A Community of Communities

Report of the Commission on Representationof the Interests

of the British Jewish Community

March 2000 2 Adar 5160

The lnstitute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR) is an independent think-tank which informsand influences opinion and decision-making on social, political and cultural issues a{fectingJewish life.

The Commission on Representation of the lnterests of the British Jewish Communitywas established as an independent working party in 1998 by JPR, which provlded thesecretariat and a home for the Commission. Members were drawn on an ad personam basisfrom a cross-section of Britlsh Jewry in terms of gender, region and rellgious outlook. TheCommission's task was to examine how the interests of the Britlsh Jewlsh community arerepresented at various levels-withln the community, to Jewish communities abroad and inthe wider UK soclety. The Commission was also asked to make recommendations on how therepresentation of these interests can best be organized for the twenty-first century.JPR pledged to publish the report of the Commission

Members of the Commission

Davrd BlackburnStephen ChelmsAdrian CohenRuth DeechJean Gaffln, OBEProfessor IVargaret Harris

SecretariatAntony LermanAndrea Margolit

/ Report a uthors

Lucie HassMaurlce Helf gottProiessor Ba rry KosminDr Mary Rudolf KromMelanie Ph llipsCarolyn Taylor

Dr Winston PrckettLena Stanley-Clamp

Contents

Summary

Recommendations

l lntroduction

2 For What Sort of British Jewry ls RepresentationBeing U n derta ken?

3ln What Kind of Britain ls Representation Taking Place?

4 The Current Pattern of Representation

5 Gathering ldeas: The Consultation Exercise

Appendix 1

Jewish Communal Organizations Engaged in Representation

Appendix 2Representation in Five Jewish Communities-France, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and the USAby Daniel E lazar

Appendix 3United Kingdom Legislation Concerning Jewsby His Honour Judge Aron Owen and Sheriff G. H. Gordon, OC, LLD

Appendix 4Gathering the Evidence - Consultations via Town Meetings,lnterviews and Ouestionna ires

1

3

I

13

15

19

23

34

44

50

54

Summary

Setting the stage: reasons for theComm ission's establ ish mentOver the past 300 years BritishJews haveestablished well-developed representativestructures. However, there is an increasingrecognition that we are in a period of rapid change.The pace of this change has placed considerablestmin on the historic centml representativestructures: the Board of Deputies of BritishJewsand the Chief Rabbinate. Vocal andvariegatedinterest groups, ranging from the strictly Orthodoxto the progressive, claim that the current modes ofrepresentation fail to include them or speak fortheir interests.

Questions have been raised as to whyJewishrepresentative institutions have been unable todefuse tensions and resolve disputes that frequentlysurface in the public sphere. In addition, neworgantzations are continually emerging to addressthe wider society on matters ofJewish interest.

Finally many individuals - particularly women, theyounger generation and the unaffiliated-feeldisenfranchised. Aware that decisions taken byothens affect them, they do not believe that theyhave the means of influencing those decisions. Theyalso do not feel the present representationalstructures meet thet needs.

Changing British JewryThe Commission asked: 'For what sort of BritishJewry is representation being undeftaken?' Theanswer was: a communiry in transition.

In terms of demography, there has been asignificant decline in the estimatedJewishpopulation, which now numbers under 300,000people. Despite the fact that today approximately 70per cent of the population, of UKJews are formallylinked to a synagogue, approximately one third ofthe population is religiously unaffiliated.

Moreover, those BritishJews who are affiliated to asynagogue are increasingly diverse and aresegmented across the following groupings:

.60.7 per cent belong to central Orthodoxsynagogues (Ashkenazi and Sephardi);

. 2B.B per cent belong to progressive q,nagogues(Reform, Liberal and Masorti);

. 10.5 per cent belong to strictly Orthodox (llaredi)synagogues, which have shown the greatest

degree of growth in the last decade.

Recent studies on issues oflewish identity haveshown a trend towards non-synagogal modes ofaffiliation and a rising number of marriages withnon-Jews. Yet, paradoxically, at the same time thereis greater confidence among the strictly Orthodox,a huge investment and expansion inJewisheducation and a stronger sense of British Jewishidentity

Finally British Jews increasingly regmd rhemselvesin ethnic terms. Alongside religion, culture andlanguage, their ethnicity includes feelings of kinshipand belonging, and a desire for group continuity Inpractice, however, most British Jews presentlyregard the synagogue as the only practicable wayopen to them to identifywith and belong tosomethingJewish.

Changing BritainIn what kind of Britain, then, is representationtaking place?

Britain has become more diverse in terms ofreligion, ethnic origin, culture and lifestyle. It is nowoften referred to as a multicultural society Ethnic,regional and other differences are increasinglyportrayed as requiring not merely toleration, butalso acknowledgement, respect, resources andrepresentation.

The most significant changes are structural, affectingthe various tiers of government to whichJews havetraditionally made representations. The changesunder way that are akeady affecting Britain's centralpolitical institutions promise to alter significantly thepattern of power, leading to new challenges andopportunities for representational activiry Theyinclude reform of the House of Lords, devolutionand regionalization, changes in local government,including a London mayor and Greater LondonAuthority and closer integration into the EuropeanUnion.

Mapping current representationThe Commission identified thoseJewish communalorganizations that carry out representation,together with their main target audiences:government and Padiament, local authorities,international and European organrzations, foreigngovernments, international Jewish organizations,Israel, Diaspora communities, European Jewishorganzations, other-faith minority groups, thevoluntary sector, the media and other opinionformem.

This information is discussed in Section 4 and ha-s

been produced in diagrammatic form. Theorganrzational map seryed a^s the starting point foranalysing Jewish representation, revealing in starkrelief its multi-faceted, diverse and complex nature.

Gathering ideas: the consultation exerciseFor more than eighteen months the Commissioncarried out its research and deliberations on avariery of levels. It canvassed zLS many people as

possible within theJewish community, togetherwith those in the wider society who are the maintarget audiences ofJewish representation.

A detailed questionnaire on the scope, subjectmatter and comprehensiveness ofJewishrepresentation was compiled, and copies were sentto more than 2,000Jewish organizations andindividuals. Advertisements were placed in thenational andJewish press inviting people to requesta questionnaire, and a special web-site wasestablished to allow respondents to submit theiranswers on-line.

Seven'town meetings'were held in CentralLondon, Redbridge, Golders Green, Brighton,Manchesteq Glasgow and Ieeds. Smaller focusgroups and discussions were also held. Finally theCommission conducted in-depth interviews withmore than seventy key informzurts, both inside andoutside the British Jewish community

During the Commission's evidence-gathering,certain recurring themes emerged: questions ofleadership, consultation, professionalism,networking and coordination, reaching theunaffiliated, internal, informal and religious

representation, representation abroad and internalJewish divisions.

Among the key questions surrounding the currentstate of representational activity, the followingemerged:

. Do the multiple layers of special interest andrepresentation constitute needless duplication orstrength through diversiry?

. Should there be one or manyvoices?

. V4-nt is the role of religious representation?

. Do theJewish media have a role inrepresentation?

. V4rat is the place of informal representation?

r How is theJewish community regarded by thetargets of representation-as a religious or anethnic group?

. V{hen is collective representation necessary?

Through the Commission's wide-rangingconsultations with every sector of theJewishcommunity an overridin g leitmotif began toemerge: a growing realization that a means ofrepresentation regarded as effective in the past oreven today may not be adequate in the future.

The Commission obseled that, while people werequick to express their concerns and extensivecriticisms of existing representative structures, theywere less willing, initizrlly, to posit solutions.Nevertheless, a number of solutions were putforward and subsequently seffed as a basis for theCommission's recommendations, which follow.

Recom mendations

The following section is in two pafts: 'Principles for action' and'Implementation of principles'. Both grew out of a consideration of theevidence, ideas and suggestions expressed during the consultative process.Together they constitute a strategic direction that we believe will meet thecurrent and emerging representational needs of the BritishJewishcommunity

Principles for action1 For the purposes of representation we should adopt aninclusiue

d.eftnition of the Jewish people and present ourselves as anethnic minority.

Jews believe in, or are conscious of having, a common ongin and destinyHistorically for more than three centuriesJews in Britain were regarded as areligious minority However, in recent decades, Jewish ethniciry hzrs beenofficially recognized under the Race Relations Act of 7976. Agovernmentreport stated in 7995:

It is a fundamental objective of the UK government to enable members ofethnic minorities to participate freely and fully in the economic, socialand public life of the nation, with all the benefits and responsibilitieswhich that entails, while stillbeing able to maintain their own culture,traditions, language and values.t

V'e believe that for the purposes and benefits of representation theJewishcommunity needs to see itself in these terms: namely as an ethnic group. Itis this polirywhich offers the community the public space and the socialanc-l political climate in which it can pursue its efforts at representing itself

2 We affirm the continuing relevance of the'emancipationcontract'.

The BritishJewish community today still operates and exists on the basis ofthe emancipation contract:Jews have full legal and political equalitywirh allother citizens before the law; they are free to form their own associations orto choose not to single themselves out asJews in any way at all.

3 We are a community of cornmunities.

\il/e accept the analysis of a former president of the Board of Deputies, IsraelFeinstein, that 'to speak of one community is misleading. BritishJewry hasalways consisted of "communities"- distinguished geographicallyreligiously socio-economically ideologically, historically and by personality'.2

In adopting the principle of 'a community of communities', we also acceptthe principle of subsidiarity in representational activities. That is, we believethat groupings within theJewish community should take and retainresponsibility for representational activities that can be dealt with effectivelyat their own level.

4 Representation of the comrnunity must be seen as multi-faceted.There is no one best way, nor is one overarching organization orleader able, to speak on behalf of the entire comrnunity.

It follows from our understanding of contemporaryJewry in Britain thatdifferent sections of the communitywill make different demands on thegovernment or express their interests in a different manner to various thirdpafties.

\!'e noted the growth of a 'free market' in representation, with acorresponding increase in the number of specialist and single-interestbodies. Like similar organtzations in the wider society, they are generally aflexible, responsive and effective means of representing interests.

In view of the variety of issues to be represented, the range of effectivevoices avallable and our understanding of ourselves as a community ofcommunities, we believe it is not possible, nor has it been possible of late,for any single organtzation or leader-religious or secular-to attempt toprovide all BritishJewry's representational activities or speak on behalf ofthe entire community

\W'e believe that this principle of multiple representarion also lends itself tocoopemtion, coordination and even agreement to speak with one voice oncertain issues when the need arises. In these circumstances it seems thatcollective representation can currently be carried out only on a non-ecclesiastical, non-rabbinical basis.

'il/hat should drive this process is (a) the nature of the representation thatneeds to be undertaken, @) the ability to be proactive and make effiectiverepresentation and (c) accountability with the last constituting an essentialcomponent of credibility within the Jewish communiry Such representationmay involve, but is not necessarily associated with, democraticorgNtizational structures. In the words of one of our interwiewees: 'Theextent to which you are considered representative is the extent to whichyou have consulted well.'

5 Effective representation needs to take into account tlre structuralchanges and changing tiers ofgovernrnent at local, regional,national and European levels.

As the internal and external structure of the UK is in the process oftransition we need to realign our representational activities to address:

o constitutional change, including the reform of the House of Lords,proportional representation, and devolution and regionaltzation;

. changes in local government, including the emergence of the GreaterIondon Authority and proposed changes in other metropolitanauthorities, changes in locai authority boundaries, changing roles of localgovernment and the' modernrzation' agenda;

. closer integration into the European Union, including the incorporation ofthe European Convention on Human Rights into British lasr

6 In order to carry out fepresentation we need to take into accountcuffent and future trends and developments in the political,social and economic environment of the UtrL

The withdrawal of the state from many areas of social and economic activiryhas put increased pressure on communities to provide for themselves. Inparticular, the retreat of the state from welfare provision puts pressure onvoluntary organzations to provide more social, educational and housingservices.

Because BritishJewish communities are essentially clusters of voluntaryorganizations, the above trends offer new opportunities for forging creativepartnerships with the broader voluntary sector in general and withgovernmental agencies, including the newly devolved regional andEuropean institutions.

The dramatic expansion of information/communication technology (ICT),including the Internet, creates still more opportunities for various sectors ofBritishJewry to share knowledge and interact, both with each other andwithJewish communities in other countries.

7 BritishJews are members of a globalJewish people and haveresponsibilities to representJewish interests wherever the needarises.

\l'e afftrm this principle pafticularly now, when our links with Israel andother Diaspora communities are subject to ongoing and rapid change dueto social, political and economic developments world-wide.

It follows from this principle that effective representation ofJewish interestsbeyond Europe needs to take into account the changing dynamic of therelationships between Israel and the Diaspora, as well as a"mong Diasporacommunities themselvcs.

I There is a clear need for reforrn in representation.

The accelerating rate of change in multiple sectors of British governmentand society precludes a piecemeal approach to reforming the method andmeans by which we carry out our representational interests. If our ownresponse to that change is not implemented in a deliberate and strategicmanner, we will be put atadisadvantage precisely ata time when ourcommunity's frrture is so closely linked with developments in the widersociery Jews in the UK therefore need to devise a systematic and proactiveresponse in order to ensure that both the multiple uoices of ourcommunity and tbe uoice of our multiple communities are effectivelyheard.

