The vote for Board of Deputies president takes place this month. Here the candidates answer the JC’s questions

JONATHAN ARKUSH

Jonathan Arkush has represented Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue since 1984. He is 60, married to Carol, with three married children. He is a barrister specialising in property and probate law, a mediator and deputy judge at the Royal Courts of Justice. Since 2009 he has been vice-president of the Board and chaired its defence and group relations division.

Why do you believe you are more qualified than other candidates to head the Board of Deputies?
I have extensive experience in the communal roles I have held since I was in my 20s, including being a Jewish student leader, campaigning for Jews in the former Soviet Union, leading my large community in south Hertfordshire and establishing Jewish primary and secondary schools. For the past six years I have led the defence of our community against those who wish us harm, including antisemitic attacks, those seeking to ban our religious traditions of shechita and brit milah, and those intent on boycotting Israel. We are in turbulent times, and I believe that we shall need to give our primary focus on ensuring that our community continues to be effectively protected and defended. No candidate has wider experience in these core issues than I.

What are the three priority areas for the Board during the next three years?
The defence of our community; raising the profile of the Board even further; overhauling our sometimes cumbersome procedures to ensure we are a place for incisive and respectful debate on the issues that matter
How would you make the Board more representative of groups such as the Charedim who are under-represented?
It is unfortunate that this is their own choice. They have my sincere invitation to come within the Board and I will open a respectful dialogue with any group on these and other issues that matter to them. In the end, it must be their decision.

Did communal organisations fall short in their response to last summer’s Gaza conflict, what lessons have been learned and how should the Board work with the new grassroots campaign groups?
Our communal organisations did fall short, particularly not being visible enough and communicating all the strong and positive work that we did. Not enough attention has been given to the strong and effective lobbying of government, the countering of demonstrations in supermarkets and the flying of Palestinian flags by councils, the defeat of the Tricycle Theatre’s ill-considered attempt to expel the Jewish Film Festival and above all, ensuring that the leaders of society were united in their public condemnation of the antisemitism that was such an ugly feature of the conflict. The Board already works well with grassroots groups and this will continue. The Board has worked with local groups for some years, so we are not exactly new to this area.
Is there any occasion in which the Board should publicly criticise Israeli government policies?
I believe that we should be extremely careful here. The government of Israel is democratically elected. We live in the UK, we are not citizens of Israel and we do not experience the realities of daily life there. Criticism is easy but not always appropriate. We need to exercise our responsibility carefully when we are tempted to condemn.

Has the response to the threat of antisemitism been adequate and does any more need to be done?
The government has been very responsive to the rise in antisemitism and has put forward concrete measures to counter it, including addressing radicalisation. The government and opposition parties have strongly condemned antisemitism and they have grasped the threat. We must continue to work closely with them on further measures. We must push harder for antisemitic incidents that incur criminal liability to be prosecuted. It is too easy for racist trolls to spew hatred on social media in the belief that they have impunity. Too much depends on the willingness of social media providers to disclose the identity of the wrongdoers. The law needs to be strengthened to enable providers to be required to make disclosure to a proper authority when a case for it is made out.

What do you believe the Board’s position should be on relations with the Muslim Council of Britain?
I seek to build a constructive relationship for the future. I was disappointed with the MCB’s recent public stance on opposition to extremism and British values. It is very much in both our interests to work on that relationship, not least as we share the same objective of protecting shechita/halal and brit milah. Above all, it is essential that we share with British Muslims the aspiration to embrace British citizenship and values with observance of our religious traditions. Our long Jewish experience in citizenship stands as an example which I hope others can appreciate and emulate.

How did you vote when Yachad applied to join the Board and why?
I voted against. As Yachad has no members as such, under the Board’s procedures it could only be admitted by an affirmative vote. I am troubled by Yachad’s support for boycotting settlement goods and concerned about it’s relations with pressure groups such as Breaking the Silence. I therefore considered that I should exercise my personal discretion against their admission.

Is unification with the Jewish Leadership Council desirable and will it happen in next three years?
It is not in the interests of the community to have two public affairs bodies. So of course it is desirable that we come closer together. I am not gifted with prophesy and cannot say if unification will happen within the next three years. It all depends on the discussions that we have together. I am clear that the community’s representative body must have democratic legitimacy and accountability. It seems to me that we can bring our bodies together while honouring that essential principle. I intend to work as hard as I can towards that aim.

