A formal alliance between the Jewish Leadership Council and Manchester Jewish Representative Council will build on the work of the local cross-communal Jewish Strategic Group, which has been meeting regularly during the pandemic.

The transition will be overseen by JLC trustee Mark Adlestone, who becomes rep council chair next month, and JLC’s regional manager Marc Levy. The duo respectively chair and co-ordinate the strategy group and Mr Levy will be seconded to the rep council as CEO alongside his current role.

“This is an exciting time for the representative structures of our community,” Mr Adlestone said. During the pandemic, the JLC had “led on co-ordinating our internal communal response whilst magnifying our concerns directly with key decision makers across government.

“It launched campaigns to provide financial assistance to those charities across the region who are tasked with supporting the vulnerable and needy in our community.” Given the JLC’s role, it was “essential to establish an alliance between the two organisations”.

He pointed out that Mr Levy’s “extensive contacts both within our community and externally with elected politicians from local and national government will be invaluable as we seek to implement our ambitious plans”.

Mr Levy said he was excited to be working on “an enterprising, dynamic and far reaching agenda designed to proactively represent our diverse community”.

Rep council president Russell Conn was “absolutely delighted that our whole community has come together in such an effective manner” during the Covid crisis.

“Central to this has been the work of the JLC. As we move into a new chapter, I feel it is right that an alliance between the two organisations is formally established. Officially linking the two organisations will provide an obvious benefit, not just to the representative council but our whole community.  We also look forward to maintaining our close relationship with the Board of Deputies.”