Changing the Board
Posted: January 15, 2012 | Author: Richard Verber | | Tags: board of deputies, bod, british jews, deputies |4 Comments »
by Richard Verber
I’m going to say something that regular readers of Cartoon Kippah might find quite shocking.
I quite like the Board of Deputies. There, I said it.
I like the idea of British Jews organising themselves to speak as one to government, media and public figures. I like the idea of a democratically elected non-denominational organisation supporting Jewish communities big and small across the length and breadth of Scotland, England and Wales. I like the idea of a representative body where every Jew can share an opinion, enriching the debate about what it means to be Jewish today.
The problem is, this is not what the Board of Deputies looks like today. There are communities who do not affiliate to the Board and who do not believe that it speaks for them. There are communities with smaller Jewish populations who feel marginalised by its London-centric nature. There are those who feel only the loudest voices are heard, and not necessarily a range of voices. And for many, the Board is not representative: just 25% of deputies are women and there are even fewer young people. Least representative of all is the Executive itself, made up exclusively of men over the age of forty (perhaps fifty, but I don’t wish to be rude). It is wonderful that Board meetings often begin with Mazal tovs, such as a Deputy celebrating his sixtieth birthday. It is dreadful that at sixty, the gentleman in question is still one of the youngest in the room. This must change.
The idea behind the Board, in its own words, is “to promote and defend the religious and civil liberties of British Jewry.” The Board goes about its business through a small paid office team who carry out the wills of the Board’s President and Executive. The President and Executive are elected and given a mandate by a group of around 265 people, themselves elected – in theory – from organisations covering all walks of Jewish life – synagogues, charities and youth movements. The idea is that every community with a certain number of members can elect a delegate – a ‘Deputy’ – who acts in a similar way to an MP by representing their constituency to the Board.
The problem is, many people do not know how to get involved with the Board, or worse, are blissfully unaware of its very existence. The 265 Deputies do not sufficiently represent the diversity of our community. Many Deputies are not elected. Many Deputies attend meetings to further their own interests, and not the interests of the constituents they are supposed to represent. This, too, must change.
And it can. Here’s the big secret behind the conspiracy to keep the Board dominated by men from the community’s older generations: there is no conspiracy. Seriously, there isn’t.
Anyone can get involved and stand for election. The next set of elections are upon us: Deputies will be elected between now and May to serve for a 3-year term. We’re calling for anyone, of any age, but particularly new young people to join us. Whether through your local synagogue, regional council or student Jewish society, if you’re interested in change, if you’re tired of being ignored and misrepresented, the time has come for action. The time is now.