The Progressive Jewish Community of East Anglia.
A Liberal Judaism congregation. Registered Charity No. 1053565.

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2006 -

BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS
BULLETIN BOARD FEBRUARY 2006

BOARD WELCOMES ARCHBISHOP'S STATEMENT

The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomes the statement made on the occasion of Holocaust Memorial Day by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, regarding antisemitism. The Archbishop's expression of concern about the level of antisemitism in the United Kingdom sends a clear message into the community that this form of racism cannot and should not be tolerated. His acknowledgement of the impact of statements made by politicians in other parts of the world is a warning of the impact of foreign extremism on the day-to-day lives of all faith communities in this country.

Commenting on the statement Board President, Henry Grunwald QC, said that "In emphasising the need for continuing interfaith dialogue and Holocaust education as a means of tackling the spread of antisemitism and intolerance, the Archbishop has encapsulated the Jewish community's hope for the future as it marks the 350th Anniversary of its re-establishment in the United Kingdom. The last three and a half centuries of Jewish life in this country are an example of how a minority can retain its religious and cultural identity whilst successfully integrating into and contributing to wider society."

INTERFAITH RESEARCH GRANT SECURED

A grant of over £15,000 from the Home Office (Faiths and Cohesion Unit) has been secured by the Board. The grant will fund new research into Jewish Attitudes to Interfaith. The objective of the research project is to explore Jewish attitudes to inter faith in the UK, to investigate how such attitudes are played out in inter-communal relations and to identify any cross-communal gaps that need to be filled.

BOARD SUPPORTS CANCER BREAKTHROUGH WALK

Anne Yeshin, a member of the community has contacted the Board regarding a sponsored walk she will be doing in September to raise funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Anne will be spending the next few months training hard for this walk and has asked for donations. Please make a donation to this valuable caused by visiting www.breakthroughcancerweekend.org

BOARD WELCOMES COMMISSION FINDINGS

The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomes the findings of Morocco's Justice and Reconciliation Commission, which was set up by His Majesty King Mohammed VI back in 2004. The findings are an important step towards healing the wounds of the past, many of which are borne by prominent members of the Moroccan-Jewish community. The Board looks forward to the implementation of the recommendations and we congratulate His Majesty and the Government of Morocco on embracing the Commission's report.

CORRECTION

Last month's Bulletin Board should have read, "The EJC delegation asked for the EU to increase its financial support for the Palestinian Authority and thus, to use its influence to achieve the dismantling of the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure."

LUNCH WITH LOUISE ELLMAN MP

In January, the Board hosted Louise Ellman MP at a lunch for Deputies. At the lunch Louise spoke of the need to deal with current geo-political situation to face off the Iranian nuclear threat. On Israel, she expressed her hope that the March election would open the way for further moves towards a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

JEWISH COMMUNITY INFORMATION

We urgently seek volunteers to assist in the provision of a vital service for the community. Could this be you?

Using our extensive community-wide database, you will help respond to enquiries about the British Jewish community. Full database training will be provided. If you can spare a minimum of half a day per fortnight to work in our friendly Central London office, have good communication skills and a basic understanding of the British Jewish community, then we would love to hear from you. Please e-mail jci@bod.org.uk

GOVERNMENT ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORS PRAISE BOARD INITIATIVES

The Government's independent adviser on sustainable development, the SDC, together with the World Wildlife Fund, recently praised Partners in Creation, a programme of the Board, led by Neville Sassienie, in co-operation with the Noah Project (the main Jewish environmental organisation), which explores environmental responsibility and initiatives through Jewish teaching and ethics.

Following a national seminar and a major follow-up report on the activities of faith groups in this area, four UK case studies were highlighted, showing outstanding current practice in action. The Partners in Creation project was the only Jewish-centred example to be featured in the report (available at www.sd-commission.org.uk).

Further activities are planned for 2006 and PinC are about to open a Web site for Jewish audiences. Details of the complete programme are obtainable from the Board's offices.

STAFF CHANGES

The Board has this month said goodbye to Education Projects Co-ordinator, Jonathan Brandman. We thank him for all his hard work and wish him good luck in his future career with the Essex Constabulary. The Board has recently welcomed Daniel Vulkan and, assisting with JWOLE, Richard Winston. We wish them both a happy and successful time as part of the team.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

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