9 There are viable models for comrnunity-wide cooperation onrepresentational matters.

In contrast to the internal issues which can selve as abar to dialogue andcooperation, we believe that a range of external concerns exists which relateto and affect BritishJews as a whole. It is exernal issues such as these-theprime subject matter of representation-which provide us with anopportunity to respond in a coherent and focused way Such concerns mayrange from the civic/secular, such as antisemitism and securiql to thereligious, such as circumcision and sbecbita (kosher slaughter of animals).

On specific religious matters, each grouping tends to orgarize its ownrepresentation. \We have found that, depending on the need, religious

groupings within the communitywill accept people beyond theircommunities to represent their interests; what is important for them is themanner in which representatives speak for them and the sensitivity shownto their belieft; and needs. It is therefore feasible to envisage a situation inwhich, without any religious group abandoning or compromising any of itsprinciples, alliances can be formed on a pragmatic bzr^sis, in order to pursuecertain issues.

LO The development of our human resorrrces is a prerequisite foreffective comrnunal representation.

Effective representation requires informed leaders of high calibre. Given thediversity that prevarls, quality leadership is needed in both governance andstaffing. Talentecl individuals, irrespective of age ancl gendeq must be ableand encouraged to move through the system to the top. It is imperative thatthose who seek to represent the community be appropriately trained andinformed.

lmplementation of principlesL A coordinating structure

The range of issues which organizations and individuals pursue in thewider society is considerable. Because they operate in what amounts to afree-market system, we do not propose to prescribe or proscribe issuesthat require representation. 'Ve are also keenly aware of the difficulty ofdirect communication and public consultation between some relip4iousgroups.

\7e therefore recommend the creation of an independent, cross-communalcoordinating str-ucture. This structure will serve as a network oforganizations and will involve the senior lay ancl professional leadersconcerned with representation.

The structure will require a small but highly professional and well-qualifiedstaff. It will have no independent, executive fi:nction and no ecclesiastical orrabbinic authority Rather than being empowered to speak on anyone'sbehalf, its primary role will be as a facilitator and catalyst. \W'orking groups orcommittees could be established on an ad hoc or ongoing basis. Its aim willbe to be flexible and outcome-oriented.

In the event that a unified communal response is requirecl to any issue thatarises, the structure will operate on a networking basis, assembling a groupof appropriate voices, groups and interests within the community in orderto discuss a collective response in an appropriate timescale. This responsewill then be disseminated by the network as a representative communalposition.

The structure's remit will be to:

. operate according to tbe aboue principles;

o monitor and clisseminate info?"mation on issues involving representationof the interests of the BritishJewish communities;

. identifl emerging issues by virtue of the network's knowledge base andstemminp4 from its interaction with all the elements of the communiry;

. reAct to external issues when they emerge, if necessary facilitatingtargeted coalitions ofJewish organzations and agencies in order toformulate a strategic response;

. resPond to requests from Jewish agencies and communal organizationsthroughout the UK for representation and for advice and consultation onhow to carry out representation as the need arises;

. creAte andfacilitctte aforumfor commutT;tl organizatioru to discussand develop strategies on how to advance the representative agenda. Sucha forum could range in format and include group meetings, formalassembly, mediated sessions andert electronic bulletin board in'real time'.This could be launched via an annual agenda-setting conference for thepurpose of establishing priorities and creating long- and short-termstrategies.

2 A development progftlfirme for future leaders

A change in the culture of communal organizations is necessary before newleaders will come forward.'We believe this can happen through discussionand implementation of the recommended reforms and a systematicadoption of the principles we have set out. If the result is seen to beeffective and efficient, and the key issues which are raised for discussion andaction are recognized as directly affecting the future of the communiql webelieve that high-calibre leaders will come for-ward to fill formal leadershippositions. Despite much lip selice to similar recommendations in the past,the above aspiration has not been put into practice. This, too, must change.

To ensure a desirable level of knowledge and competence in the field ofrepresentation, we recommend the introduction of a high-quality trainingand devekrpment programme for professional andlay leaders. Thisprogramme should be designed to build a systematic body of knowledgeabout the effective conduct of representation that can be transmitted topotential leaders throughout their communal careers.

Part of this training should involve the creation of a syllabus which will helpensure that those involved in representation are well informed about theprocesses and methodology of representation. In general, based on ourresearch, such a syllabus would include a knowledge of:

o tbe cbangtrng landscape of communal and gouernmental bodies on thelocal, regional, national and European levels as they relate to targets ofrepfesentation;

. a working.familiarity ruitb tbe religtorc and etbnic composition, socialstructure and clemograpby of the Jewish population in the UK and thecorresponding range of views that exists in our community ofcommunities;

. An aluatrreness of the bistoty of British Jeuty as it relates to its governanceand formal status as a 'dissenting religious minority' in the UK and in itsrelationship to the European and international community;

oJeuisb tbougbt and practice relevaltt to issues of representation.

3 An independent mass media and resource office

'i(e are keenly aware of the role which the mass media play in acing as awindow on theJewish community through both their coverage of formal

representation and their reporting of culturzl events and communalcontroversies, as well as religious, ethical and social issues. Jewish views on awide range of issues are publicly aired as a result of the media seeking outpeople to comment on newswofthy events, appeaf in documentaries,participate in discussion programmes and provide quotes for newspaperarticles. Since the media are free agents and can approach whomsoeverthey wish, they possess a great deal of control over howJews, Judaism, thecommunity and the issues it faces are portrayed.

To facilitate the expression of more informed, developed and educatedviews, we recommend the establishment of an independent mass mediaand resource office which would act as a clearing house for putting themass media into contact with leaders, rabbis, experts and commentators onan impartial ba-sis. one way that the office would achieve this impartialirywould be by always (wherever possible) offering the media the opportunityof speaking to more than one person or organtzation. It should also supprybriefings to individuals who are asked to present their views on issues ofJewish concern.

Those running the office would need a comprehensive and sophisticatedknowledge and understanding of the range of issues and problems whichdo and might interest the media.

The way forwardwe urgently recommend full discussion of this report in the communiqr It isthe hope of the commission thar BririshJewrywill incorporare the threerecommendations we have outlined into the work of representation on thebasis of the ten principles for action we have outlined above. In addition, anappropriate funding structure should be put into place to enable theestablishment and continuing effective operation of the bodies specified inRecommendations 7,2 and 3.'we acknowledge that the linkages between allthree bodies, both formal and informal, also need to be addressed.

Finally clear initiatives need to be taken in order to report on, stimulate andlead this communal discussion, as well as to monitor progress towards theimplementation of the above recommendations. The challenge to existingleaders and organzations therefore is this: to assume responsibility for suihinitiatives and to commit to carrying them out.

Notes1 Home offrce, 13tb UK Periodic Repon b tbe LIN committee on tbe Elimiruttion of Ail

Forms of Discimination Relating to tbe Perir.vl up to 31 Jullt 1994 enndon 1995).

2 Israel Finestein, A communiry of parzdox: office, authority and idea-s in the changinggovernance of Anglo-Jewry', in s. Ilan lioen (ed.),/erzrisb centets and peripberies: Europebetween America and Israel 50 Years alter World \yar II (New Brunswick, NJ, 1999), p 26g.

4 lntroductionI7,,,tTerms of referenceKIth. Commission on Representation of the Interests

of the BritishJewish Communitywas established as

an independent deliberative working party by theInstitute forJewish Policy Research in 1998. Its taskwas to examine how the interests of the BritishJewish community are represented on variouslevels-within the communiry among Jewishcommunities elsewhere and in the wider society-and to make recommendations as to how therepresentation of those interests can best be, orindeed need to be, organized for the twenty-firstcentury

Method and aimsThe bulk of our work has concentrated on therepresentation ofJewish interests to the widersociety the main object of the Commission.Representation within the community has beenconsidered in so far as it relates to how thecommunifv represents its interests more widelyRepresenting British Jewish interests among Jewishcommunities elsewhere is considered specifically inrelation to Europe.

Our first step was to embark on a consultationexercise. We set out to listen to as many people aspossible within theJewish community and those inthe wider sociew who are the main target audiencesofJewish representation, in order to establish whatpeople think, what their concerns are, whether theythink that current representation is effiective, andwhat changes they would like to see in theorganization and implementation of representation.This was done by inviting people to complete aquestionnaire. Copies were sent to more than 2,000

Jewish orgartzations and individuals, adverts wereplaced in the national andJewish press invitingpeople to request a questionnure and aCommission web-site was established wherebypeople could submit their answers online. Finallyseven'town meetings'were held, in Centrallondon, Redbridge, Golders Green and Brighton inthe South, and in Manchester, Leeds and Gla.sgowin the North. In addition, more than seventypersonal interviews were conducted with a cross-section of individuals and organizations both insideand outside the BritishJewish communiry and anInquiryDaywas held, at which Commissionerssought the views of experts (see Appendix 4).

Second, we considered all the evidence generatedby the consultation exercise.'We also commissioneda number of papers to help inform our thinking.

One of these is included as Appendix 2.

It is important to stress that we did not conduct anevaluation or a detailed critique of all theinstitutions currently involved in representation. Ifedecided to approach the issue by establishing whatwe believe to be the key features of BritishJewryand British society which representation has to takeinto account to be effective today \W'e sought todevelop an understanding of how representationcurrently operates, examining the evidence fromthe consultation exercise on key points of concern.On the basis of information and analysis, we drewconclusions and established principles andrecommendations for action.

We believe that the issues at stake have directimplications for the future of BritishJewry as awhole, a future which will be determined by theinteraction between the communitv and the widersociery

\l'e saw our core ta^sk as beginning a process,establishing the terms of debate about the issue ofrepresentation and sharing with the community ourassessment and understanding. \!'e have set out toprovide others with knowledge and ideas whichthey can consider, evaluate and use as engines forchange. \l'e have aimed to outline the challengesfacing the community; to identify whereverpossible, future trends and issues that thecommunity needs to take into account in order tothrive within an increasingly multicultural Britainwhile maintaining its distinctive identiry

Reasons for the Commission'sestablishmentBritish Jews have awell-developed representativestructure. Over the years the Board of Deputies ofBritishJews has evolved to represent their intereststo the outside world, loosely imitating the House ofCommons. By the same token, the Chief Rabbinatecarne to be regarded as analogous to the office ofthe Archbishop of Canterbury Other minority faithshave often remarked on the advantages of such acoherent and well-orguved st ncture that enablesaJewish voice to be heard on issues that affect thecommunity atlarge.

The world, however, has changed. BritishJews nowfind themselves in a societywhich is questioningthe idea of a common culture. Pluralism is the orderof the day, with interest groups competing againsteach other for influence in a market-place of values.The political landscape is likewise undergoing aseries of potentially seismic shifts. Devolution in

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland* has calledinto question the very idea of 'national identity' andthreatens to let what some regard as the genie ofEnglish nationalism out of the bottle. TheRunnymede Tiust, with the blessing of thegovernment, has set up the Commission on theFuture of Multi-Ethnic Britain, which is asking,among other questions, whether 'our democraticinstitutions belong equally to all citizens'.

Far-reaching structural changes in government arealso under way Hereditary peers have been largelyremoved from the House of Lords, while the\l'akeham Commission report has called forsignificant changes in the structure of the secondchamber, including state-appointed leaders fromreligious communities. The direct election of citymayors is about to transform local government, as isthe potential creation of regional assemblies.Incorporation of the European Convention onHuman Rights into the law of England and \X/aleswill increase the power of the judiciary Meanwhile,whether or not Britain abandons the pound for theeuro, the European Union is likely to play anincreasing role in the lives of the inhabitants of theUnited Kingdom.

Against this background of profound cultural andpolitical transformation, the British Jewishcommunity has also experienced significant changesover the last few decades. These developmentswere reflected in the work of the CommunityResearch Unit of the Board of Deputies of BritishJews and analysed in theJPR suwey of social andpolitical attitudes of BritishJews.r There is growingreligious diversity an increasing trend towards non-synagogal modes of affiliation and a rising numberof marriages and partnerships with non-Jews. At thesame time, there is growing confidence among thestrictly Orthodox, a huge investment inJewisheducation and a greater confidence in a BritishJewish identiry

These changes have prompted many communalinstitutions to review their objectives and reformtheir structures and modes of operation. This ismost apparent within theJewish voluntary sector,where large'super' organizations have emerged,commanding multi-million-pound budgets and ableto exert great influence in communal fund-raising,welfare and education, while working withininternational structures.

'klnformation with regarcl to Northcrn Irelancl nas accurate at time ofgoing to press.

It is quite clear that this new social profile theJewish community has adopted to meet thechanges in the social and political landscape hasalso placed considerable strain on its centralrepresentative structures, which were established inavery different climate. Arguments within thecommuniry have been the subject ofunprecedented public attention in recent years,giving rise to the question why its representativeinstitutions have been unable to defuse suchtensions and resolve disputes.

There has been a persistent and increasing gmmbleof complaint that the Chief Rabbinate and theBoard of Deputies are unrepresentative andineffectual. These institutions zre being buffeted bvthe winds of pluralism. Vocal andvaiegated interestgroups ranging from the strictly Orthodox to theProgressive claim either that the Chief Rabbinatefails to speak for them or that it fails to bridgedivisions between communal factions. Many in themiddle ground are exasperated that diversereligious groups within theJewish family refuseeven to talk to each other on a public platform. Inaddition, new bodies have emerged, and are stillemerging, which believe that they too should beable to address the wider society on issues ofJewishinleresf .

