Board of Deputies of British Jews

According to its own account:

The Board of Deputies has been served throughout its history by individuals not only active in community affairs, but in other spheres of public life. Moses Montefiore stands as the single most prominent figure, but other notables include Sir Philip Magnus, Judge Neville Laski, Professor Selig Brodetsky, Lucien Wolf, Lord Barnett Janner, Michael Fidler, Lord Fisher and Lord Greville Janner. Officers of the Board have always represented Jewish interests at the highest level.

The history of the Board of Deputies has not always been a peaceful one either in its relations with the world at large or within the British Jewish community. There have been controversies about its structures and procedures; controversies over representation from the Orthodox and Liberal sides of the community; and controversies over Zionism and Israel’s politics. The ongoing problems which Israel has with her Arab neighbours have presented difficulties for the Jewish Diaspora. There have been clashes with other communal groups over policy and of course full and frank dialogue with non-Jewish individuals and organisations. Lively debate on virtually every subject has been a constant feature.

At a Board of Deputies dinner in 2007, Gordon Brown is reported to have said that “Israel will always have our support. We will be a friend in good times and bad and we will never compromise our friendship for political expediency.”.

Meeting with American Jewish Committee

In 2006, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) report a meeting with the Deputies of British Jews in 'an effort to strengthen AJC’s ties to British Jewry'

The report states that:

'AJC President E Robert Goodkind led a leadership delegation to London to meet with the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the main community organizing body for British Jews, as well as with the Community Service Trust and the newly formed Jewish Leadership Council. The group also met with British Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, longtime Jewish community leaders Lord Greville Janner and Sir Trevor Chinn, and with leadership from the Reform, Liberal and Conservative Masorti movements. In addition, the group held meetings with those Members of Parliament who initiated a serious parliamentary investigation of anti-Semitism, and with younger leaders of Conservative Friends of Israel and Labour Friends of Israel. AJC Board members Stanley Bergman and Peter Rosenblatt joined Goodkind on the mission.

People

• Greville Janner
• Eric Moonman
• Henry Grunwald (Board of Deputies president).

Twentieth century presidents

Joseph Sebag Montefiore (1895 - 1903) | David Lindo Alexander (1903 - 1917) | Stuart Samuel (1917 - 1922) | Henry Henriques (1922 - 1925) | Lord Rothschild (1925 - 1926) | Osmond d'Avigdor-Goldsmid (1926 - 1933) | Neville Laski (1933 - 1939) | Selig Brodetsky (1940 - 1949) | A. Cohen (1949 - 1955) | Barnett Janner (1955 - 1964) | Soloman Teff (1964 - 1967) | Michael Fidler (1967 - 1973) | Lord Fisher (1973 - 1979) | Greville Janner (1979 - 1985) | Lionel Kopelowitz (1985 - 1991) | Israel Finestein (1991 - 1994) | Eldred Tabachnik (1994 - 2000) | Jo Wagerman (2000 - 2003) | Henry Grunwald (2003 - 2009) | Vivian Wineman (2009 - )

Contact

• Board of Deputies of British Jews