Board Deputies 27 mar 2017

por Comunidad Judía · 29 Adar 5777 – 27 marzo, 2017

Jonathan Arkush: ‘Our thoughts and prayers are with victims of Westminster attack’

Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has condemned the horrific attack in Westminster and paid tribute to its victims.

He said: “Yesterday’s attack in Westminster and on our Parliament was depraved and abhorrent.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims and their families, and especially with the family of PC Keith Palmer, a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending our democracy.

“We pay tribute to the dedication and professionalism of our emergency services, who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe and to treat the wounded. They are the pride of our nation.

“At this time, we know that many of our Muslim neighbours and friends who detest Islamist ideology will be feeling anxious. Our message is clear: our society must stand united at this time and not be turned against one another by extremists of any kind who wish to divide us. There can be no excuse for hatred. We stand firmly with Muslims who overwhelmingly reject the jihadists.

“Together, we can and must build a winning coalition to fight and defeat extremism and stand up for our liberal, democratic and inclusive society.

“We will redouble our efforts towards this aim over the coming weeks and months and I shall continue the visits I have been making to Muslim communities up and down this country to build bridges and promote our shared British values.

“Finally, I want to pay tribute to the tireless work of the Community Security Trust, who work to keep the Jewish community safe. As they have said, there is no specific information about an imminent threat to the Jewish community, but as a community we must remain calm and vigilant and follow the advice of the CST, police and others to make sure we stay safe.”

There will be a candlelit vigil in Trafalgar Square tonight to remember and show solidarity with the victims of the Westminster attack. For details, clickhere.

The Board of Deputies held a roundtable with representatives of the Gypsy, Roma and Travellers community this week. To read a full report on the event, click here

Middlesex University invitation to ‘noxious’ Richard Falk is withdrawn

Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has expressed satisfaction that a scheduled appearance at Middlesex University by disgraced former UN Rapporteur on Human Rights Richard Falk has been cancelled.

Jonathan said: “Yesterday, the Board of Deputies and Jewish students made urgent representations to the authorities at Middlesex University about the planned talk by Richard Falk.

«While we are relieved that this man, who has endorsed and shared antisemitism, will no longer be receiving a platform from Middlesex University, we believe that his invitation, despite his noxious track-record, shines an unflattering light on those whose hunger for fake news and Jew-bashing far outweighs their appetite for peace.»

Read the JC story here.

Earlier, Jonathan relayed his anger and disappointment to Adrian Thomas at LSE over invitations to Richard Falk.

Read a full report here.

Board of Deputies tells Google of ‘grave concern’ on hate videos

Board of Deputies President Jonathan Arkush has spoken of his concern at antisemitic content hosted by Google on YouTube.

Jonathan said: “We spoke to a senior member of the Google UK team to signal our grave concern at the hateful content hosted on YouTube. We had a constructive conversation about possible solutions and that dialogue will be ongoing over the coming days and weeks. Ultimately, we will judge Google by its actions. It must do everything possible to ensure that it is a great platform and not a hate platform.”

Previously, Board of Deputies Vice President Marie van de Zyl commented on some of the many hate videos which were easy to locate on the platform.

She said: “These shocking and vile videos are packed with antisemitic tropes. They accuse Jews of murdering Christian children to use their blood in matzah – the classic blood libel; they accuse Jews of promoting paedophilia; they accuse Jews owning the world’s governments and media and they accuse Jews of being parasites.»

To read the full report, clickhere and the Times story here.

Board of Deputies Activity

REGIONAL WEEKEND

More than 60 Deputies from all around the UK attended the Board of Deputies annual regional weekend, held in Exeter, one of our smallest communities. Sunday’s Board meeting took place at the historic Guildhall in the city. The meeting was addressed by Exeter University Vice Chancellor Sir Steve Smith and there were several workshops, one of which was given by the university’s Associate Professor in Early Jewish Studies Dr Siam Bhayro, who is a world authority on ancient Aramaic bowls. Deputies attended Friday night and Shabbat morning services at Exeter Synagogue which dates from around 1763. After Saturday morning services, Deputies and members of the local community were addressed by Exeter University student Murray Brown and went on a walking tour of historic Exeter. To read the JC report on Sunday’s meeting, click here.

