Board of Deputies Community Briefing 10th December 2020

The list, compiled by the Algemeiner Jewish weekly newspaper, which is based in New York, contains a wide range of people from a variety of fields, including chess player Garry Kasparov, actors Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen Mirren, US President-elect Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Marie’s citation reads: “London-born Marie van der Zyl is the 48th president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which represents the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. Assuming the role in 2018, Van der Zyl was quickly thrown into the conflict between British Jews and the opposition Labour Party, which had become a vehicle for crude antisemitism and anti-Zionism under its previous leader, Jeremy Corbyn. In 2020, Van der Zyl joined other faith leaders in speaking out forcefully against the genocidal repression of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese Communist regime, noting the “similarities between what is alleged to be happening in the People’s Republic of China today and what happened in Nazi Germany 75 years ago: People being forcibly loaded on to trains; beards of religious men being trimmed; women being sterilized; and the grim specter of concentration camps.”

Marie said: “It is wonderful to be named among such a stellar list. This is great recognition for the important work the Board of Deputies has been doing over the past year on a variety of issues.”

You can see the complete list here.

On Monday Marie said: “Our thanks and congratulations go to all of the researchers, medical professionals and Government officials who have made today – the first day of the vaccine rollout – possible. There is much work to be done, but the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is brightening. We urge members of our community and beyond to support the vaccine effort and continue to follow Government advice on Covid security in a fastidious and responsible manner.”

Simone is Chair of Governors at King David School in Birmingham, She has recently completed a solo Virtual London Marathon to raise funds for her chosen Charity – The Lullaby Trust, which provides a vital lifeline to support parents who have tragically lost a child or baby, referred to as Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood (SUDC) and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Every year, around a third of the charity’s income is raised by supporters taking part in challenge events or holding their own fundraising events. As most of the fundraising events have been cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic, there has been a significant negative impact on its income and the ability to deliver for bereaved parents.

Following the tragic death of the child of her friend, Simone chose to run a marathon and raised £1,000 which, given the absence of fundraising opportunities over the last six months, will make a big impact on a small charity.

Simone said: “With almost no one around, the atmosphere and absence of cheering and throngs of supporters made it eerily lonely at times, though I made do with just the sight of a single heron and a few squawking geese to distract my mind from the relentless, seemingly unending steps ahead.”

When she completed 26.2 miles, she was despondent to find the London Marathon app telling her she still had 2 miles to run. She continued running and according to her Garmin, she ran a mega 28-mile marathon.

Simone wants to thank all of the corporate donors and individuals who have kindly supported and encouraged her, especially to her two boys and husband, Mum, Dad, Uncle Henry and running partners Elizabeth, Gee, Jason, Yi, Caroline, Rob – to name but a few.