Community Security Trust

The Community Security Trust (CST) was set up in 1995 and given charitable status as an organisation created in order to 'protect the lives and security of the Jewish community'. Mike Whine from the Board of Deputies of British Jews was a spokesman for the CST on its launch, he argued that 'There is an increasing terrorist threat. If you look at the attacks, they are not just against Israeli institutions, they are against Jewish institutions'. Mike Whine describes the organisation as a 'Jewish neighbourhood watch scheme". The group was set up following the bombing of the Israeli embassy in London and the Joint Israel Appeal in Finchley the previous summer (1994).

In 1997 Mike Whine described the group as 'A Jewish neighbourhood watch - with a little bit added'. The Independent reported that the CST 'trains bodyguards for Jews at risk from Arab or Fascist groups', Whine denied that they were a vigilante force arguing that 'We operate within the law, providing a deterrent force. We aren't a bunch of Rambos'.

Criticism

In 1997 Julia Bard from the Jewish Socialists Group argued that:

The CST claims to be 'a Jewish neighbourhood watch with a little bit added'.

This 'little bit added' is the surveillance and harassment of members of the Jewish community itself, especially those on the Left, who take issue with the political positions expressed by the self -proclaimed leaders of the community. As victims of their harassment, we have seen neither sophistication nor intelligence displayed by the officers of the CST and its forerunner, the Community Security Organisation (CSO).

Many Jews resent the bullying style of the CST at Jewish events in mainstream public venues. Members of the Jewish Socialists' Group and other organisations have even been prevented from entering a range of 'public' events policed by the CSO/CST. These have included a Holocaust commemoration, meetings about Nazi war crimes and an Israeli film festival. The victims have been condemned as 'security risks', despite offering to leave bags and personal effects with security personnel. Many of those excluded have been told they are 'on file'. On what basis they are on file and who verifies that the[SIC] information is impossible to find out.

People

CST is headed by its Chairman Gerald Ronson and its Chief Executive Richard Benson. Other key members of staff include its Director of Government and International Affairs Mike Whine, its spokesperson Mark Gardner and its Deputy Director of Communications Dave Rich. CST has been given a dispensation by the Charity Commission allowing it not to publish the names of its trustees. However, it is known to be managed by a single corporate trustee called the Support Trustee Ltd – a private company limited by guarantee (i.e. without shareholders) – which was established in May 2003 to ‘act as trustee, nominee or director of or for the charity Community Security Trust’.

Trustees

2011

The current directors (as of 2011) of Support Trustee Ltd (and therefore the trustees of CST) are Keith Black of the United Jewish Israel Appeal; Lloyd Dorfman, the Chairman of Travelex Group; the investment banker Jeremy M. Isaacs; Land Brook, a solicitor and financial consultant; the property investor Gary Landesberg; Mark Mishon, a trustee and former chairman of British ORT; CST’s Chairman Gerald Ronson; Jeremy Trent, a Chartered Accountant; and Douglas Krikler the Chief Executive of the United Jewish Israel Appeal.

Directors of Support Trustee and thus of the CST
Name	Role	Date of Birth	Appointed on	Resigned
Gary Stephen Cohen	Secretary	Not disclosed	03-Apr-17	3-Mar-20
Harvey Murray Soning	Director	Nov-44	28-Jan-19	Active
Keith Joseph Black	Director	Jul-59	04-Jan-05	Active
Lloyd Marshall Dorfman	Director	Aug-52	07-May-03	Active
John Michael Edelson	Director	Jul-44	22-Jun-14	Active
Alan Irving Goldman	Director	Dec-43	20-Mar-17	Active
Jeremy Michael Isaacs	Director	Mar-64	10-Feb-10	Active
Brook Land	Director	Mar-49	07-May-03	Active
Gary Mitchell Landesberg	Director	Jun-60	30-Jun-10	Active
David Jeremy Menton	Director	Mar-77	27-Jun-16	Active
Gary Andrew Miller	Director	Jul-64	20-Mar-17	Active
Mark Simon Mishon	Director	May-56	07-Sep-03	Active
Julia Neuberger	Director	Feb-50	07-Jan-17	11-Oct-19
Gerald Maurice Ronson	Director	May-39	07-May-03	Active
Lisa Debra Ronson	Director	Oct-68	24-Nov-11	Active
Ian Isaac Rosenblatt	Director	Nov-59	26-Jun-17	5-Mar-20
David Young, Lord Young Of Graffham	Director	Feb-32	01-Dec-15	Active
Richard Jonathan Benson	Secretary	Sep-63	15-Nov-04	30-Jul-12
Douglas Henry Krikler	Secretary	Nov-65	07-May-03	15-Nov-04
Simon Leonard Lurie	Secretary	Not disclosed	30-Jul-12	03-Apr-17
William Stephen Benjamin	Director	Jan-64	24-Nov-11	22-Jun-14
Richard Jonathan Benson	Director	Sep-63	01-Oct-13	06-Nov-17
Richard Jonathan Benson	Director	Sep-63	30-Jul-12	31-Aug-12
Jeremy Steven Newman	Director	Sep-59	07-May-03	24-Sep-09
Jeremy Steven Trent	Director	Jan-59	13-Dec-09	04-May-17 "

Advisory Board

2010

CST also has an Advisory Board which, as at June 2010, comprised of 55 individuals including a number of MPs and members of the House of Lords, as well as former senior police officers. The members of the Advisory Board as at June 2010 are listed below:

Gerald M Ronson Chairman; Lord Alliance of Manchester CBE; Brigadier Richard Andrews; Rabbi Dr Tony Bayfield; Sir Howard Bernstein; Sir Victor Blank; Sir Walter Bodmer FRCPath; FRS; David Brecher; Sir Trevor Chinn CVO; David Cohen; Baroness Deech of Cumnor; DBE; Lord Dholakia of Waltham Brooks; OBE; Dame Vivien Duffield; DBE; Louise Ellman MP; Chief Constable Peter Fahy QPM; MA Greater Manchester Police; Lord Feldman of Frognal; Prof. Niall Ferguson; Stanley Fink; Anna Ford; Sir Martin Gilbert CBE D.Litt; Baroness Llin Golding of Newcastle-Under-Lyme; Michael Gove MP; Prof. John Grieve CBE; QMP; Henry Grunwald QC; General the Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank; GCB; LVO; OBE; Chief Constable Stephen House QPM Strathclyde Police; Lord Janner of Braunstone; QC; Anthony Julius; Lord Kalms of Edgware; KBE; Colonel Richard Kemp CBE; Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws; QC; Gary Landesberg; Lord Levy of Mill Hill; Ivan Lewis MP; Rt Hon Denis MacShane MP; John Mann MP; Lord Mitchell of Hampstead; Rt Hon Jim Murphy MP; Baroness Neuberger of Primrose Hill; DBE; Stephen O’Brien; Lord Pannick QC; Lord Paul of Marylebone; R. Stephen Rubin OBE; Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks of Aldgate; William Shawcross; The Hon Sir David Sieff; Sir Harry Solomon; Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington; QPM; Lord Turnberg of Cheadle; Baroness Verma of Leicester; Lord Weidenfeld of Chelsea; Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale; Assistant Commissioner John Yates QPM Metropolitan Police Service; Rt Hon the Lord Young of Graffham; DL; Poju Zabludowicz.

Staff

• Dave Rich, Deputy Director of Communications, circa 2007

Supporters

• David Martin Abrahams, Supporter

Funding

The CST has received the following donations from the Lewis Family Charitable Foundation:

2007 - £50,000

2008 - £30,000

2009 - £10,000

2010 - £10,000

Affiliations

• Coordination Forum for Countering Antisemitism - member

Contact, Resources, Publications, Notes

Contact

http://www.thecst.org.uk/

Resources

• Tony Greenstein The Community Security Trust - Policeman of the Jewish Community Tony Greenstein's Blog, 1 March 2009.
• Antony Lerman, How serious a threat is antisemitism?, The Guardian, 13 April 2009
• Asa Winstanley, Revealed: UK anti-Semitism watchdog charity helps lead anti-Israel boycott group, Electronic Intifada, 8 February 2013.

CST: Charting trends in UK Anti-Semitism

CST produce regular report and press releases on antisemitism in the UK. The following news items use the CST reports as their source:

• Douglas Davies, British Jews fear they may be the next Neo-Nazi target, The Jerusalem Post, 27-April-1999
• JTA, Attacks on British Jews Soar, The Jerusalem Post, 5-February-2001
• Keith Poole, Increase in number of race attacks on Jews in Britain, The Evening Standard (London), 17-April-2002
• David Smith, Attacks on Jews soar in Britain, The Express, 17-April-2002
• Marie Woolf, Attacks on Jews increase by 15% in a year, The Independent, 21-February-2003
• News, War fuels rise in Anti-Semitism, The Express, 3-May-2003
• Harvey McGavin, Anti-Semitic Attacks Rise, The Independent, 16-February-2004
• Jason Benetto, Anti-Semitic assaults near record levels, The Independent, 20-February-2004
• Jamie Doward, Jews predict record level of hate attacks, The Observer, 8-August-2004
• Rosie Cowan, Fear as attacks on Jews increase, The Guardian, 21-January-2005
• Neville Dean, Attacks on Jews at record levels, Press Association, 10-February-2005
• Lawrence Marzouk, Attacks on Jews increase by 50 per cent, This is Local London, 18-February-2005
• News, Anti-Jewish feeling at an all-time high, The Express, 7-February-2006
• Jason Benetto, Anti-Semitic abuse rises after Harry's high-profile Nazi gaffe, The Independent, 3-February-2006
• Joanna Bale and Anthony Browne, Attacks on Jews soar since Lebanon, The Times, 2-September-2006
• Steve Doughty, Anti-Jewish attacks soar inbacklashover Mid-East bloodshed, The Daily Mail, 2-February-2007
• Gabriel Milland, Shocking rise in Anti-Semitism, The Express, 18-July-2007
• David Pallister, Crime: Rise in number of violent attacks on Jews in the UK, The Guardian, 15-February-2008
• Emily Dugan, Anti-Semitic violence nears record level, The Independent, 17-May-2008
• Pg.11, Anti-Semitic Attacks Soar, The Daily Mail, 7-January-2009
• Mark Townsend, National: RACISM: Rise in antisemitic attacks 'the worst recorded in Britain in decades', The Observer, 8-February-2009
• News Pg. 11, Attacks on Jews Rise, The Times, 25-July-2009
• John Twomey, Hate attacks on Jewish targets hit record high, The Express, 5-February-2010

CST publications

• Community Security Trust
• Antisemitic Incidents Report 2007
• Terrorist Incidents against Jewish Communities and Israeli Citizens Abroad 1968-2003
• Antisemitic Discourse Report 2007

See Also

• 43 Group
• 62 Group
• Jewish Aid Committee of Britain
• Group Relations Educational Trust
• Community Security Organisation
• CST Promotions Limited Company number 03010390
• Support Trustee Limited