It was concerns such a.s these that prompted thepresent attempt to re-examine how theJewishcommunity pursues its interests in the wider woddthrough its representational activity Howeveq theCommission has been mindful of the limitations onsuch an exercise. In particular, it would not beappropriate for it to address, nor could it hope toresolve, the fundamental divisions between differentsections of the communiry to say nothing of thecurrent lack of dialogue between them. Instead, theCommission has wrestled with the coreconundrum: how can a community with so manyvariegated and sometimes disputatious interestgroups support its representative structures?

How we understand representationIn addressing these questions, the Commissionrecognized an important distinction that needs tobe made between internal and externalrepresentation, which are commonly confused.Internal representation refers to the way in whichthe views and opinions ofJewish individuals andgroups on matters affecting the well-being of thecommunity are expressed and taken into accountby communal institutions. External representationrefers to the actMty carried out by institutions orindividuals when bringing issues ofJewish and

communal concern to British or internationalbodies, or when presentin€lJewish views in otherways.

The importance of internal representation is directlylinked to externa.l representation. People need tofeel that their views are taken into account whenlobbying activity occurs. The mechanisms for2ggregating views need to work effectively SomeJews no doubt feel disenfranchised-that is, theyknow that decisions being taken by others affectthem but they do not feel that they have the meansof influencing those decisions. Should ways then befound to canvass the news ofJews who are notaffiliated withJewish organrzations? We found strongfeelings on the above poinls. There was a deepunderlying concern about whether the individualsand, organizations who speak on behalf of thecommuniry actually know whatJews want. Therewere further anxieties about whether there arcopportunities for dissenting views to be expressed,or whether ways are found to suppress 'awkward'views.

The problem can be expressed in another way: itmay be that a particular body is seen by the widersociety as effectively representing us, but that manypeople in the community feel that that particularbody is not representative o/us. We took externalrepresentation to be our priority, with internalrepresentation an area of concern only in so far as itinforms and a-ffects the former.

Jews in BritainJews in Britain manifest theirJewishness in avaneq,of ways. SomeJews attend synagogue at all theprescribed times, keep strictly to the laws ofkasbrut, wear distinctive garb and live in very closeproximity to others of the same persuasion. OtherJews go to synagogue occasionally or not at all,attendJewish life-cycle events from time to time, goto someJewish-related arts programmes or make apoint of watching programmes ofJewish interest ontelevision. Between these two descriptions, andbeyond them, are a wide range and mix of forms ofJewish identification. For BririshJews to be able toexpress freely the Jewish element of their identity-whatever that identity comprises-and to play a fulland equal paft in British society certain basic social,political and legal conditions afe necessary

These conditions did not come about automaticallyThey were achieved in large mea.sure by challengesmounted to the status quo by concernedindividuals, organizations and groups. Over thecenturies, Jews have played their part in this

process, defending their right to practise theirreligion, striving for social and political equality andpursuing their interests and concerns with therelevant authorities. They have done this throughorganaations set up (though not exclusively) forthis purpose, or through prominent individuals whocould secure attention or had influence with therelevant bodies. This activity went hand in handwith gaining acceptance in British society througheducation, Anglicization, acculturation and socialmobility

It is common for an immigrant group to organizeitself to pursue certain collective interests in thesociety where it has settled. Clearly groups thathave come to Britain in the decades since the warhave faced a different sociery from seventeenth-century England, and even from England at thebeginning of the twentieth century when there wasalarge influr ofJews from Eastern Europe andRussia. As one expert told us, tensions invariablysurface as to who represents the community whatinterests are being served by particularorganizations that are created, whether to pursuethe community's concerns by becoming involved inlocal politics or to try to influence politics at anational level, and what kind of organizationsshould be created. For all communities and groups,the process of working out how to organizethemselves and how to represent their interests tothe institutions of British society has been anorganic one. There is no template which suits allgroups, although newer groups of immigrants havelooked at the experience of others for guidance asto how to achieve what theywant for theircommunities.

Over time, the basic rights ofJews were secured.Jews could stand for Parliament, and with thepassage of the Religious Disabilities Act in 1846their schools, places of worship, education andcharitable purposes, and the properry held withthem, were made subject to the same laws asProtestant dissenters from the Church ofEngland-the only formal, legal reference to thestatus of theJewish community in English law (seeApendix 3). All formal restrictions onJewsparticipating in British society and occupyingwhatever professions they wished were lifted.Howeveq sinceJews continued to constitute aunique group and wished to preserue theirtraditions, new interests and concerns developedwhichJews pursued within the institutions ofBritish society In recent decades these haveincluded the plight of oppressedJews, the welfareof the state of Israel, antisemitism, terrorist acts, the

prosecution of Nazi war criminals, state support forJewish schools and sbecbita (kosher slaughter ofanimals).

Representationa I activityThe reasons why organizations and individuals takeup these issues arevaied: to pursue them isintegral to the maintenance ofJewish identiry; toexpress concern for fellowJews in other countries;to defend the community against external threat; tofulfilthe prophetic role ofJudaism; to fulfil theimperatives of balacba Qewish law); to attaincertain political objectives which are deemed to bebeneficial to the community; and to maintain theinstitutions-particularly social welfare andeducational-of the community

Vhatever the reasons, an enormous amount ofrepresentational activity takes place, as will bedescribed below As to who it affects, or on whosebehalf it is being done, we have taken a broad viewrwe recognize that there are disagreements as towhat constitutes a 'community'. For the purpose ofour deliberations we have taken theJewishcommunity to refer to allJews, whether members oforganzations or not, who, if asked, would identiSuthemselves asJews. Not only does representationalactivity affectJews who are not necessarily affiliatedto any organuation, but some of this activity (ewishdefence work, for example) is specifically designedto encompass the needs ofJews who may notformally see themselves as part of the community\X/hat this means is that, for the purposes ofrepresentation (and for other purposes too), theboundaries of communal identiry like those ofone's personal identity can be both permeable andfluctuating.

The form of representational activirywhich mostpeople would probably recognize is whenrepresentatives of the community express theirconcerns to, or seek action from, a governmentminister on an issue deemed important to thecommunity This can be done through such meansas face-to-face meetings, letters or by presenting amemotzndum. But this is only one of many ways inwhich representation can take place. It can bedirected at various tiers of the government, civilservants, local government politicians, localgovernment officials, and at selices financed bygovernment, such as the National Health Service. Itcan also be directed, for o<ample, at televisioncompanies, newspapers, radio stations,

multinational companies, other faiths, internationalorgantzations and the embassies of foreigngovernments.

After surueying the range of activity that exists, weconcluded that representation can broadly bedivided into two forms: (a) advocary or pressure-group representation, where specific aims are to beachieved, such as a change in the law on racialincitement or a shift in government poliry on theMiddle East; (b) education or information, whereaspects ofJewish life are presented-eitherdeliberately or as a by-product of some otheractivity-to the wider society through the mediaQewish and general), the arts, exhibitions andmuseums, or by clergy academics and politicians.

Representation can also be subdivided in terms oftarget audiences. Broadly speaking, there are thosedirecting their activity at British institutions, such asthe government, Padiament, the civil service, themedia or local authorities; and those whose targetsare non-British institutions, such as the EuropeanUnion, the United Nations, the Israeli governmentor international Jewish organizations.z

It is a perfectly legitimate parr of the social andpolitical fabric for groups to take up their collecriveconcerns with the institutions of British socieryMoreoveq successive governments have movedfurther and further towards positively encouragingsuch actMry As an official government report statedin 1995:

It is a fundamental objective of the UKgovernment to enable members of ethnicminorities to participate freely and fully in theeconomic, social and public life of the nation,with all the benefits and responsibilities whichthat entails, while still being able ro mainrain rheirown culture, traditions, language and values.3

otesStephen Miller, Marlena Schmool and AntonyLerman, Social and Political Attitudes of BritisbJews: Some Kqt Finclings of tbeJPR Suruey(-ondon 1996).

2For a more detailed breakdown, see Appendix 1.

3 Home Office, 13tb tlKPeriodic Report to tbe LrNCommittee on tbe Elimination of All Forms ofRacial Discrimination Relating to tbe Period upto 31 July 1994 Qnndon 7995i):'1. Jews are legallydefined as an ethnic group.'

tf For What Sort of British Jewrv lsZ Representation Being Undertaken?

Overview\X/hat is the BritishJewish community for whichrepresentation is being undertaken? \X/hat aspectsof BritishJewry impinge most closely on therepresentational activities as they are carried out?

The last few decades have witnessedunprecedented change for BritishJewry parallel tothe changes in British society as a whole. Not theleast of these have been demographic changes.Statistics compiled by the Community ResearchUnit of the Board of Deputies of BdtishJewsindicate that there has been a significant decline inthe estimatedJewish population from the peak itreached immediately after the waq 430,000, to theestimate for 7996,283,000.tJews currently make upless than 0.5 per cent of the UK population.

In order to determine who is affected byorganuations and individuals seeking to representthe interests of BritishJewry we have taken abroadview Such a definition, we believe, needs to includeall who self-identify asJews-a group that ispotentialll' affiected by for example, representationsto government seeking changes in the laws againstincitement to racial hatred. Furthermore, thenumber of people who would be counted asJewishfrom the point of view ofJewish defence andsecuriw-as in the case where someone devoid ofJewish identity and affiliation has a Jewish' nameand becomes the target of an antisemitic incident-is almost certainly far larger than the Board ofDeputies' population estimate.

Synagogue affiliationfu the central institution of BritishJewish lifc, thesynagogue and its membership offier key datainproviding an overview of theJewish communityAccording to the Board of Deputies, whereasapproximately 70 per cent of the population of283,000Jews are formally linked to a synagogue,through either personal or family membership, 30per cent of the population are religiouslyuna-ffiliated.z

Denominational patternsRecent research shows that religious life today is

more diverse than it was during the first half of thetwentieth century At that time the centralOrthodox (i.e. predominantly United Synagogue)dominated the synagogue world: 98.6 per cent ofmarriages were solemnized in their s1'nagoguesbetween 1927 and 7940.In terms of current

membership, British Jews who are affrliated to asynagogue are currently distributed across thefollowing groupings:

c 60.7 per cent belong to central Orthodoxsynagogues (Ashkenazi and Sephardi);

.27.3 per cent belong to the Progressive sector ofReform and Liberzl synagogues;

. 10.5 per cent belong to strictly Orthodox (tlaredi)synagogues;

. 1.5 per cent belong to Masorti (Conservative)synagogues.3

In recent years the strictly Orthodox or Haredicommuniqr has shown the greatest degree ofgrowth. In t99B more than 27 per cent ofsynagogue marriages were under strictly Orthodoxauspices-a rise that is set against a backdrop of anoverall decline in synagogue marriages in the UK.

Jewish identityS1'nagogue membership is not necessarily a preciseindicator of religious lifestyle. Overall, one in everythree BritishJewish adults (31 per cent) think ofthemselves as 'traditionalJews'. Another 26 per centconsider themselves to be 'secular', 18 per cent 'just

Jewish', 15 per cent Progressive and 9 per cent arestrictly Orthodox.a

Three out of five (60 per cent) of central Orthodoxsynagogue members consider themselves'traditional' (with the rest ranging from strictlyOrthodox to 'secular'), while of those not affiliatedto a synagogue, 40 per cent consider themselves'secular'Jews and 32 per cent feel 'justJewish'.:

Yet even uninvolved, religiously unaffiliated Jewsare by no means negative about theJewishcommunity or about theirJewish origins: 60 percent feel they have been influenced by theirJewishbackground, nearly always positively Anoverwhelming 81 per cent believe that it isimportant thatJews survive as a people and 55 percent have a moderate or strong attachment toIsrael.

Finally, while the intermarriage rate in Great Britainis 44 per cent-a phenomenon associated with lessintense levels ofJewish identity-some of thosewho have married non-Jews are actively involved inJewish life and strongly identifiu asJews. Infact,55per cent rate themselves 'extremely conscious ofbeing Jewish' or'quite strongly Jewish', comparedwith 84 per cent of single andJewishly marriedrespondents.

Ethnic characterA distinguishing characteristic of BritishJewry is thetenuous relationship between ntual observance andreligious faith. In study after study this discrepancyshows up in data relating to congregationalaffiliation, self-identification and actual levels ofreligious practice.

The reason for this phenomenon, according toStephen Milleqo lies in the fact that BritishJewsidentifi, on an ethnic level-with an ethnic groupunderstood as distinguished, on the one hand, byreligion, culture, language and physical appearuncqand, on the otheq by a 'subjective feeling ofbelonging, of kinship, of a desire for groupcontinuity and a sense of corporate entity'.r 1tpractice, most BritishJews regard the synagogue as

the only practicable way open to them to identifi,with and belong to somethingJewish.

