Board reject Guardian boycott

A proposal to boycott the Guardian newspaper has been rejected by the Board of Deputies.

After debating the newspaper's reporting of Jewish and Israel issues, deputies at Sunday's plenary meeting chose to not hold a vote on the motion which had urged "all who oppose antisemitism to refrain from buying the Guardian or advertising in it".

More..

Board of Deputies is courting the youth vote

Board of Deputies joint vice-president Jerry Lewis has launched an initiative to give the vote to under-35s acting as observers before the next triennial elections in summer.

Three years ago, the Board introduced a scheme enabling synagogues or organisations that already have a seat at the Board to send an additional representative aged under 35 as an observer without an additional affiliation

More..

Board urges FCO to police Palestinian site

The Board of Deputies has clashed with the Foreign Office over the content of articles on the website of the Palestinian Mission in Britain.

President Vivian Wineman said the Board was "pretty angry" that the Foreign Office had refused to take action over the mission's promotion of work by Israeli-born antisemite Gilad Atzmon.

The website publishes news and information about the Palestinian

More..

Board names educator

Sara Leviten has joined the Board of Deputies as its new education policy and projects manager.

Ms Leviten's wealth of communal experience includes previous roles as provincial director of the Association for Jewish Youth and youth and student director of the Reform movement.

More recently, as a community development officer for Haringey Council, she has aided the local Charedi community.

More..

Fiasco sheds light on New Order

On this page on July 29 I offered an analysis of the lecture given to the Board of Deputies by Mick Davis, UJIA chair and chief trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council. I explained that in his address Davis had mapped out the New Order that he and the JLC intended to impose upon British Jewry.

More..

Board of Deputies woos under 35s

More must be done to encourage younger members of the community to join the Board of Deputies, according to the 250-year-old organisation's own executive officers.

President Vivian Wineman, senior vice-president Jonathan Arkush, and chief executive Jon Benjamin have acknowledged that greater efforts must be made to recognise the talents and contribution of younger Jews.

More..

Saving the Board

It is encouraging that the Board of Deputies has at last recognised that it needs to take action – fast – to do something to change its age profile. It is a remarkable achievement for the Board to have survived for over 250 years.

More..

Board turns wrath on PSC campaigners

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign's anti-Israel rhetoric is "infused with antisemitism" and its members engage in "racist conspiracy theories," according to the Board of Deputies.

Attacking the group and its Scottish counterpart, the Board said the PSC's recent actions reinforced the view that it had become an "impediment" to peace.

PSC director Sarah Colborne said the claims were "smears an

More..

Jewish groups urge release of Baha'i academics in Iran

Iran's detention of 11 Baha'i academics has been condemned by the Board of Deputies and Union of Jewish Students.

British Jews have repeatedly raised concerns about the treatment of Iran's Baha'i community. More than 100 are being held in Iranian prisons, including seven of the community's most senior leaders, some having been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

More..

JLC cashes in on Board game

On July 17, members of the Board of Deputies were privileged to witness a PowerPoint presentation given by Mick Davis, chair of the United Jewish Israel Appeal and head of the trustees of the Jewish Leadership Council.

More..

Board dismayed by EBacc exclusion of religious studies

The Board of Deputies is disappointed at the government's decision not to include religious studies as part of English Baccalaureate, or EBacc, its new performance measure for schools.

To qualify, pupils must gain GCSEs in five specified subjects - maths, English, science, geography or history and a foreign language.

The Board had joined religious and education organisations in lobbying for

More..