Board of Deputies Community Briefing 5th March 2020

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COMMUNITY BRIEFING

Bahrain’s only Jewish parliamentarian speaks
at synagogue in historic event

A packed audience at Lauderdale Road Synagogue an increasingly polarised and divided world, it is the
last week heard H.E. Nancy Khedouri, the only relationships between communities and peoples,
Jewish member of Bahrain’s legislative assembly, coming together in good faith, which hold the key for
speak about what it means to be a Jew in that a better tomorrow.”
country.
After the event, a spokesperson from the Embassy
At the landmark event organised by the Board of of the Kingdom of Bahrain, said: "Religious
Deputies, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain, tolerance and coexistence has a long history in
and Lauderdale Road Synagogue, Ms Khedouri said: Bahrain, and it’s something that we have taken for
“The Jewish community of Bahrain is able to live and granted. Given what is happening in the region,
worship freely. Bahrain is a model in the region and tonight was a historic and wonderful opportunity to

wider world for peaceful co-existence and mutual honour that heritage. Bahrain is proud of its Jewish
respect.” population and the contribution it has made. H.E.
Nancy Khedouri is an amazing example of this. We
She added that she was equally proud of her Jewish look forward to deepening links with the UK Jewish
and Bahraini heritage. community.”

Rabbi Israel Elia of Lauderdale Road Synagogue Read the Jewish News story here.
introduced Nancy Khedouri and presented Board of
Deputies President Marie van der Zyl with a rare Photo: (Left to right) Nancy Khedouri, Marie van der
biography Sir Moses Montefiore, the longest serving Zyl, Ambassador Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al
President of the Board of Deputies. Khalifa, Chair of Lauderdale Road Synagogue
Committee and Deputy Barbara Simon, former
Marie van der Zyl spoke of her happiness at being a President of the Board of the Spanish and
part of the first ever event organised in co-operation Portuguese Jews’ Congregation David Dangoor,
with an Arab embassy. She said: “In what seems like Rabbi Israel Elia

Board of Deputies condemns Baroness Tonge's 'latest
foray into antisemitism'

Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl has spoken out following the latest speech in the House of
Lords by disgraced peer Baroness Tonge featuring antisemitic tropes.

Marie said: “Baroness Tonge’s latest foray into antisemitism is no slip-up. The Baroness knows exactly what
she is doing, by stating that the Jewish state is a ‘puppet master’, with global powers such as the USA in its
control. That she had to resign from the Liberal Democrats is some comfort, but that she still has a platform
for her repugnant views in the House of Lords is shameful."

Read the Jewish News story here.

Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb was the guest speaker at the 24th annual dinner and

AGM of the Northern Ireland branch of the Council of Christians and Jews, held in the Belfast Hebrew
Community synagogue, Somerton Road. The audience, which included CCJ President, The Very Rev Ivan
McElhinney (pictured above with Sheila Gewolb), Vice President Ronnie Appleton QC, and Executive Chair
Shoshana Appleton

ACTIVITY REPORT

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

President Marie van der Zyl and Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg attended BICOM’s Israeli
election results reception.

Vice President Edwin Shuker and Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg met the team responsible for
international cultural heritage protection at the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to talk about
the protection and promotion of the Jewish heritage assets of the Middle East.

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg and International Relations Officer Talia Ingleby met the civil
society affairs counsellor from the Malaysian High Commission to discuss antisemitism, Islamophobia,
religious freedom, interfaith relations and the pursuit of peace.

Senior-Vice President Sheila Gewolb and International Relations Officer Talia Ingleby attended the
Zionist Federation's and Christian Friends of Israel’s Annual Lobby Day which focused raising awareness of
the incitement of hatred and the glorification of violence in Palestinian education textbooks. The briefings
included one from Dame Louise Ellman, who during her during her last year as an MP in 2019, proposed a
Bill regarding the Palestinian Authority’s use of incitement in its school curriculum. Also speaking was
Marcus Sheff, the CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education
(IMPACT-se), whose reviews of the Palestinian Authority curriculum have formed the basis of UK, US and
EU condemnation and legislation, as well as condemnation from the UN.