GeographyJews live in all areas of the UK, from Aberdeen tcr

Cornwall and from Belfast to Norwich. Hctweveqthe mainJewish population centre is GreaterLondon and the contiguous Home Counties-anarcathat accounts fc>r73 per cent of BritishJewryor 208,000Jews. Greater Manchester and itsadjacent areas, with 28,000Jews, comprises justunder 10 per cent of the total British Jewishpopulation. Other signifi cant Jewish populationscan be found in leeds (10,000), Glasgow (5,600),Brighton and Hove (5,300), Birmingham (,1,000)and Liverpool (3,800).s

The key facts on population distribution are:

rJews account for approximately 3 per cent of thetotal Greater London population;

. the north-west London boroughs of Camden,Barnet, Brent and Harrow together make up justunder half the LondonJewish population andslightly less than one third of all Britain'sJews;

. Barnet has the largestJewish population amonFlthe London boroughs (50,000): one in four of allLondonJews live there and approximately 77 percent (one in six) of all Barnet residents areJewish;

. in Hackney 10 per cent of the borough'spopulation (18,000) is Jewish;

o the London Borough of Redbridge in east l.ondonhas 16,000 Jewish residents.e

DemographyThe overalldemographic picture ofJews in the UKis one characterized by a declining population in

which deaths exceed births by 1,000 per year, and inwhich there is a net emigration to Israel and NorthAmerica.

TheJewish community is relatively more aged thanthe general population. Some 23 per cent of BritishJewry are sxty-five and oveq compared with 16 percent of the total population. Towards the other endof the age spectrum, some 47 per cent of BritishJews are under thirry-five, compared with 48 percent of the overall population of England and \X/ales.Because of the age distribution of theJewishpopulation, more than half (55 per cenr) arefemale.lo

Socio-economic statusBritish Jews have above-average socio-economicstatus, primarily because they are a well-educatedpopulation, with a high proportion of universirygraduates. In fact, more than half-54 per cent ofworking men and 50 per cent of working women-are in professional occupations. This compares withthe approximately 10 per cent of men and 8 percent of women in the general population who havesuch work. In addition, among thoseJews agedeighteen to sixty-four who are econctmically active, afurther 25 per cent of men and 16 per cent ofwomen are in managerial posts. In terms ofindustries, some 16 per cent of the British Jewishworking population are employed in education and10 per cent are in the medical field.t

Notes1 Marlena Schmool and Frances Cohen, A Profile of

Bntisb Jewlt Pattents and kends at tbe Tum oftbe Century (Board of Deputies of British Jews1998).

2Ibid., p J.3 lbid., pp 3tr4 Stephen Miller, Marlena Schmool and Antony

l€rman, Social and Political Attitudes of BritisbJeus: Some Key Findings of tbeJPR Suruey(London 1996)

5Ibid., p 16.

6 Stephen Milleq 'Religious practice andJewishidentity in a sample of LondonJews', inJonathanWebber (ed.), Jewisb Communities inWestentEurope (Oxford Cenrre 7995), pp 793-204.

7 Ibid., p 199.B Schmool and Cohen, AProfile of BritisbJewry,pp

4tr.

9 rbid.10 rbid.11rbid.

ln What Kind of Britain lsRepresentation Taking Place?

A diverse societyThe impact of economic and social change inBritain has been especially rapid since the SecondVorld

.War. Ways of life and communities have been

subjected to disruptive internal and external forces.

Britain has become a diverse society in terms ofreligion, ethnic oligin, culture and lifestyles. It is amulticultural society Ethnic, regional and otherdifferences are increa-singly presented as requiringnot merely toleration but also acknowledgement,respect, r€sources and representation. Where onceassimilation was seen as the way to achieve socialcohesion, that same social cohesion is now seen a-s

dependent on allowing people to value andmaintain difference.

For the purposes of representation, the mostsignificant changes are structural, affecting thevarious tiers and layers of government to whichJews have traditionally sought to makerepresentations. The changes already under waythat are affecting Britain's central politicalinstitutions promise to alter significantly the patternoF pou'er, leading to new challenges andoppor-tunities for representational activity

Reform of the House of LordsHereditan' peers who historically supported Jewishinterests but who no longer have seats in the HouseofLords have been one source ofchange in therepresentational landscape. Further reform ctf thatchamber could alter the composition of its life-peermembers, among whom are many friends of theJervish communirywho speak up forJewishconcerns. Consideration must therefore be given tothe consequences of these reforms forrepresentation of the interests of the BritishJews.

The Roval Commission, headed by Lord'\!'akeham,has proposed the appointment of representatives offaith groups other than those of the establisheclChurch to sit in a reformed second chamber.r Theproposal may be regarded as the first step on theroad to multiple state-sanctioned religiousestablishments. These changes also present thepossibility of having state-appointed Jewish religiousrepresentatives who will sit in the House and speakfor theJewish community Regarded by varioussectors, including the Board of Deputies, as likely toincrease tensions within BritishJewry the move isalso seen as potentially leading trt rivalries withinand between other minority groups r,ying for seats

in the newly reformed chamber. Thus theimplications of the House of Iords reform for therepresentation of Jewish interests require carefulconsideration.

Proportional representation in UK generalelectionsThe 1998 Report of tbe Independent Commissionon tbe Voting System, chaired by l.ordJenkins,recommended proportional representation in theUK electoral system.2 Similar changes have alreadytaken place in Scotland, in national a-ssemblyelections in Vales and Northern lreland, and for theEuropean Parliament. If adopted for the UKParliament, proportional representation will changethe balance of parties, forcing them to review theway in which they relate to porenrial and actualgroups of supporters to gain parliamentary seats.Such a system could open the doors for neo-fascistand other extremist parties. At the very least, thesechanges would force theJewish community toconsider whether it should organize itself differentlyon the political level in order to safeguard itsinterests.

Devol ution and regionalizationDevolved legislatures are now operating inScotland, Wales ancl Northern Ireland.x There is alsosome likelihrxrd of further levels of devolutictn thatmay provide England with an assembly and/orregional assemblies. Government offices havealready been established in the designated Englishregions, run by civil servants and focusing onmatters of economic regeneration.

The devolution of legislative and governmentalauthority in the UK means that the new bodiesnow deal with issues a-ffecting ethnic and religiousgroups, such as equal opportunities and racerelations. It also means that interest groups inthose jurisdictions are being challenged to developnew forms and methods of local representationalactivity

Some analy.sts believe that devolution may lead to aheightened nationalism or narrow localism in thedevolved areas, including England, should it be feltthat English identity is not being given its fullweight in the new devolved arrangements. Othersarp4ue that devolution will release tensions whichare better managed within federal frameworks andthat a broader concept of citizenship will need tobe developed together with pluralist attirudes.

*Information with regard to Northcrn Ircland was accurate at time of€loing to press.

A Scottish Council ofJewish Communities hasalready been created to act a.s a coherent voice andchannel to the new parliament in Edinburgh. TheGlasgow Representative Council, which took thelead role in setting up the Scottish Council ofJewishCommunities, acknowledged that this will result in aradical change in their relationship with the Boardof Deputies. Similar developments are under way inthe wake of the establishment of the'W'elshAssembly

Changes in local governmentChanges in local authority boundaries and in theroles of local government are expected to createother new challenges for representational activity

According to the Local Government Bill, as

outlined in a \X,'hite Paper published in March 7999by the Department of the Environment, Thansportand the Regions (DETR) and disseminated in apublication called Local Leadersbip, Local Cboice,the structure of local government throughoutEngland will change.3 The committee structure willbe replaced by open structures chosen bymunicipalities and districts themselves. Through aconsultation process and/or referendum, citizenswill have three basic local governance models fromwhich to choose:

. a directly elected mayor with a cabinet;

. a cabinet with a leader;

. a directly elected mayor and council manager.

The new structures are designed to 'modernize'local government throughout England by creatinggreater participation and accountability of electedofficials and increased involvement of the businessand the voluntary sectors, in acldition to Flreatertransparency and efficiency overall. While thenumber of councillors currently existing in a givenborough or town will remain the same, the way inwhich various committees are set up will be subjectto major change. They will no longer be made upexclusively of councillors. Instead, greaterparticipation by the public at large will be possible,with community members being able to volunteeror asked to sit on committees. This in itself isdesigned to increase representation on behalf ofthose sectors of the community that are, as of now,most under-represented: women andethnic/religious minorities.

London mayor and Greater London AuthorityMajor change will occur in London with thefcrrthcoming creation of the Greater krndon

Authority (GIA), incorporating a directly elected all-London mayor and a twenty-five-member assemblyfor Iondon elected by proportional representation.The GLAwill have four functioning bodies:Tiansport for London (TfL), the IondonDevelopment Agency (tDA), the London Fire andEmergenry PlanningAuthority Q,FEPA) and theMetropolitan Police Authority (MPA) There mayalso be departments for areas such as culture whichwill have special significance for minority groups.Given that the va.st majority of BritishJews live inIondon, making preparations for pursuing Jewishinterests with the mayor's office and the assembly isvital. Similar changes are likely to affectJewishcommunities in other metropolitan area-s as well.

Closer integration into the EuropeanUnionOver the last few decades successive governmentshave signed up to closer integration of Britain inEurope, thereby making the country subject toEurope-wide laws and regulations that have to beadopted for Britain, as well as laws which takeprecedence over domestic legislation. Even now ona whole variety of issues, British interest €lroupshave to take their cases to Europe to lobbycommissioners and members of the EuropeanParliament. This applies to matters such as theslaughter of animals, combating racism and the freemovement of p;oods and people.

In the short term, the impact of the EU on the livesof people living in Britain will intensif,,. No groupwill be able to ignore decisions made by the EUand the need to make representations in Brusselsand Strasburg. A majority of Britons recognize thisgrowing European influence. According to a recentMORI poll,44 per cent of the population think thatthe European Parliament and European Union willhave the most power over their lives in twenlyyears (compared to 22 per cent who choseWestminster).+

The power of the European Union will increase,with several likely results. First, since parties withsimilar outlooks from different countries tend toband together as political and voting blocs, Britishinterests are expected to become increasinglysubject to the ebb and flow of politicalmanoeuvring, compromise, concession andmanipulation. Second, the appointment of the EUcommissioner with responsibility for external affairsmay also result in more concerted poliry-making inareas of concern to British Jews, such as the MiddleEa^st. Finally, enlargement of the EU will result in theneed to be more aware of political and other

developments in countries in Central and EasternEurope, where, even in the last few decades, thetreatment of minorities has been less thanexemplary Given this constellation of factors, thereis an urgent need forJews in the UK, as the secondlargestJewish community in the EU, to establish,together with other European communities,effective representation at the EU level.

The Human Rights Act of 1998The Human Righs Act incorporates the EuropeanConvention on Human Rights into British law andwill take effect from 2 October 2000. It may have animpact on the existing law against incitement toracial hatred and on any future legislation that maybe proposed to deal with racism and antisemitism.

The Act will expand to the public realm theprovisions of Convention Articles 9 artd 74, whichprotect'freedom of thought, conscience andreligion', as well as seek to prevent their restriction.As a result, the Home Office has initiated a projectexploring the possibility of introducing legislationcriminalizing incitement to religious hatred anddiscrimination on religious grounds. Because theHuman Righa Act will have direct application toboth individuals and private organrzations operatingin the public sphere, prepamtion by theJewishcommunity for its incorporation into British law isimperative.

Enhanced role for voluntary organizationsDuring the 1970s and 1980s, the political consensuson the welfare state began to break down. It wasargued that there wa*s a need to involve thevoluntary and commercial sectors in human seliceprovision because of the inflexibility of governmentbureaucracies. Broad suppoll came from all parts ofthe political spectrum and a climate was created inwhich the voluntary sector was expected to have amuch increased role in responding to humanneeds.

The withdrawal of the state from many areas ofsocial and economic activity has put increasedpressure on communities to provide forthemselves or to develop coherent policies ofpartnership with new state structures. Additionalmovement towards privatizing those services onceprovided by the welfare state puts pressure on thevoluntary sector to engage in the direct provisionof essential welfare, educational and housingservices previously funded by governmentagencies.

The voluntary sector has also come to be seen as a

means of strengthening cMl society-groupings oflike-minded people meeting needs and obligationsin a'public space'dominated by neither the statenor the market. The sector's organizational entitiesare seen as central to civil society and the functionswhich the sector appears to perform especially wellare increasingly valued: building 'social capital',integrating individuals into the wider society,nurturing trusting relationships, providingopportunities for self-expression and encouragingvolunteering.

Because the UK'sJewish communities have manyvoluntary orgNizations, these trends offer uniqueopportunities for forging creative partnerships withthe voluntary sector in general and withgovernment agencies.

The information revolution and theknowledge societyThe use of the Internet and the dramaticexpansion of information/communicationtechnology (ICT) pose challenges andopportunities for dispersed transnationalcommunities. These developments create multipleopportunities for British Jewish communities toshare knowledge and interact, both with eachother and within theJewish world.

'On the one hand, the new technology hastransformed the way members of groups andcommunities can communicate with each other,how they make knowledge about their culture orreligion avallable to members of the group (andothers) and even how they maintain a sense ofcommunity On the other, extremists andantisemites are using the Internet to disseminatetheir ideas and to facilitate violent acts. Thus thesame malleability of the Net which makes it acreative medium for transnational groups can beturned to potentially harmful purposes which aredifficult to control. if the British government hasno power to act in this area because offensive web-sites may be located in other countries, it raisesthe question of how interest groups can monitoqrespond and make representations on theproblem. In addition, as the Internet hasincreasingly become a means through whichrepresentations are made generally, the Jewishcommunitywill need to weigh the implication ofthis development for the representation of its owninterests.

In terms of information dissemination, educationand public awareness, it is clear from the way thatJewish groups, orgNtaations and individuals have

already embraced the Internet that many are keenlyaware of its potential.

