June Ruth Jacobs (June 1930 – 22 July 2018) was a British

peace activist A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world p ...

and a former President of the International Council of Jewish Women.

Life

Born in 1930, child of Lilly and Louis Caller, Jacobs was educated in the United States (as a wartime evacuee) and then at

Westonbirt School Westonbirt School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 11 to 18 located near Tetbury in Gloucestershire in South West England. Founded in 1928. The historical Westonbirt House is part of the school. We ...

. In 1950 she married Basil Jacobs who she met at a youth club in the East End of London where they both volunteered; they had three children. In 1971, as chairman of the Jewish Women's Association, Jacobs staged a 24-hour fast outside the Soviet embassy in London to draw attention to the plight of a sick Jewish woman serving a 10-year sentence in a labour camp having been accused of an attempted hijacking. After her husband's death in 1973 Jacobs became involved full-time in campaigning. The founder and first Chair of the National Council for Soviet Jews, she led missions in the 1970s to visit Jews who had been denied permission to emigrate (

refuseniks Refusenik (, ; alternatively spelled refusnik) was an unofficial term for individuals—typically, but not exclusively, Soviet Jews—who were denied permission to emigrate, primarily to Israel, by the authorities of the Soviet Union and othe ...

) from the

Soviet Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

. She visited as part of a "tourist group and then" managed to "break away from them", risking jail for her activities. In particular, she regularly visited Moscow and Leningrad (now St Petersburg). Jacobs later became known as an advocate of Jewish women's issues. As President of the International Council of Jewish Women (1996–2002), she represented the organisation at the

UN Commission on the Status of Women The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW or UNCSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the principal organs of the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gende ...

in New York. She remained involved late in her life through her membership of the

European Women's Lobby The European Women's Lobby (EWL) is the largest umbrella organization of women's non-governmental associations in Europe working for the interests of women and girls in all their diversity and gender equality in all areas of life. EWL was foun ...

and Women's International Commission. Jacobs was a member of the board of directors of the

New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF; ; ) is a United States–based NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil society ...

, a campaign for social justice in Israel. She was a patron of the Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE), a member of the Black Jewish Asian Forum, Life President of Jewish Child's Day, and Vice-President of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture and Chairperson of their Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Program. As foreign affairs spokesperson for the

Board of Deputies of British Jews 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 17 ...

, she courted controversy in meeting first representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in the UK and later the leader of the PLO,

Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat (4 or 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), also popularly known by his Kunya (Arabic), kunya Abu Ammar, was a Palestinian political leader. He was chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004, Presid ...

. Jacobs was unrepentant in the face of criticism of these meetings saying "it was just the right thing to do: how else can we attempt to bring peace if we don't talk?". A trustee of the Kessler Foundation, she was "Chairperson, Mishpacha" of this New York based foundation committed to the renewal and enhancement of Jewish culture worldwide. She was chairperson of the EJC Commission on European Institutions (Great Britain) and a senior Trustee of the Next Century Foundation. Jacobs was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2009 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2009 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

. June Jacobs lived 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 ...

, London. She died on 22 July 2018 at the age of 88 after suffering a stroke.

References

External links

Interviewed on ANN TV 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, June 1930 births 2018 deaths English Jews Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Date of birth missing English activists English women activists Activists from London People educated at Westonbirt School