How well do you believe the Board is regarded within the Jewish community and what would you do to improve its image?
I know from the very frequent visits I make to speak at communities and events around the country that we have made huge strides in making the Board much more visible and well regarded. I am routinely stopped by members of the Jewish public who read about the Board and want to express their strong approval and support. We need to set our sights even higher on communicating the message to those parts of the community that it has not yet reached. We must be even more visible in the media to showcase our vibrant and confident community.

ALEX BRUMMER

Alex Brummer is the Daily Mail’s City editor. A winner of numerous press awards and the author of seven books, he is a former associate editor of the Guardian and a regular contributor to the JC. He is a vice-president of the Board, representing the United Synagogue, and has been chair of its international division since 2012. Aged 65, he lives in Richmond with wife, Tricia.

Why do you believe you are more qualified than other candidates to head the Board of Deputies?
Of all the candidates I am best informed about national and international affairs and best able to deal with the nation’s political leaders, leaders of other faiths and Jewish community organisations in a calm intelligent and sensible way. I don’t lose my cool and don’t zig-zag.

What are the three priority areas for the Board during the next three years?
At the Board itself my goal is more effective leadership. To reach out to women and younger deputies. To improve the quality of debate at Board meetings so we don’t hear the same old voices and opinions over and over again and end the sometimes intimidating atmosphere. I want to see the Board reaching out and working with regional communities.

Deputies with a variety of political viewpoints are great friends of Israel. I would seek to change the dialogue about Israel from internal policies (over which we have no control) to a better understanding of the Jewish state and its growing economic, cultural and political importance to Britain at a time of unprecedented turmoil in the Middle East.

Antisemitism, in all its forms, has reared its ugly head across Europe and in Britain. It takes a number of forms from attacks on Jewish practice to protests and violence. This new antiSemitism is rooted in economic dislocation and the rise of extremist jihadi movements. As president I will need to work at all levels international, national and community to keep these malign forces at bay.

How would you make the Board more representative of groups such as the Charedim who are under-represented?
It would be terrific to see the Charedim, the fastest growing group in British Jewry, directly represented at the Board. But I don’t think it is going to happen soon. We are fortunate to have senior deputies that have built bridges to that community and are working with them on a range of issues from preservation of religious practices such as brit milah to the very real issues of education, housing and welfare. I would intend to reinforce these links at the earliest opportunity.

Did communal organisations fall short in their response to last summer’s Gaza conflict, what lessons have been learned and how should the Board work with the new grassroots campaign groups?
Yes, it did fall short. We were slow off the mark. The community organisations did well with Downing Street and government and the response could not have been more supportive in the circumstances. But we were focused too much on government and the media (important) but not enough on our own communities and regions. Our communications should have been much more effective and our response – in terms of public meetings to reassure the community – should have been far greater. The growth of grassroot movements underlined the need to capture the zeitgeist much better.

Is there any occasion in which the Board should publicly criticise Israeli government policies?
The Board exists to defend the interests of British Jews and it is not our job to directly intervene in domestic Israeli politics, however, strongly we may feel. If there are policies which make sections of the British Jewish community uncomfortable then it is right that we raise them privately with the Israeli government through normal diplomatic channels. But there are enough critics of Israel in Parliament, politics, the universities without us adding to clamour that is often ill-informed and based on prejudice against Israel.

Has the response to the threat of antisemitism been adequate and does any more need to be done?
We are fortunate that the UK is one of the least antisemitic countries in Europe with a great history of tolerance. That does not mean we can be complacent. The rise of intimidating and violent antisemitism in Europe, on a scale not seen since the 1930s, is a huge concern. The community is fortunate in having a sophisticated protection service provided by the Community Security Trust. It is our job to make the verbal and intellectual case against antisemitism and combat it wherever it occurs.

What do you believe the Board’s position should be on relations with the Muslim Council of Britain?
Maintaining relations with Muslim communities and the MCB in particular is important. There is much common ground on issues such as religious slaughter. During Operation Protective Edge keeping dialogue open was also important in constraining extremism. But we should also be aware that the MCB is not the Board, does not have the same democratic history and has been too accessible to extremists.

How did you vote when Yachad applied to join the Board and why?
I voted yes to Yachad. If the Board is to retain its democratic legitimacy it must be open to a broad range of opinions on the Middle East.

Is unification with the Jewish Leadership Council desirable and will it happen in next three years?
Moving closer to the JLC must be the right thing if community resources are to be used most effectively. I see no reason why we could not move towards unification in the next three years. If not, I believe the case for co-location, pooling services and resources is unassailable.