Notes7 A Hotse for tbe Future, Royal Commission ctn the

Reform of'the House of Lords, Lord Wakeham,

January 2000.Z-Repoi of tbe tnctepeiZleqCommission on tbe

Voting System,The Rt. Hon)TordJenkins of

Hillhead, OM, chairman, October 1998.3 Loccrl Leaclersbip, Local Cboice, Deparrment of

the Environment, Tiansport and the Regions, JohnPrescott, 25 March 1999. See also Tbe Sbape ofTbinS4s to Come? Tbe Initial Organizatioi of'tbeGreater London Autbori4t: A Consultation Paper,August 1999.

4 Tbe Economist, 6 November 7999, pp 1-78.

^ The Current Pattern ofJ+ Representation

Constructing the mapIn order to understand the current pattern ofrepresentation and how the interests and concernsof the community are represented today weidentified those organizations that carry outrepresentation, together with their main 'target'audiences. This information was produced indiagrammatic form, as shown overleaf,'We alsosought and received confirmation from theorganizations themselves as to whether ourunderstanding of what they do matches their owndefinition. (The list of organi:zations, their aims andobjectives, and the areas of interest that they covercan also be found in Appendir 1.) We haveendeavoured to be as comprehensive as possiblebut mav have inadvertently omitted organizationsrvho regard themselves as being involved inrepresentation.

Explaining the mapThe discussion in this section takes as its startingpoint the diagram of organtzational representation.It illustrates in stark relief a multi-faceted, diverseancl complex pattern of representational activitv

The diagram includes org4anizations which qualifi, asbeing involved in representation according to ourtwo previous definitions (see p 12) in one of thetwo senses: those which take on an advocary orpressure-group role and aim specifically torepresentJewish interests via direct lobbying ofsome kind; and those which representJewishinterests by aiming to inform, educate, influenceopinion or simply maintain a presence in the publicspace.

On the perimeter of the circle are the targets ofrepresentation, the 'consumers'. The generaltargets - government, local authorities, the massmedia, international organnattons, foreigngovernments-are placed on the top half of theperimeter. The Jewish targets - Israel (political,Israel-Diaspora relations, philanthropic),international Jewish organizations, European Jewishorganizations, other Diaspora communities - areplaced on the bottom half of the perimeter. Someof these Jewish targets of representation are bodiesthrough which BritishJewish interests are broughttogether with the interests of other nationalcommunities and of Israel, and which thenrepresent Jewish interests to certain organizations.For example, the Board of Deputies is the Britishconstituent of the'$forld Jewish Congress, which

acts in the name of its affiliatedJewish communitieswodd-wide. Some of these international orEuropeanJewish organizations seek to lobby orinfluence the British government.

The organizations involved in representation arelisted next to their target audiences. Provincialrepresentative councils also have multiple targets,but on the local level. Organizations with more thanone target are listed again under that target. Someorganaations appear on only one list; others appearon many lists. The Board of Deputies and the ChiefRabbinate appear on many lists, reflectin5l the rolethat they seek to play in representingJewishinterests.

Some organizations are notJewish organizations a,s

such, but play a very important role working forJewish interests. For instance, the labouqConservative and Uberal Democrat Friends of Israelgroups and the Council of Christians andJews.

Representation can range from the very formal-the Board of Deputies and the Chief Rabbinate-tothe very informal, as a by-product of otheractivities - cultural festivals, educational outreach,museums. This by-product representation, whichoperates in what we might broadly call the 'publicspace', is clustered separately

In addition, placed outside of the ellipse are threeAmericanJewish organizations which, from time totime, seek to presentJewish interests tollovernment and the mass media in Britain: theAnti-Defamation League, the American JewishCommittee and the Simon \il/iesenthal Center.V4-ren these bodies decide to take such action it isusually on matters relating to antisemitism, Israel orinternational terrorism.

The flow of information is not zrlways oneway, fromJewish source /o external target. Some of the bodiesare consulted by the target audiences for their viewson the interests of theJewish community in relationto specific subjects. The general media seek out arange ofJews who are asked (sometimes openlysometimes by implication) to speak on behalf ofJews in Britain.

Board of Deputies of British JewsThe Board's ongins date back to 7760; the currentname dates from 1913. A description based ondocumentation provided by the current Board canbe found in Appendix 1. A short information leafletpublished by the Board states: 'The Board ofDeputies pft)tects, supports and defends the

Representation of Jewish interests: org anizational map

tti,Il]!F,{,,]Se!Wn,.{XX

interests, religious rights and customs ofJews andtheJewish community in the United Kingdom andpromotes the development of the BritishJewishcommuniry'

In the eyes of many lboth inside and outside oftheJewish communiry), the Board is seen as theprincipal (or even by some as the only)organization undertaking representative fu nctionsin respect of the British Jewish communiry Thepresent pattern of representation is far morecomplex and multi-faceted, involving manyorganizations in addition to the Board.Significantly several of these carry our their ownrepresentative activities 'as principals'while ar thesame time being represented by deputies on theBoard.

ObservationsFormal representational bodies are not alone inaddressing their targets. Around each target isclustered a group of organizations seeking to maketheir voices heard, not necessarily in conflict withthe central representative bodies. One of their grearstrengths is their ability to specialize and call upon aceftain depth of expertise in their chosen field.Many specialized organizations are not required toconsult democratically with all of their members, ifthey have any Some membership organizations donot necessarily have to consult their membersbefore taking action.

A significant number of the key organizationspresentingJewish interests to the wider society areeither new or reformed versions of older bodies.The Board of Deputies, the Community SecuriryTi-ust, the t[IA (formerlyJA plusJewishContinuiry), Jewish Care, JCORE, JPR, V,JR and the'Wiener Library- all have restructured, relaunchedor changed direction in recent years. Neworganizations include the Maimonides Foundation,the Three Faiths Forum, the Association forJewishCommunal Professionals, the Anne FrankEducational Tiust, the Holocaust Educational Ti:ust,the Inter-Parliamentary Council,$ainstAntisemitism, Scopus, Tzedek and UIIAID.Naturally this process has had a significant impacton the older umbrella organnations like the Boardof Deputies, since their voices have to competewith those of others.

In addition, many of the key new or reformedbodies do not have memberships or constituenciesto speak of. Some organizations speak directly togovernment ministers and senior civil seruants andare in turn sought out by them. As entirely private

bodies with independent charitable starus, theyrequire no democratically granted mandate.

The situation was summed up by Israel Finestein inhis analysis of the evolving governance of Anglo-Jewryt He saw the current pattern ofJewishorganizations, which can be viewed as a dramaticdilution of what was previously regarded as acentral, exclusive representative role played by theBoard of Deputies, as being a function of theincreasing exercise of influence:

There is now a series of standing de facto powerstl-uctures, each with its own sphere of authority,public recognition and specialization...The wholeprocess is marked by enhanced professionalismin high-profile specialized areas of communal life,where major private funding and fund-raising areengaged in by the respective independentinitiators. In such enterprises,'parliamentary'pnredures and the elected representativecharacter of the Board are not at a premium.z

Our research has also shown that there are no legalrights or constraints external to the constitutions ofthe Board of Deputies and the United Synagoguewhich define, mandate or restrict the scope of thegeneral representative activity of the Board ofDeputies or the Chief Rabbinate (whether exclusiveor otherwise). In essence then, similar to otherorganizations, they are free to define their own rolesat any point in time in the sense of determiningtheir own aspirations, objectives and method ofoperation frrr their own internal domestic purposes.

The proliferation of other Jewish representariveorganizations, the relative ascendance of some ofthem, the individual representative structures thatthey have developed, and the spheres ofinfluenceand authority that they have established are,therefore, not in any sense contraventions of, or inconflict with, any legally sanctioned status quo.These realities underlie much of the evidence whichwe received in our consultation exercise, to whichdetailed reference is made in Section 5.

The most prominent organization undertaking itsown representative functions isJewish Care, thelargest body responsible for the welfare seruices ofthe communiryJewish Care deals with society atlarge without any intermediary

The central organizations concerned with BritishJewry's relationship with Israel occupy a similarposition. \X4-rile the L[tA does not seek or appear roneed a representational role, organizations

clustered around it have effectively constituted apro-Israel lobby ancl have mobilized for thispurpose. Apart from the L[IA, there are otherorganizations which seek to influence the Israeligovernment and Israeli society in various ways, orwhich direct their attention to the Britishgovernment or non-British political institutions sucha.s the United Nations. Ad hoc British.Jewishcommunal involvement with the Centre Europ6enJuif d'Information in Brussels is intended partly toraise matters relating to Israel in the EU.

Additiona I layers of representation\X,/hile most of the main bodies referred to so far canclaim to speak for sizeable constituencies within thecommuniry there are also numerous independent,specialist and single-issue bodies which zreroutinely approached for their views by the widersociety Many cooperate with the more formalrepresentational institutions, but some do not. Allhave grown in importance in the last ten to fifteenyears.

Finally beyond the organizational field there exists arange of individua-ls-many of whom do not holdformal positions with any Jewish orp4anization -who seek to representJewish interests eitherprivately or in ad hoc association with other groupsor organrzations. This range includes members ofboth Houses of Padiament, businessmen, leadingacademics, clergy the media and show-businesspersonalities. By irs very nature, such informalrepresentational activity is impossible to mapprecisely, even as it is important to note in anydescription of Jewish representational activity inBritain.

EuropeOne target area which appears to attract relativelylittle attention is Europe, even as the decision-making processes in the European Union forJewishcommunities continue to grow in signiflcance. In

this context it should be noted that the Board ofDeputies is affiliated to the EuropeanJewishCongress (IJC), which represents its affiliatednational Jewish communities' political interests inEurope, although the EJC has no formal presence inBrussels.

The societal contextThe organizational map illustrates a cross-section ofcommunal representation. It does not, howeveqshow how things have changed. For example, theorganiza:ions that exist today have er:.ergc,Jthrough a process of accretion and aclrJ;tion vtwissues have come to the fore, frequently spawningrepresentational efforts. Yet, judging by the rangeof organizations that currently exists, few issuesseem to be deleted from the communal agenda. Itis easier to create new organizations than todismantle old ones which may no longer have apurpose.

One analysis that was offered to us views thisstructure as pafi of a living social dynamic; it reflectsdevelopments in society generally and is notpeculiar to theJewish community Life is becomingmore specialized, more compartmentalized. Theindividual can no longer obtain all the informadonneeded to pursue a career, care for family andmanage personal finances from a single source. Theincreasing specialization in representation reflectsthis social reality-it is a response to the increasingcomplexity ofJewish life which is lived in anincreasingly complex sociery

Notes1 Israel Finestein, A community of paradox: office,

authority and ideas in the changing governance ofAnglo-Jewry', in S. Ilan ltoen (ed.), Jewisb Centersand Peripheries: Europe betueen America andIsrael 50 Years afier World War II (NewBrunswick, NJ, 1999), p 277.

2rbid.

Gatherino ldeas:The Con5u ltation Exercise

The method of consultationThe extensive and comprehensive consultationexercise outlined in Section 1 produced alargequantit,v of evidence, which we have carefullyocamined and considered. Its pulpose was toenable as wide a spectrum a-s possible of BritishJewrv to express their views on the subject ofrepresentation.'We trawled for concepts, responsesand reactions. W'e sought a range of perspectivesand perceptions, together with the opinions ofindividuals and organizations whose particularexperience, expertise and ideas we believed wouldhelp contribute to our endeavour.

Questionnaire respondents, participants at townmeetings and interuiewees had a great deal to sayabout the current situation. Some were fiercelyprotective of existing institutions; others werehighlv crjtical of them. Yet throughout this phase ofour investigation, we cliscerned certain recurringquestions, themes and concerns, which serwed asguides for our further inquiries. rVe listened to ideasfor the reform of the existing representational

ideas that touched on the concepts ofleadership, consultation, professionalism,networking and coordination, reaching theunaffi liated, internal, informal and religiousrepresentation, representation abroad and internalJewish divisions.

A deliberative processDuring more than eighteen months'existence, theCommission gained unprecedented entry intctvirtually every sector of the community-across therange of relip4ious, ideological, specialist andregional bodies. In the course of our deliberations,ne discovered two things. First, the contentictusnesswe often heard about in the public sphere wasconspicuously absent from the consultative processin which we engaged within the communiry Withfew exceptions, interviews and discussions wereheld in a constructive atmosphere. Inteliewees andparticipants conducted themselves with dignityderecb eretz (respect) and a willingness to en€aagein dialog4ue in order to achieve communal ends.Our obseruations are all the more noteworthybecause the parties we spoke to had next to noparticular knowledge of the conduct of the otherindividuals and organizations with whom theCommission interacted duringits inquiry

Second, even as participants in town meetings orrespondents to the questionnaires openly voiced

their strongly held opinions and expressed theirextensive and occasionally biting critiques of thecuffent state of representation, we cletected acollective willingness and an overarching desire-sometimes with detailed solutions-to remedycommunal ills and to do a better job of having ourseparate and collective interests addressed. Thusthe Commission's work was conducted in a positiveand optimistic framework.

The key questions1 Multiple layers of representation: needlessduplication or strength through diversity?The explanation and analy.sis in Section 4 revealedthe complex, multi-layered structure of communalrepresentation, with many organizations andindividuals pursuing the same or similar targets.

