Conservative Friends of Israel
Contents
Relations with David Cameron
According to a report in the Jewish Chronicle:
- a small but influential group of Jewish Conservative officials and politicians were... key players in Mr Cameron’s campaign for the leadership. Among them was party treasurer Howard Leigh. Other senior figures around the leader include Oliver Letwin, head of policy [and] former shadow Home Secretary and shadow Chancellor. Although he is popular with Jewish Tories, Mr Cameron’s criticism of Israel’s actions in Lebanon sparked doubts – voiced particularly by Tory donor and former party treasurer Lord Kalms. However, Conservative Friends of Israel chair Richard Harrington stressed that the leader had given CFI “every possible access” and had met CFI officials several times.[1]
Meeting with American Jewish Committee
In 2006, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) reported on a meeting with the Conservative Friends of Israel in 'an effort to strengthen AJC’s ties to British Jewry'.
The AJC 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[2].
People
Parliamentary Group
- James Arbuthnot MP, Chairman
- Gillian Shephard MP, President
- John Butterfill MP, co-Vice Chairman
- James Clappison MP, co-Vice Chairman
- Nick Hawkins MP, Treasurer
- David Amess MP, Secretary
- Timothy Kirkhope MEP, Chairman of CFI Europe
- Liam Fox[3]
- Tobias Ellwood[4]
Officers Of CFI
Vice Chairmen
- Jeremy Galbraith | Betty Geller | John Taylor CBE | Alistair Burt MP, [5]
Hon Secretaries
Vice Presidents
- Lord Lane of Horsell | Michael Latham DL | Timothy Sainsbury | Lord Sanderson of Bowden | Lord Steinberg | Lord Thomas of Gwydir QC
CFI Executive Board
- Chairman:
- Hon Treasurer:Richard Harrington
- Lance Anisfeld
- Jonathan Gough
- Alan Howard was listed as an executive board member in 2007[6] and 2008[7]
- Andrew Heller
- Howard Leigh
- Stephen Massey
- David Meller
- Jonathan Metliss
- Barry Welck
CFI Staff
- Director: Stuart Polak
- Projects Director: Stephanie Leven
- Political Director: Robert Halfon
- Research Manager: Victoria Kluk
- Secretary: Julie Tamir
- Membership Secretary: Charlotte Polak
Contact
- Address: 45B Westbourne Terrace, London W2 3UR
- Tel: 020-7262 2493
- Fax: 020-7224 8941
- E-mail: info@cfoi.co.uk
- Website: http://www.cfoi.co.uk
Notes
- ↑ Bernard Josephs and Leon Symons, Special report: Team Cameron’s big Jewish backers, The Jewish Chronicle, 13 October 2006, p. 3
- ↑ American Jewish Committee London Jewish Community Greets AJC President Update 236, 20th December 2006. Accessed 21st August 2008
- ↑ Nissan Ratzlav-Katz, Conservative Friends of Israel at UK Political Conference, Arutz Sheva, 22 January 2008.
- ↑ Nissan Ratzlav-Katz, ibid.
- ↑ Etgar Lefkovits, UK MPs call for Europe-wide campaign to pressure Red Cross concerning Schalit, Jerusalem Post, 9 November 2008.
- ↑ About Us, CFI website, version dated 8 Aug 2007, accessed in web archive 7 Oct 2009
- ↑ About Us, CFI website, version dated 6 May 2008, accessed in web archive 7 Oct 2009
