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Board of Deputies News

Our regular report from our Board of Deputies representatives Deborah Cohen, Peter Strauss and Dilys Tausz

Good relationships with the police are so important for the Jewish community. The success that the Board of Deputies is having in this field was demonstrated at our last plenary meeting by the attendance of the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley. He explained that the police had to operate within the law and especially with regard to the rights to freedom of expression and of assembly. These considerations must inform the way in which the police control pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Nevertheless, the influence of the Board of Deputies means that we do have a voice, and the police made sure that the designated routes for those demonstrations avoided synagogues.

At the same plenary, Penny Mordaunt and Lord John Mann, who head the Commission on Antisemitism, were seeking suggestions from the deputies that could be adopted by government, prosecutors, social media companies, educational institutions, trade unions and other stakeholders to help combat increasing antisemitism. This was a superb opportunity to explain our feelings, and views were heard from a range of deputies including a junior doctor, a university student and those involved in inter-denominational organisations.

All the work of the BoD needs to be funded and we will be approaching you to help contribute financially towards the Commission on Antisemitism, the Bring Them Home Now hostages campaign, the Optimistic Alliance interfaith initiative, the BoD@Work programme supporting Jews in the workplace, and the British Jewish Culture Month.

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