How well do you believe the Board is regarded within the Jewish community and what would you do to improve its image?
The reputation of the Board at home and overseas is high and it is a huge mistake to underestimate the value and esteem in which it is held. Clearly, like every organisation it needs to streamline and modernise. But it is the substance of what it does which matters, the image will follow.

LAURA MARKS

After a career in advertising, Laura Marks, 55, established Mitzvah Day, now involving 37,000 people. She represents the Reform movement on the Board and was elected senior vice-president in 2012. She set up Women in Jewish Leadership and says her passion is the community. She was recently awarded an OBE for work in inter-faith relationships.

Why do you believe you are more qualified than other candidates to head the Board of Deputies?
I’m more qualified for three reasons. Firstly, my record shows I deliver, both on a vision and on my goals. Secondly, I’m inclusive and I take people with me, which is essential in a small community and in challenging times when we must muster all our skills and talents for the collective good. And finally, because I am focused on, and integrated full-time into the community, my record shows I can access any organisation on the community’s behalf when needed.

What are the three priority areas for the Board during the next three years?
The first priority is to draw red lines on antisemitism, delegitimisation of Israel and attacks on Jewish practice as these undermine our very essence. But we can’t fix them short term or alone. The only way forward is through education, outreach, building partnerships, challenging prejudice, and hard work.

The second priority is to ensure that the community is strong, secure and socially inclusive. These are interdependent and to deliver I am committed to sorting out the way the Board is structured to make it up to date and more effective.

And finally, we must ensure that we support our community, nationally, not just in London, so it can continue to remain positive, integrated, fresh, vibrant, engaged and proud, living and enjoying a Jewish life here in Britain.

How would you make the Board more representative of groups such as the Charedim who are under-represented?
The under-represented groups need to feel that the Board’s agenda is their agenda. By focusing on issues that matter to them and by breaking down barriers, obvious and more subtle, we will attract wider representation. People outside London, women, young people, and those who are different, are also under-represented and similar issues apply.

Did communal organisations fall short in their response to last summer’s Gaza conflict, what lessons have been learned and how should the Board work with the new grassroots campaign groups?
Sadly yes. The Gaza conflict surprised the community by its length, its media coverage, its impact on antisemitism and its timing. The communal organisations pulled together but could have done even more, Bicom being the one that deserves specific praise. The impact on our own community here at home was profound in terms of damage to inter-faith relations, feelings of isolation and anger at the leadership. Grassroots campaign groups continue to be a diverse, stimulating, engaging force within our community and this energy benefits us all. They grew particularly fast in the perceived vacuum. We need the JLC, the Board and the other organisations to work much more closely together on the issue of the defence of Israel and I see this as a priority.

Is there any occasion in which the Board should publicly criticise Israeli government policies?
No. The Board is not here to criticise Israeli government policies publicly – we are not living in Israel and we have no influence over the local issues or challenges. However, Israeli policy does impact on life here in the UK and our job, as representatives of the British community, is to make sure that this is communicated, privately to the embassy here in Britain so that we can best work together with them.

Has the response to the threat of antisemitism been adequate and does any more need to be done?
As the threat of antisemitism escalates, more needs to be done and we all need to be involved working alongside government, the police and the CST. We need to fight the natural tendency to button down the hatches, to isolate ourselves and to hope it goes away. Instead it is clear we need to reach out, to build relationships, to understand our neighbours of all faiths and none, and crucially, for them to get to know us and in this area I have a proven track record. With our community so small and so limited geographically, we must reduce the spaces where anti Semitism can grow through ignorance and prejudice.

What do you believe the Board’s position should be on relations with the Muslim Council of Britain?
The British government has no relationship with the MCB due to its apparent international links with terrorists. Clearly, our community should think twice about dealing with organisations which the government itself is reluctant to engage with or which might be inciting racial hatred.

There might be times when we need to deal with them, like last summer which was a crisis point, but we must be vigilant and in general, we need to deal with other Muslim organisations with more transparent structures and links.

How did you vote when Yachad applied to join the Board and why?
I voted yes. I believe that as a community we are strong if we act together. Our focus needs to be on shared threats not internal conflict. From the Board perspective, in particular, we are a representative body and our legitimacy as such falls down when we exclude organisations or people because we don’t like their views.

Is unification with the Jewish Leadership Council desirable and will it happen in next three years?
Of course unification is the ideal model. But we are where we are and, as the Leserge Report made clear, currently the Board and the JLC are too far apart culturally and structurally to merge. The JLC is often seen as more effective and professional, the Board as more legitimate through its democracy. We need both. The short-term plan is to continue to bring the two organisations closer together through the staff initially so saving on wastage and building ever stronger bridges.