COMMUNITY

President Jonathan Arkush has become the first Board of Deputies President in living memory to address the United Synagogue Council. Jonathan told the council, which is made up of representatives from every synagogue within the organisation, that the Jewish community needed to adapt to face “common challenges”. To read a report of his speech, click here.

Parliamentary Officer Joel Salmon was the guest speaker at Jewish Women’s Aid’s event launching its Safer Dating programme. He spoke about the importance of educating about relationships to enable the younger generation to understand the nature of contemporary domestic violence.

Treasurer Stuart MacDonald, Vice President Marie van der Zyl and Chief Executive Gillian Merron attended the ORT UK business breakfast.

Senior Vice President Richard Verber attended the Jewish Interactive Dinner at Google HQ.

INTERFAITH

Jonathan Arkush and Interfaith and Social Action Officer Anthony Silkoff visited Wightman Road Mosque in Haringey. They were given a warm welcome and had a very positive dialogue on Jewish-Muslim relations with elders and younger members of the mosque, led by mosque secretary Bibi Khan and mosque president Abdool Alli.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Government Officer Marcelle Palmer travelled to Newcastle and Gateshead for meetings ahead of a seminar for local councillors in the North East on April 2.

INTERNATIONAL

Richard Verber welcomed the announcement by the Department for International Development of a dedicated Counter Terrorist Financing Officer. Read the statement here.

Jonathan Arkush met the Austrian Ambassador, Deputy Head of Mission and Hannah Lessing – Secretary General of the National fund of the Republic of Austria for victims of National Socialism – on their visit to the Board of Deputies offices.

Gillian Merron and International Relations Officer David Walsh attended a diplomatic reception for St Patrick’s Day at the Irish Embassy.

Gillian Merron attended the Tunisian National Day reception at the Tunisian Embassy.

EDUCATION

Gillian Merron attended a «Schools That Work for Everyone» reception, hosted by Prime Minister Theresa May.

Gillian Merron spoke about her role at the Board of Deputies and her previous career as an MP and minister at the Jewish Sixth Form Conference for Girls entitled «Making your Mark» at Hasmonean School, organised by the Association of Jewish Women’s Organisations. Vice President Sheila Gewolb and Education Policy Officer Dawn Waterman also attended.

Sheila Gewolb attended the North North-West SACRE (Standing Advisory Committee for Religious Education) hub meeting with representatives from Cheshire West/Chester, Halton, Rochdale, Lancashire and Cumbria. Topics discussed included collaboration on standards for assessment on religious education, and how to engage parents and carers in school RE activities. Interfaith week was suggested as a time when events could be organised.

Two Jewish Living tours for over 70 young people and six teaching staff took place this week. The Royal School from Surrey participated in a mock Passover Seder developed by our volunteer educators. The second tour included a visit to a synagogue, Jewish cemetery, kosher shops and restaurant for a kosher meal and to learn about the laws of kashrut.

The Board of Deputies’ education programmes include bespoke teacher training sessions across the UK, The Jewish Living Experience traveling exhibition, tours and school assemblies or workshops. If you would like more information, please email jewishliving@bod.org.uk.

POLITICAL

Joel Salmon and Director of Public Affairs Phil Rosenberg met Tom Tugendhat MP, Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Counter-Extremism. They discussed how to respond effectively and appropriately to extremism.

Joel Salmon and Phil Rosenberg met the Shadow Foreign Minister, Catherine West MP. They spoke about a range of concerns, including antisemitism and the community’s opposition to BDS.

MEDIA

Marie van der Zyl spoke on LBC Radio about hate videos hosted by YouTube.

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

Designs for the new National Holocaust Memorial and learning centre, which have been produced by some of the world’s very best architectural talent, are available to view online. The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation wants to hear from you. Consultation with the public, those working in the field of Holocaust remembrance and education, as well as technical experts will play a crucial role in informing the final decision of the jury. You can view the designs and have your say here.