Most of those who attended the Commission'stown meetings affirmed thatJews present theirconcerns to different bodies for different purposesand in different ways. The need for representation,they said, frequently originates with a wicler societyseeking'a'or'the'Jewish view In this connection irwa.s recognized that representation is not restrictedto direct lobbying on certain issues or raisingparticular concerns with national and kralinstitutions. Schools, Jewish radio, Jewish cinema,museums, exhibitions andJewish pericdicals all playdifferent roles in representingJews andJudaism to awider sociery that many feel is increasingly receptiveto thingsJewish.

Those who answered the questionnaires on behalfof orgutizations noted how diverse the BritishJewish community has become. They also observedthat this diversity is not reflected in currentrepresentational arrangements. Wderrepresentation is necessary they said, to meet thegrowing needs of a changing BritishJewry

Individual respondents tended to accept the ideathat different groups conduct their ownrepresentation, rea.soning that any person or entitythat purports to speak on all of BritishJewry'sbehalf will only be able to speak, at best, for amajority Many say that representation should beconducted by a whole range of individuals andspecial organaations, and not iust by one bodyThey should be 'bridge-building', coordinate withothers, conform to high professional standards, beclear about whom they are representing, beaccountable and judged by their effectiveness.

A picture of diversified representation was further

confirmed in comments from representatives oforganhations actually involved in representation,many of whom accepted the growing trend towardsspecializatio n by organrzations such as Jewish Care,the Union ofJewish Students, the CommunitySecurity Ttust (CST) and the Haredi or strictlyOrthodox community This multi-faceted portraitwas seen as reflecting the growing trend towardssingle-interest-group politics in British society andthe wider world. 'Separate specialist organizationsarise in order to meet the needs that an unwieldycentral body cannot meet' was a typical comment.

Many see the wide mix of representation as apositive development. As one prominentbusinessman put it: '[Representation] is all beingdone effectively on the local level or by peoplecoming together in ad hoc ways. Small is gctctci. Youget people to chip in if they can identify with whatyou're doing. Duplication? Mao said: "Iet athousand flowers bloom." The market forces saythose who are weak will fail.'And another head of acharity concerned with Israel said: 'The issue is nothow many representative organuations exist, but ifthe overall job of representation is done well.'

2 Should there be one or many voices?\W.e noted with interest the number of times thefullowing argument was articulated: 'There aresimply too manyvoices in theJewish community tocreate anlthing resembling uniformiry' Others feelthat becauseJews are not a homogeneous ethnicgroup, there is no need for one institution to speakon their behalf

Despite the obvious drawbacks, such views areoften held side by side with a desire for some kindof collective lobbying. 'I think it would be wonderfulto have one voice representing the communiry butI think it is unobtainable because of developmentsin the community over the last fifty years,' said oneorgnizational head.

Others maintained that there was no need forcentralized representation as long as British Jewscan come together on an issue-by-issue basis-amodtn operandi particularly suited to work at theregional and local level. One community activistclearly articulated this idea as an expression of thegeneral principle of subsidiarity: 'There isn't anyneed for central representation, because it is allbeing done effectively on the local level or bypeople coming together in ad hoc ways. Youorganize yourselves under common interests andspecific issues, forming common policies ongovefnment, on health care, on government aid

and the like.'

One local government official went so far as toadvise: 'Resist the temptation to shoehorn therepresentation of your concerns into a single bodyJews have avanety of interests. There should be aplurality of influential bodies that can legitimatelyspeak to the interests of the communiry I wouldprefer to see a consensual coordinating body Thereason is simple.Jews share avaieqr of interests...There should be a plurality of influential bodies thatcan legitimately speak to the interests of thecommunity'

Experts from outside theJewish communityput thissituation in perspective. One senior figure in a racerelations body said: 'The more diversity you have,the harder it becomes for any group to representtheir community's interests.'

A race relations academic who has looked at theway communities organize themselves told us:'There are...tensions around who represents whichcommunity and who should represent particularcommunities.'Explaining this furtheq he said:'[within] particular communities there are politicalinstitutions or community institutions that havedeveloped over the years that can usually be seen a-s

playing some kind of role. But I think the questionis not to see those organizations as representing thewhole communiry They represent a particularinterest, and particular ideas that have come aboutover a period of time.' Noq he said, does thissituation put an ethnic or religious community at adisadvantage: 'I would tend towards the view thatit's not easy to make sure that there is just onevoice for a particular communiry There are boundto be different voices and different organizations. Itdoesn't mean that communities are unable toexercise any influence on politics-particularly ifthey have sufficient forms of political organrzationswithin political parties.'

A leading official in one of the major political partiesput a particularly positive gloss on the existence of avariety ofJewish representation: 'If an interestingidea comes out of aJewish organization, it willsimply mean that people will be more ready to looktoJewish organizations in general for good idea"s.

It's understandable being protective of funds, butotherwise competition is a good thing...It isn't likecompetitive businesses. We should celebrate thesuccess of Jewish organizations.'

The demands of the times in which we live loomedlarge in arEluments we heard in favour of diverse

representation. An inteliewee involved in Jewishdefence matters said: 'There needs to berepresentation by different orgNtzations ondiffierent issues. It would be unhealthy for thecommunity to have itself represented by one bodyon all issues.' A representative of a membershiporganization with links abroad argued: 'There canbe a collective voice on core issues, but then thereneed to be many organizations which specialize.'Aninteliewee from theJewish media said:'Competition is a healthy rhing. [We] would like tosee openness, accountability and maximumtransparency' Finally from still another perspective,we were told: 'In the culture field, a^s elsewhere, wedon't need rigid or static sttltctures; we must allowfor new organizations.'

\(/hen reservations about diverse representationwere expressed they often echoed the viewexpressed by one interwiewee active in the area ofinformal education: 'There should be differentvoices for different area.s, but if there are too manyvoices on one topic this could be detrimental.'Howeveq those who commented on this questionfrom the point of view of how this diversity is seenfrom the outside saw no dangers.

An interfaith professional was unequivocal aboutspecial-interest representation: 'I see no danger intheJewish community presenting different voices tothe outside world. It is important for the outsideworld to acknowledge the pluralirywirhin faiths.'Ajournalist on a broadsheet newspaper told us: 'I'dalways try to consult a variety of sources. Not justthe Chief Rabbi or the Board of Deputies. Butsometimes it can be difficult.'A former Home Officeofficial turned academic also saw some difficulty:'\il4rere a fragmented community has to beconsulted by government, by the Home Office, it isa problem both for the community and for thedepartment.'But he informed us that'openconsultation' has become increa-sing4ly the norm.

Rel ig io us represe ntatio nThe difficulties associared with religiousrepresentation were frequently voiced. Oneprofessional head of a religious institution said: 'It isneither desirable nor possible to have one religiousvoice. There needs tobe a reconstituted, non-ecclesiastical Board of Deputies which should act inpolitically astute manner-even on religious-issues to suppolt other parts of the communiry'

The strictly Orthodox groups were satisfied withdiverse representation. One official told us: '\l'edon't need the Board of Deputies to have our voice

more legitimately or effectively heard. rWhen weneed to, we can have the ear of the governmentwithout any intermediary.' Aleading activist involvedin local government said: 'I can tell you, as principalofficer and head of the external affairs committee[of our orgutizationl , we have contact with thegovernment and with other Jewish organizations,and, where appropriate, with organizations beyondthe Jewish community' And a prominentmainstream Orthodox religious leader wellrespected by the Haredi community summed thesituation up this way: 'I don't think you can haveone single, unitarian, formal organaation to coverthe entire scope of communal interests. We havenow a diverse community with diverseorganzational interests, with different social andreligious outlooks.'

W'e noted the weight of the argument that seesgreat value in the diversity of voices,notwithstanding the fact that it can sometimescause problems. Hardly anyone expressed this viewwithout also arguing for substantial reform of somekind.

Representatives of the Board of Deputies, on theother hand, argued that there is a desire for 'arepresentative body a single address, with which tocommunicate [with government ministers andofficials] and which they know will provide acomprehensive response on behalf of thecommunity'.

Others also defended, sometimes fiercely the statusquo. A prominent mainstream Orthodox religiousleader said: 'I must say that when it comes to thedefence ofJewish interests, I think fthe Board ofDeputiesl is a remarkably time-weathered andimpressive organization which does its work verywell. It accounts for the fact that theJewishcommunity hzls influence far beyond its numbers.'This view was echoed by a senior community figureinvolved in representation for many years: 'Rich,pooq cleveq not clever-it is the voice of thecommuniry Therefore it has to be sustained,supported and helped irrespective of who isrunning it.'And yet, he said: 'They cut their ownfunding, they cut their own voice, they cut theirown power. They've almost become marginalized.'

Critiques and recommendations abounded. Manyorganizational respondents suslested that a centralrepresentative body must be'more broadlyrepresentative','more accountable','trulyconsultative','better financed','more professional'or'democratically run'.

Still others maintained that no centralrepresentative body was needed. They argued thatJewish interests can be equally well served by 'anyintelligent person with a sense of history wellbriefed and having good PR skills', or that issues canbe handled on an'interest-by-interest, organization-by -o r ganaation bas is' .

3 Do the Jewish media have a role inrepresentation?Many segments of the community were concernedabout the place and role of theJewish media inrepresentation, an opinion that was often linked tocalls for greater diversity and more of a free-marketapproach to the dissemination ofJewish views andinformation.

In general, respondents acknowledged that theJewish media play a significant part in representinga comprehensive range ofJewish affairs to the widerworld. They are also seen a.s providing a for-um fordiscussion andan explanation of issues that are orneed to be pursued with bodies inside and ctutsidetheJewish community This was confirmed byjournalists from the national media, one of whomtold us: 'Of all theJewish organizatrons theJewisbCbronicle is by far the most prolific, in PR terms.Every Thursday I'm faxed a copy of the front paple,

with the main stories of the week.'

For these reasons, a wide range of individuals andorganizations in the community while fiercelyadvocating the principle of a free press,nevertheless believe that theJewish media shouldaddress their representational role. Given theirability to bring the concerns of BritishJewry to thewider world, many feel that theJewish mediashould be as informed about what representationinvolves-and means-as theJewish lay leaders,professionals and individuals who carry it out on aformal basis.

4 What is the place of informal representation?Some respondents were critical of individuals who,by virtue of their personal connections, wealth andestablishment position, can represent Jewishinterests privately Criticism was often indirect, as inthis comment from a leading figure in one of thereligicrus organaations: 'V4ren it comes to cclllectiverepresentation we are not gcxrd. It is not healthythat the philanthropic organizations and theirleaders also try to represent the communirypolitically There should be representation for theentire communiry Two approaches to frepresentingthe] community are not enough-money anclsynagoElue affiliation.'

On the positive side, one professional working onHolocaust issues said: '\ilre should find ways ofbringing the influential individuals into themainstream by speaking to them. They are doing avaluable job.'

Some argued that the community simply did notmake enough use of people in positions ofinfluence, or that 'more could be done with peoplewho do have the ear of people in power'. A similarview was put by a leading local authority figure: 'The

Jewish rommunity and Jewish organaatl:ons Con'tmake effective or wise use ofJews in publicauthoritv'And another professional who works withpoliticians saicl: 'The community shouldn't losesight of the importance of inclividuals of influenceand access. The leadership of fmy political party]expects me to be able to give them views onan),thing-from Islamic fundamentalism tosbecbita.In this sense I am representingJewishinterests to my own party'

5 How is Jewish representation received by itstarget audiences?A multi-faceted communityThose who are outside theJewish community butwork with it, as well as those who are the targets ofrepresentation, also point to the plurality ofrepresentational structures. One professktnalinvolved in interfaith work said: 'I would cctnsultwith a whole range of people in theJewishcommunity, depending on the issue. The Boardwould not be my first port of call necessarily' TheBBC told us: 'Notwithstanding the BBC's regard forthe Chief Rabbi, it does not restrict itself to quotingone or two mainstream sources on a given issue. Itattempts to ensure that there are appropriateJewish perspectives on relevant stories. We seek across-sampling of references, what we call a"portrayal", to give a mk of views and perspectivesand to make sure that what we put on the airwavesgives an accurate picture of what is going on.'

A religious or ethnic group?Central government is also aware of the Jewishcommunity's diversity and multi-dimensionalityOne government clepartment told us: 'The simpletruth is that from our point of view, to distinguishJews as an ethnic group fromJews as a religious

E;roup just doesn't make sense. We will deal withJewish organizations on whatever issue you want toraise-in other words, on your terms. Ourresponse will be determinecl on how you regard amatter, whether as a religious issue or as an ethnicone.' The Home Office, for example, said they hearJewish views through a number of channels,

including the Interfaith Network, the Race RelationsBoard, the Board of Deputies and a wide spectrumof voices from the religious and orgNtizationalcommuniry This approach was adopted for suchissues as the recent proposed HolocaustRemembrance Day and the exploration of attitudestowards legislation against religious discriminationand incitement to religious hatred in the UK.

'On the religious front,' said one governmentofficial, 'we know that if you deal with the ChiefRabbi, you must consult with the Reform andLiberals as well. W'e are sensitive to that. 'W'e alsorecognize that there isn't one definitive authoritativevoice in these matters.'

6 When is collective representation necessary?One representative of a membership organizationwith links abroad characteized the issue this way:'On core issues there can be a collective voice. Butthen there need to be many organizations whichspecialize.'