POLITICAL

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg and Community Engagement Officer Lauren Keiles attended a
communal breakfast with Conservative mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey. This was the first of a series of
breakfasts hosted by the Board of Deputies, the London Jewish Forum and the Jewish Leadership Council
at JW3. To book for the other breakfasts, please click here.

Coverage of the first breakfast can be found here and here.

E D U C AT I O N

Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb attended the executive meeting of the National Association of
Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (NASACRE) which supports SACREs throughout
England and Wales. A new Development Plan is being produced to increase the effectiveness of teaching
RE in primary and secondary schools.

Senior Vice President Sheila Gewolb attended the North North-West regional SACRE hub in Preston
where other representatives were from Lancashire, Cumbria, Warrington, Bolton, Oldham, Tameside and
Leeds. Topics discussed included producing a directory of places of worship, RE teacher training and a
survey produced by Cumbria SACRE to evaluate the RE provision in their schools.

GOVERNMENT

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg met a ministerial adviser at the Ministry of Housing, Communities
and Local Government to discuss antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism.

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg met a senior civil servant from the Home Office’s Hate Crime Team
to discuss antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism.

COMMUNITY

President Marie Van der Zyl, Vice President Amanda Bowman, International Affairs Officer Talia
Ingleby and Community Engagement Officer Lauren Keiles attended the launch event for the Alliance of
Jewish Women's Organisations (AJWO). Director of Operations Judy Silkoff is AJWO Co-Chair.

Vice President Amanda Bowman and Government Affairs Officer Daniel Elton met Shimon Cohen and
Aaron Bass at Shechita UK for an update.

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg and Community Engagement Officer Lauren Keiles visited
Kenton United Synagogue to meet Rabbi Black, Chair Rachelle Goldberg and Martin Kirsch to discuss
antisemitism, education and interfaith relations.

President Marie van der Zyl and Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg met the Tisch Foundation to talk
about plans for the upcoming Tisch Symposium.

Chief Executive Gillian Merron chaired the Board of Deputies Chief Executives Forum. The meeting
featured a talk by JLC Chief Executive Simon Johnson on his seven years in the role, and a presentation by
Joanne Greenaway, CEO of the London School of Jewish Studies, on strategic planning in Jewish
education. There was also an update on coronavirus.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

Yom HaShoah UK invites the entire community to stand together and join them for the UK National
Commemoration Event, 'Remember Together - We Are One' taking place on Monday 20 April, 7:15pm at
Barnet Copthall Stadium. Tickets are free and must be booked in advance. Doors will open from 6pm.
There will be a marketplace and exhibitions commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the
camps. Their aim is to bring together the largest gathering of the Jewish community to remember together
the loss of six million lives and to pay tribute to survivors and refugees for the remarkable contributions they
have made to the Jewish community and wider UK society. Bookings and further details here.

Public Affairs Director Phil Rosenberg attended an event to celebrate the Wiener Library’s ‘Holocaust
Explained’ online resource. DEFRA Permanent Secretary Tamara Finkelstein and children’s author Michael
Rosen were among the speakers, talking about the connection of the Wiener Library to their families’
experiences of the Shoah.

Manchester's Yom HaShoah Commemoration will be taking place on Tuesday 21st April 2020 at 8pm at
The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS. Entry is free. More information is
available here.

ANTI-RACISM

Chief Executive GIllian Merron attended the Hope Not Hate reception for the launch of its State of Hate
2020 report.

H E R I TA G E

Preparations for Hidden Treasures: Celebrating Jewish Archives in Britain are underway and the initiative will
be launched in June 2020. This week, Archives and Heritage Manager Dawn Waterman met – amongst
others - Ilana Tahan, Lead Curator of Hebrew and Christian Orient Studies at the British Library. The British
Library has a forthcoming exhibition on Hebrew Manuscripts.

Archives and Heritage Manager Dawn Waterman took part in a small focus group at the Imperial War
Museum, reviewing some of the text for the IWM’s new Holocaust Galleries.

At Jewish Book Week on Sunday 8 March you can reserve a slot with one of the specialists from the
Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain in the Wenlock Room from noon to 5pm and find out how to
trace your family’s history through the archives. Contact [email protected] to find out more.

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