * Sir Osmond d'Avigdor-Goldsmid (1926–1933) * Neville Laski (1933–1939) * Selig Brodetsky (1940–1949) * Abraham Cohen (1949–1955) * Barnett Janner (1955–1964) * Abraham Moss (1964), who died a few days after being elected * Soloman Teff (1964–1967) * Michael Fidler (1967–1973) * Samuel Fisher, Baron Fisher of Camden (1973–1979) * Greville Janner (1979–1985) * Lionel Kopelowitz (1985–1991) * Israel Finestein (1991–1994) * Eldred Tabachnik (1994–2000) 21st century * Josephine Wagerman (2000–2003), who had been headmistress of the JFS from 1985 to 1993 * Henry Grunwald (2003–2009) * Vivian Wineman (2009–2015) * Jonathan Arkush (2015–2018) * Marie van der Zyl (2018–2024) * Phil Rosenberg (2024–present)


See also

* Anglo-Jewish Association, formed in 1871 for the "promotion of social, moral, and intellectual progress among the
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
; and the obtaining of protection for those who may suffer in consequence of being Jews" * British Jews *
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is the umbrella organization for the American Jewish community. Comprising 53 national Jewish organizations across the political spectrum, ...
* European Jewish Congress *
History of the Jews in England The history of the Jews in England can be traced to at least 750 CE through the Canonical Exceptions of Echbright, published by the Archbishop of York, although it is likely that there had been some Jewish presence in the Roman period and poss ...
*
History of the Jews in Scotland The history of the Jews in Scotland goes back to at least the 17th century. It is not known when Jews first arrived in Scotland, with the earliest concrete historical references to a Jewish presence in Scotland being from the late 17th cen ...
* History of the Jews in Wales * Jewish Leadership Council * League of British Jews, an
Anglo-Jewish British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British people, British citizens who are Jews, Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 202 ...
anti-Zionist organization that opposed the Balfour Declaration * Presbyter Judaeorum, the chief official of the Jews of England prior to the Edict of Expulsion * World Jewish Congress


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Board Of Deputies Of British Jews 1760 establishments in Great Britain European Jewish Congress Jewish British history Jewish organisations based in the United Kingdom Jewish political organizations Jews and Judaism in England Jews and Judaism in Northern Ireland Jews and Judaism in Scotland Jews and Judaism in the United Kingdom Jews and Judaism in Wales Organisations based in the London Borough of Camden Presidents of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Religious organisations based in London Religious organizations established in 1760 Zionist organisations in the United Kingdom