One of my leadership mantras has always been that we must build relationships well before a time of crisis. What is clear from the most difficult period in our history is that the connections that matter are nurtured quietly and consistently long before they are tested.
Since I became Chair, the Jewish Representative Council (JRC) has invested deeply in partnerships across every section of political and civic life. Our work with Ministers and MPs has been well documented.
We have sought to ensure that our community is not isolated from wider society but fully embedded within it. This means being understood, respected and connected.
When our worst nightmare came true on Yom Kippur as a terrorist attack was streamed live on our devices, those relationships really came into their own. At that moment, there was established trust, familiarity and clarity of purpose.
There was no need for introductions, we needed action and that came quickly because we had already built the foundations.
Our connection with Andy Burnham his deputy, Kate Green and the Leader of Manchester Council, Bev Craig are such examples. Long before the current national attention surrounding what may become one of the most consequential by-elections in history, Andy and Kate have always committed to understanding our community and our concerns.
That mattered profoundly when tragedy stuck and they immediately moved to speak with us directly to provide reassurance and commit to providing whatever our community needed. Everything we asked for was promptly delivered.
The same can be said of our links with all senior figures across Greater Manchester. Chief Constable, Sir Stephen Watson QPM has shown exceptional leadership and professionalism.
His understanding of the sensitivities facing Jewish communities has not emerged overnight. It has been forged by an immense amount of goodwill by Greater Manchester Police, continuous engagement with key stakeholders and mutual respect. In moments requiring reassurance and decisive policing, that bond has proved invaluable.
Similarly, Mark Cubbon and Kimberley Salmon Jamieson within the NHS have demonstrated compassion during a difficult period. I have appreciated the excellent way in which they have handled complex and emotionally charged situations. We will be meeting in the aftermath of Lord Mann’s report on combatting antisemitism in the health service.
The Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel has also been an important partner and his officers behaved extremely well when they attended Heaton Park on that fateful day.
I have also spoken and exchanged messages with the new Chief Crown Prosecutor, Sarah Hammond. I am extremely impressed with her dedication to combat antisemitism and I look forward to building on our initial discussions.
What has emerged from the above and the hundreds of meetings the JRC annually takes is that this is a model of communal engagement rooted in shared responsibility. We have never asked for special treatment but have always sought and managed to achieve meaningful partnerships.
The political and senior public servants of Greater Manchester and Lancashire have responded with amazing solidarity and support.
I take little satisfaction from how we have demonstrated our success and the effectiveness of our organisation. No community wishes to be an example because it has faced grief and trauma. Yet, if there is any positive legacy, it is that Jewish people in Greater Manchester can rely upon those tasked with protecting us.
It is also the case that others are learning from how we navigated the immediate aftermath and the following days when we were tested in the full glare of national government and our country’s media.
Our Chief Executive, Marc Levy has been invited to speak in Europe about how we have positioned the JRC, our speed of decision making, clarity of purpose and performance on the media during such an unprecedented and tragic event. We have been referenced as an exemplar across the European Jewish world.
The JRC have shown what happens when communities and institutions know and trust one another. The key is building those relationships when times are calm, not in the middle of a crisis.
Mark Adlestone OBE is Chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region. This article first appeared in the Jewish Telegraph
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