The Board of Deputies has launched an accreditation scheme to ensure that people who talk about Judaism to schools are properly equipped to do the work.

Since Judaism is one of the six world faiths covered in RE syllabuses and GCSE RE requires at least two religions to be covered, Jewish speakers have been in growing demand in schools.

Sara Perlmutter, the Board’s educational development manager, said, “We need to make sure that messages are accurate and consistent and people have the infrastructure to help them. Particularly in these times, it is important work to do.”

Last year, the Board ran a training day for prospective “ambassadors” for Judaism, who present sessions on Judaism for schoolchildren and adults.
“We expected 40 people to attend, but we had more than 85, and another 40 on the waiting list,” she said.

Now the Board has set up a team of nine mentors who will support the ambassadors and approve their accreditation. In particular, it is looking to channel support to areas where there are few Jews.

The goal is to have at least 40 accredited ambassadors in 12 months.

Edwin Shuker, the Board vice-president responsible for education, said the scheme would “be a boon for presenters, schools and educationalists across the country”.
It will supplement the Board’s education outreach, which includes the travelling Jewish Living Exhibition. 

Mentors will be supervised by a panel of  experts, including Mrs Perlmutter, Clive Lawton, author of the Board’s GCSE Judaism textbook, and Jeffrey Leader, head of the Board’s Jewish studies inspection service Pikuach.