NEWSLETTER
FEBRUARY 2008
BOARD OF DEPUTIES OF BRITISH JEWS
BULLETIN BOARD FEBRUARY 2008
Headlines of the Board of Deputies’
activities in the last two months. Unabridged news items can be found at
www.bod.org.uk
Important: Voter Registration Urged
Greater London Authority and London mayoral elections as well as English local government
and mayoral elections will take place on 1 May. The deadline for voter registration and
postal vote applications is 16 April. The Board encourages all those who are entitled to
vote in these elections to make sure they are registered to vote, particularly in light of
the current threat from extremist parties and candidates.
Board of Deputies Brussels delegation
meets EU parliamentarians
 |
Left to right: Elizabeth
Harris, Claude Moraes MEP, Giampi Alhadeff General Secretary EPLP, Sidney Assor, Flo
Kaufmann, Gary Titley MEP and Leader of EPLP; Eric Moonman, Alex Faiman |
A delegation from the International Division
of the Board recently met high ranking MEPs at the European Parliament in Brussels.
Discussions focussed on European Union and European Parliamentary efforts and directives
to counter racism and antisemitism in member states and also a consideration of the
relevant committees and structures that are in place to implement these policies. Flo
Kaufmann, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the European Jewish Congress, was joined
by International Division members Prof Eric Moonman, Alex Faiman and Sidney Assor and by
Public Affairs Director Elizabeth Harris.
Of particular interest to the MEPs were the
recent findings of the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism as well
as the structure, mechanism and advantages of establishing a neutral parliamentary body to
explore these issues. Flo Kaufmann noted that the “MEPs thanked the Board for keeping
them informed of our work and of our connections in Britain, Europe, Israel and on the
international stage.”
Board expresses concerns to Home
Office over visas for extremists
Board officials met with Home Office counterparts to share concerns over the impact on
community relations and the welfare of the community on the subject of granting visitor
visas to those expressing extremist and anti-Jewish views. “We need to understand the
mechanics of the process by which these decisions are made, and Government needs to
appreciate our concerns. This dialogue has served both those purposes,” said Chief
Executive, Jon Benjamin. The Board also joined the latest meeting of the Government’s
cross-department taskforce on antisemitism. The task force was formed to implement
recommendations of the All-Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism in the UK.
Lunch for London Olympics 2012
organiser, Richard Sumray MBE
The Finance & Organisation Division of the Board hosted a lunch for Richard Sumray
MBE, chairman of the London 2012 Forum supporting London's Olympic Games, during which he
recounted the dramatic sequence of events that led up to London’s successful bid to
host the Olympics.
Mr Sumray, a member of the Mayor of
London’s Cultural Strategy Group and chair of Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust,
said that since London won the bid in July 2005, the focus has been to make sure that the
Olympics capitalises on London’s key assets as the youngest, most culturally diverse
communities in Europe by “creating an infrastructure that is sustainable and leaving
behind permanent improvements for our city.” Fielding questions on issues such as
security, traffic, regeneration, tourism, volunteering opportunities and plans to
accommodate London’s faith communities, Sumner explained that space will be created
to accommodate all five major faith groups on an egalitarian basis. “My commitment is
to make this an event to remember for all generations and for everyone who participates in
this event”, he said. He also said that a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of
the Munich Olympics massacre would receive proper consideration.
Board publishes latest Community
Statistics Report; shows potential patterns of Jewish demographic growth in the UK
Co-authored by senior researchers David Graham and Daniel Vulkan, the report summarises
data collected on such key statistics as births, marriages, and deaths during 2006. It
reveals that more than 3,300 Jewish babies were born, a third of which were to the Charedi
or strictly Orthodox community. Over recent years the total number of Jewish births has
been slowly climbing. Significantly, the report found that, contrary to demographic
patterns in most Diaspora communities, Britain’s Jewish population may be on the path
to growth after a generation of contraction. This conclusion emerges from an analysis of
several sets of indicators relating particularly to demographic trends in Britain’s
Charedi community.
Board of Deputies issues new
informational flyer; 3,500 copies requested
The Board of Deputies has published a new informational flyer describing the remit and
reach of the organisation. Since its introduction at the Limmud national conference in
December requests have been received more than 3,500 copies for distribution to synagogues
and other mailing lists. A preview copy can be found on www.bod.org.uk and requests should
be made care of Sandra.Clark@bod.org.uk.
Date of forthcoming Board meetings: 17
February, 16 March |