Vhen, then, is collective representation warranted?One magazine editor elaborated: 'The only issueswhich require formal representation are securityand antisemitism. On most other issues it would bean illusion to expect a unified vcice uis-ii-uis themedia. The media are sophisticated enough to seekr,{ews from all sides of a debate.'

Arguments were also advanced for the need to haveone communal view on certain matters. A leadingfigure in the welfare field said: 'There are timeswhen a collective response to government whitepapers-something approximating to a "centralJewish view"-may be called for, zs the experiencewith the 1998 Royal Commission on Long-TermCare for the Elderly demonstrated.'Anothercommunal professional told us that the communiryneeds one voice on issues of security

Even sectors of the community that tend to rely ontheir own channels of representation took apractical approach to collective representation. 'DoI Feel that I need to have an organizaLion representme?'asked one Haredi activist who deals with thegovernment on a regular basis. 'No. But on theother hand, we do need some kind of basis so

Jewish organizations can come together. Thecommunity is so polarized now. If it is the Board ofDeputies that can bring us together on certainissues, that's fine. I'm totally pra5lmatic and unfussy'

\X4rat people appeared to want, therefore, oncertain critical issues at least, is a central uiew, not

necessarily a central unitaty body. Moreoveq as itbecame clear, in this connection there waswidespread dissatisfaction with currentarrangements. Very few people thought that presentcentral structures matched up to their views of howrepresentation should ideally be conducted.

7 ls there a need for more leadership?The recruitment of leaders was widely considered akey weakness that needs to be remedied if theJewish community is to keep up with the changingworld of representational needs. Some argued thatbetter leaders could be found by introducing moredemocratic means into the'leadership election'process. They were also concerned by the narrowdemographic profile of the current leadership:largely oldeq male and wealthy

Many people advocated lay leaders, professionalsand policy heads who are elected to represent thecollective interests of BritishJewry Howeveq manyconsidered that credibility not the process ofselection, was the issue.

That point was made by another inteliewee inrelation to the wider society: 'The person fmostnon.]ews] accept who representsJudaism will bethe person who is seen as doing that-notnecessarily the person occupying a formal position.If an organization has at its head a strong,identifiable, media-friendly, articulate leader -someone who is there for a reasonable period oftime, able to command respect among otherJewszu-rd able to talk confidently to other leaders andhave a media profile-it will be taken veryseriously'

The impetus for reform: ten suggestedapproaches and solutionsIn examining the issue of representation andthrough our consultation with professionals, layleaders, community heads, political activists,professionals in the wider voluntarl'sector andvarious levels of government, an overriding themebegan to emerge. There is a feeling of n:g€ingconcern for the future. To be sure, that concerncannot be portrayed as a fear of imminent loss ofthe hard-earned gains that have been won over thecenturies, or as escalating concern for securiry oreven for the gradual erosion of privileges as areligious minority Nevertheless, there was aparticular uncertainty born out of an awareness ofthe rapid pace of change taking place in the shapeof society and the structure of government, withfew clues as to the new reality that may emerge.The result is a growing realization that the means of

representation regarded as effective today may notbe adequate in the near future.

Ve also observed that while people were quick toexpress their concerns and their sometimesextensive criticisms of existing representativestl-uctures, they were less willing, initially to suggestmeans, pfocesses, str-uctures and strategies whichm€ht be employed to explore solutions for thefuture. \X.4rat the following portion of the evidencesection of our report seeks to do, therefore, is toreflect some of the concerns we heard, along withsome of the solutions that were offiered-information that helped inform our owndeliberations.

1 More and better consultationW'e frequently heard from organizations that centralrepresentative bodies should more adequatelyconsult, particularly on educational and religiousissues. The most frequent call was for gathering'more cross-cultural, political and religious views'.Organnations in the regions expressed theirdissatisfaction with the London-centred nature ofdecision-making and consultation.

As an antidote, some respondents generallyrecommended'more democracy' without enteringinto specifics. One historian we interviewedexplained: 'The democratic deficit in theJewishcommunities of the British Isles is so great, therecan be little surprise thatJews display aparhytowards communal issues and generally feelexcluded and demoralized.'Yet a leading figure inthe wider voluntary sector cautioned that clear linesof accountability are ultimately more important thanthe method of decision-making: 'It isn't thestructure, but the governance that makes adifference-who you consult with, on what issuesand how often. There is an art to building

through meetings, e-mail,telephone-and you have to be seen to be doingthat. The extent to which you are consideredrepresentative,'he emphasized, 'is the exlent towhich you have consulted well.'

2 More networking and coordinationMore extensive networking and coordination ofrepresentation were also held up as desirable. Asone inteliewer involved in Holocaustremembrance put it: 'In today's wodd we needquick reactions and decisions. The way fcrr-ward isfor closer cooperation between organizations.'AJewish magazine editor told us: 'Ve are notIooking fcrr an efficient system of governmenr. \l'eare looking for a clegree of coordination, which may

be important at the European level whencompeting for funds. In fact, we need a structure tofactlitate coordination, where desirable, on specificissues...Specialist groups/institutions should act onthe basis of their knowledge and by formingalliances with other bodies on specific concernswhich they share.'

On the networking theme, another communalprofessional explained:'Representation is aboutcreating a web of communications.' Similarly thehead of a Haredi welfare body told us: 'We do a lotof networking. We joined a consortium, with fiveother housing associations, including an Irish oneand anAfrican one, covering all of London...Youcan't live in a tunnel.'

Another strictly Orthodox communal professionalseemed to confirm a readiness to join with othersto achieve common goals: 'You have to work withother people. And you have to be seen doing it.You're lMng in England, after all, and you're takingthe taxpayers' money We are part of the largercommunity'

Some respondents addressed coordination in theoverall context of representation. One Progressiverabbi wrote: 'The representational stmcture of thecommunity-and no less the mentalitywhich hasboth produced it and been nurtured by it-hasbeen anachronistic, anomalous and inadequatethroughout all of the past fifty years or more, andha-s become increa.singly so. \{4rat I find sadlylacking are communal self-understanding and self-respect, especially the pretence that we are amonolithic rather than a pluralist community andthat we must above all things present a united frontto the outside world. Ve urgently need a structurewhich honestly reflects the diversified nature of ourcommunity However, the empha.sis should be notonly on representing the interests of thecommunity-which is essentially a defensiveconcept-but alsct on making a positive andconstructive Jewish contribution to British sociery'

3 More professionalism and strategic planningMany respondents and interviewees expressed ademand for a more professional approach torepresentation. Good representation was felt to benot so much about who or what you claim torepresent, but how you elect to carry it out. As aformer MP put ir: 'The power of ftheJewishcommuniry's] lobby comes from whether we knowwhat we are talking about-knowledge andeffectiveness. If that happens rhen we are listenedto.'

The head ofan Israel charity stressed theimportance of professional planning: '\l'e havelearned from experience the power of a good pieceof planning-one that is put forward with stronglocal support, with prestige-fronting and in a waythat meets capital or revenue demands-all ofwhich can be turned into national leverage. Themore coherent and comprehensive our plan is, themore favourably it will be looked on by the variousgoverning agencies.'He added that while indMdualinitiatives, or 'entrepreneurship', is to be welcomed,it is not enough: 'It might be necessary to havesomething like a planning unit which would sitopposite the [appropriate government]department. You will maximize your leverage moresystematically and efficiently if you make sure itoperates through carefully understood andcoherent channels.'

Haredi groups which conduct their ownrepresentation told us of a similar need for aprofessional approach. To illustrate this point, oneinteliewee who had recently returned from ameeting of the European Conference of Rabbis,cited seminars covering computer and managementskills, communications, public relations, negotiation,community and educational development(including how to deal with local authorities).Another London-based Haredi leader explained itthis way: '\[e're all professionals, we memo eachother on a regular basis and we meet on an issue-by-issue, as-needs basis.'

One lobbyist described a need for professionaladvocaql what he called 'strategic, policy-directedpublic relations: making the best possible case for agiven position to the individuals who are closest tothe shaping of policy and/or lawmaking-anddoing so at the right echelons at the right time'.Such components might include, he said,monitoring and intelligence gathering as well asfocusing on parliamentary procedure. There arepieces of legislation, he suggested, both in the EUandat W'estminster, like the Human Rights Act, theAsylum Act and the Holocaust Remembrance Dayproposal, that are entirely legitimate for theJewishcommunity to be involved in. 'On these and manyother issues we have information to offer, points tomake, and experiences to add-all of which are inour best self-interest,' he said. Moreover: 'There is areal need for doing a policy audit on a regularbasis-to see what bills are coming out, what issueshave cropped up the last time around, and touncover new directives, such as on sbecbita,antisemitism or Israel.' In so doing, he said, youcreate 'a kind of eady warning system, so you can

more effectively formulate a response or pre-emptanother response'.

4 More representation of the'unaffiliated'Some respondents felt that those who do notbelong to aJewish group or organzation have noright to complain about the outcome of a processfrom which they have opted out. Many felt waysshould be found to somehow represent theinterests of the entire Jewish community- affi liatedand unaffiliated. This position was bolstered by anumber of individuals who feel that the unaffiliatedare excluded from the communitv on financialgrounds.

\X4rile most organizations acknowledge thechallenge of canvassing the views of this segment ofthe community some concrete suggestions weretracking opinions in letters to the editor ofJewishpublications, polling at events which attract peopleoutside the traditional affiliation mainstream, usingthe Internet. Other suggestions included allocatingplaces for individuals on the representative bodies,holding regular public meetings of such bodies andestablishing a Jewish Community Relations Council,which would include the unaffiliated.

5 Accounting for informal representationMany interviewees believe informal representationhas its advantages as well as disadvantages. On thepositive side, it can add value to representationthrough the activity of individuals who might notothelwise be in a position to act formally on behalfof the community but in fact are in a position to doso and to have their voices heard. It is alsoimportant atatime when more formal channels ofrepresentation are achieving litde. On the negativeside, the influence of private individuals mayundermine communal consensus, or give theimpression that leadership in theJewish communityis purely a matter of wealth, status and access.

It is also widely held that individuals who workprivately and in an ad hoc fashion representing theinterests of the community clearly form animportant part of the representational structure.

Moreover, many organ izational leaders believe thatit would benefit the entire community if those whoconduct informal representation were part of anongoing dialogue with the organizarions officiallyundertaking4 this work. This would not limit anyonebut would rather ensure that they request briefingsand are better informed about what representationon major issues is already taking place, therebyavoiding duplication.

Furthermore, it was suggested that a moreeffective, reformed structure would make itpossible for a dialogue to develop berween theorganizations and the individuals involved in suchinformal representation because the general imageand the culture of .formal representation willimprove.

Finally it was posited that those who are involved inthis activity and continue to representJewishinterests informally should be encouraged toreceive some kind of leadership development inorder to inform themselves as to the agreedpriorities of the community and the agreed policieswhere they exist.

6 More attention to new layers ofrepresentationLocal and regtonal ttersA top official emphasized a growing need for a newexpertise in identifizing new targets ofrepresentation:'The present Jewish communalleadership does not comprehend the processes thatexist between the layers of government-from theplanning process all the way down to the details ofhow legislation works. This is even more importantwhen you look at the restructuring that is going totake place on the local, regional and l.ondon levelsin the coming months.'An additional issue to befaced, said the official, is that 'locally and in theSouth-East and London area, there is no mechanismavailable on the borough or county level torepresent theJewish community or to make theneeds ofJewish communities felt. There is nocoherent way forJews to communicate with theirlocal authonties.'

EuropeMany see positive challenges for British Jews arisingfrom developments within the European Union,especially in connection with otherJewishcommunities in Europe. '\Yv4rat we have to do isstart looking at the overall picture instead of whatappear to be these piecemeal effiorts designed tobenefit one party or the other', said oneorganizational leader active in Europe. 'Thequestion is, how do you rebuild Europe?'What willhave a long-term effect onJewish life?'What takespriority, the renovation of cemeteries or thebuilding ofJewish schools?' He added: 'TheJewishcommunity in UK has always play,ed a major civicrole. W'e have leading members in the House ofLords, in Parliament-more so than any otherEuropean communiry For these and other reasonswe are well placed to take alead in the new Europe.Unfortunately theJewish lay leaders in this country

have not quite woken up to this realiry Ther. are atheart very British and tend to take on all theattributes that go hand in hand with living on anisland. The feeling of responsibility for Europe hasnever quite sunk in.'

Others, howeveq see the need for pa,ving attentionto Europe because it is a source of potentialproblems forJews. As one prominent businessmantold us: 'Once you enter into the European marketyou have a democratically deficient process, s-hereit will be much harder to have our voices heard orwhere other voices are antagonistic to us. Thedangerwith Europe is this:what if theJeu'ish voicedissipates and in ten years is replaced bv voices thatare not sympathetic to our pleadings? Interests thatare dominated by environmental concerns, s'elfarerights, ecological rights. Jewish interests will be seenas subversive or at least unsympathetic to theselarger universalistic trends. About sbecbita thev willsay: "You shouldn't be killing animals in this rvav"And then there is circumcision. In a single market,our individual, cultural needs will be challenged.You have nowhere near the democratic process youhave here. In the UKwe have an effectiveJervishlobby on sbecbita.In Europe, we don't havean),'thing.'

.^\<- ffepresentation abroad

-As for representation to targets abroad, at townmeetings there was an understanding of the needto represent British Jewish interests to internationalJewish organizations on such issues as restitution ofJewish property and other assets. While individualrespondents feel that BritishJewry does and shouldrepresent such interests, they also recognize thatthis activity is being carried out by a vanety ofspecialist organizations, groups and individuals.Many creative proposals were put forward abouthow views could be presented: at internationalconferences, via regular reports to internationalbodies, through the international media. In terms ofoverall coordination, a number of interuieweesargued that this function was already carried out bythe Board of Deputies. Suggestions in this area werevariations on the theme of 'one central body doinginternational representation' or 'very few bodies incoopefation'.

I sra el - D ias pora re lationsOn Israel, the question of representation took twoforms, stemming from the following questionsposed by the Commission in the course of itsinquiries :'Should British Jewish interests bepresented to Israel in relation to its generalpolicies?' and'Should British Jewish interests be

presented to Israel in relation to Israel-Diasporarelationsi,'

\Xhile an overwhelming maloriry of respondentsanswered 'yes' to both queries, the topics forrepresentation wefe varied. For example, there wasno great appetite for BritishJervish representativebodies to take political positions uis-d-uis Israeligovernment policies, from either an ideological or ageopolitical perspective. Some felt that single-issuegroups should be free to do as they wished inrepresenting their views on Israel through a varietyof means; others felt that there should be no publiccnticism of the government of Israel-an argumentwhich has been made repeatedly for many years inthe community However, in the event that issues ofconcern did arise, it was felt that the proper channelof communication should be through the IsraelEmbassy viaa'central body'such as the Board ofDeputies, or by means of special-interest bodies andZionist organtzations, which would thencommunicate their concerns via correspondingchannels in Israel.

As a corollary with the recognition of Israel'ssuccess in advancing its own interests in theinternational arena, a majority felt that it is the roleof the embassy or the foreign ministry to handlematters of national concern, As a result, extremelyfew respondents felt that BritishJewry shouldregularly make representations to the Britishgovernment on Israel's behalf. A consequence ofthis tendency was the phasing out of the BritishIsrael Public Affairs Committee (or BIPAC) in 7999.

Regarding 'intra-Jewish' issues a-s they affectDiasporaJewry-issues such as 'who is aJew',conversion clr immigration ancl the law of Return-the existence of conflicting opiniclns wasrecognized. It was widely felt that single-issueinterest groups should be free to do as they wish inrepresenting their views on such deeply feltJewishconcerns by a variety of means to the Israelisclirectly

7 Taking internal divisions into accountInterspersed with the areas of externalrepresentation that inteliewees and respondentsdescribed as prime candidates for reform, therewere the problems of internal division. By andlarge, howevet to the outside targets ofrepresentation, those clivisions are unimportantand are viewed in their context. One fctrmer BBCproducer told us: 'The community's problems areinternal and do not generally affect itsrepresentative effectiveness.'

However, some organ tzational respondentsmaintained that internal divisions and argumentshamper the presentation ofJewish views to thewider society: 'it dissipates our communal energies'and leads to a'lack of credibility'; it'provides anexcuse for the interests of the Jewish community tobe ignored'; 'unless we speak with one voice as acommunity we may become marginalized'. Buteven some of those expressing such views did notfeel it had to be that way as long as in-housedebates are kept in-house: they should notundermine theJewish community's standing in thewider world. And others felt that fractiousness neednot be a deterrent for 'getting the lob done' onissues of mutual concern. Multiple voices, it wasargued, are merely a reflection of those that cxist inthe cultural matrix that characterizes the Britishcommunity atlarge.

8 Changing roles for religious authoritiesMany affirmed that the Chief Rabbi has a highmedia profile and is seen by most outsiders as theface of the community. The broadcast media andreligion correspondents from the broadsheetsconfirmed this view when they told us: 'He isregarded a^s a primary news source andspokesperson on issues and affairs relating toBritishJewry lHe] is a known entit), especially forthe media, and what happens to him is of newsinterest.' But indMdual correspondents generallysaid that he represents only part of BritishJewry

One Haredi official pointed to the pitzuls of havingothers speak for his community's interests-particulady since they are not represented in theBoard of Deputies. 'Most of those in the secularworld do not have any real familiaritywith theHaredi communitv Because of that, they end upmisrepresenting our interests. That is why we haveformed our own representative structures.' Anothersaid: 'There is this idea thatjews need a lever and arepresentative to speak for them. But how can Ihave someone speak for me if they don't speak inthe manner I want them to speak? The right winghzs its own sbecbita, its own burial societies. For themost part, we work around the Chief Rabbi's Officeand the Board of Deputies, where possible. On theissue of sbecbita and the effctrts of the EuropeanCommunity to ban it, for example, we work moreclosely with the Antwerp Jewish community thananyone else.'

Regarding the Board of Deputies, one prominenrlay leacler said: All of us in the non-Orthodox sectorare clelegitimnedby having only two ecclesiastical

authorities [the Sephardi Haham and the ChiefRabbil. The solution? Give the Board theconstitutional authority to consult with eachreligious group, putting all the religiouscommunities on the same footing. Even so, anoverarching structure such as the Board should notbe the exclusive means of representing LiberalJewish interests.'

Progressives were not alone in expressing doubtsabout the links between the Board of Deputies andcertain religious authorities. One Haredi leader toldus: 'V/hen it comes to the subject of sbecbita,wea.lso have a representative on the National Councilof Shechita Boards. V4rere there is a sharedideology or where there are common interests, wedon't mind working together. The problem is, wedon't want to have official relations with an officialReform representative or with someone from theReform clergy'He continued: 'In these and othermatters, it is certain that we wouldn't go to theBoard of Deputies to represent our interests. Ineach case we prefer to do it on our own. If theBoard were a totally secular organization, yes, thatwould be a separate matter. If everyone from thecommunity sent lay representatives, we could sitarouncl the same table. fu it is structured now wecannot. But even in that case, we would have to beabsolutely certain that our interests were beingheard.'

9 Employing new ideas, new thinkingSome of the most stimulating parts of our inquirycame with the diversity of thinking that emerged inthe pursuit of new solutions to issues ofrepresentation. For a sneable cross-section ofrespondents and interviewees, some kind of newinstrumentality or process was needed to meetwhat many saw as a need for better leadership,more coordination and a more professionalapproach to representation. In addition, theyposited, this new structure (for lack of a betterterm) would also be better equipped to respond rothe new issues and new ideas appeanng on thehorizon.

Said one professional lobbyist: 'There needs to besome apparatus in theJewish community that canassess the issues on a policy level and see whatneeds to be taken on board proactively-something which the BritishJewish community forreasons thatme perhaps psychological andhistorical, is not in the habit of doing. As aJewishcommunitywe need to be employing the tools ofthe trade in order to get our message across and,ultimately, to best protect our interests.'

Communal self-definitions: UK Jews as a religiousor an ethnic group?There was substantial consensus regarding thetargets of representation : international, national,local and voluntary-sector institutions andorganizations. More varied comments related tohow these tafgets should be addressed, and onwhat basis theJewish community speaks to rhem,As one respondent wrote: 'Governmental and non-governmental organizations are now vien-ing goupsin ethnic terms-in order to determine allocationof resources, including time, space andrepresentation. \fle are a demographic group thatneeds representation in order to compete for ever-dwindling resources. W'e need to reassess our self-description as an "ethnic group" for governntentfunding purposes and for rea.listic purposes.Shrinking community means shrinking funds. anclcurrently we are footing the bill for the lion's shareof social seruices.'

This was also the view of one executive at the BBC,who noted that'as a multicultural sociery religiousand ethnic consideratictns have become increasinglyimportant. That means we must seek to do a goodjob on issues that matter to people-and thatincludes Jews, because the BBC sees Jews as both areligious andan ethnic communiry'

Should we then be addressing government andother bodies as an ethnic group? This questionbecame particularly salient when we consultedconstitutional experts who believe that if the versionof proportional representation proposed b,v theJenkins Commissiont is introduced, sctme ethnicgroups will acquire increased representation inParliament.

Noteworthy too was the obseruation that significantsectors of the Haredi communiry see no problemwith adopting this description. As the head of astrictly Orthodox welfare organnation told us: Atsome point there was the issue of meeting criteriaas an ethnic minority in the eyes of the housingcorporation. According to the Housing Act you arean ethnic group if you have your own language,your own culture, your own distinctive clothingand are easily definable by those characteristics. Forus there was no discussion.'At the other end of thereligious spectrum, another interviewee, involvedin informal education, said: 'YoungerJews arehappier seeing themselves ethnically W'e are part ofmulti-ethnic Britain and see things differendybecause of it.'

Several indMdual respondents argued in favour of

the ethnic designation in connection with the realityof the UK as a multi-ethnic, multicultural socierySince beingJewish means being different from therest of society they said, and with Britain's growingdiversity and acceptance of minorities, it is moreimportant than ever for theJewish view to be heard.An interviewee who works with MPs said: '\l'e oughtto play alarger role in the wider society if we expectto be a part of it. Our current organnations are notstructured to look after the broader things, but areinevitably str-uctured to look after individual issues.'

Our consultations with governmental third partiesconfirmed some of the above trends. Several ke1,targets, for example, are ready to seeJews as part ofthe multi-ethnic context. The NHS, for one, hasbecome increasingly aware of the needs of ethniccommunities, and especially how they may selvethem in an unbiased manner. In the past, Jewishinterests as they relate to the NHS have notemerged as an area in particular need of attention.Howeveq the NHS's New Electronic Library ofHealth currently being compiled may help toensure more awareness about the needs ofJews inrelation to such issues as pregnanql old age,genetic testing and circumcision.

The central element of these ideas and issues is thatthey are future-oriented. They call for thecommunity's representative stmctures to be able tothink and plan ahead. One inteffiewee said: 'Thecommunity needs to think seriously about planningfor the future in a similar way to that of localauthorities-less emphasis on buildings, moreemphasis on professional personnel, a concertedeffoft invested in planning data.'

10 Considering radical proposals for overallreformIn looking at ways respondents and interwieweesbelieved that representation should be carried out,we were open to ideas for radical, far-reachingproposals for overall reform.

\X/hile some wanted only reform of existinginstitutions, others were ready to propose creatingsomething entirely new Other ideas were a nationalannual issues conference, a nationalJewishCommunity Relations Council, and the creation of aJewish civil service with a salary stmcture and careerladder.

V4rat many of the broader reform proposals had in

common was a desire for a new framework of somekind in which the many organzations involved inrepresentation could come together to coordinateand cooperate where appropriate. For example, akey figure inJewish defence work said: 'Vhat'sneeded is some sor[ of council that would unitesome oithe agencies, the Board and variousreligious groupings, without too much bureaucracyunderneath it.' Another proposal, from a Jewishmedia person, argued for a 'talking shop which issmaller and more representative which couldchannel communication and then larger meetingswith institutes and a community-wide agenda'.From the Progressive community came the idea of acentral address, 'a single, effective and neutral placefor contact and consultation'.

A Haredi leader offered his own example: 'I'mconvinced that the same kind of organzation couldwork for the entire community-from strictlyOrthodox to Reform, on common interests such as

antisemitism, sbecbita, bio-ethical issues, whetherwe should take a lead on Kosovo. The fact of life is,you need people to come together on critical issueswhen the occasion warrants it.'

A leading lay leader in social welfare proposed twopossible models. First: 'Hold an annual conventionthat would draw in representatives from aroundthe country and at which you would elect variouscommittees, like at apafiy conference.'Andsecond, he suglested an alternative model: 'Thepresident, one of the great and the good, wouldpreside over an organization made up of leadingcommunal heads. This bodywould meet a fewtimes a year with the people who actually run thecommunal otganizations, to consult on strategiesand common interests and concerns. It would be amuch more consultative, professional andrepresentative body'

The Conference of Presidents of MajorAmericanJewish Organizations is similar to this latterproposal. A leading rabbi from the Sephardicommunity suggested that, since we have a lot tolearn from the vibrancy of the AmericanJewishcommunity such a model might be appropriate forthe UK.

Notes7 Report of tbe Independent Commission on tbe

Voting System,The Rt. Hon. LordJenkins ofHillhead, OM, chairman, October 1998.

Appendix 1: Jewish CommunalOiganizations Engaged inRepresentation

A descriptive overviewThis is a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list oforganzations involved in varying degrees ofrepresentation ofJewish interests to the Britishgovernment, local and educational authorities,health and social selices, and other agencies, as

well as to the wider society The areas ofrepresentation contained in this list are based onthe infcrrmation supplied by the organizationsthemselves in written consultation with theCommission. They have been drawn fromsubmissions by individuals and organizations whoresponded to the Commission's writtenquestionnaire or who participated in the townmeetings.

The descriptions are also based on the listings inthe 7999 edition of Tbe Jewisb Year Book Qtypermission of the publishers, Vallentine Mitchell, inasscriation with the Jeuisb C bronic le:) . The sectionsare listed thematically Organizations are listed inalphabetical order.

Representative orga n izationsCentralThe Board of Deputies of BritishJews is theelected representative body of the BritishJewishcommunity which conveys the views of thecommunity to government and other public bodieson political and legislative matters which affectBritishJewry and provides information about theJewish community and Israel to the non-Jewishworld. The Board examines legislative proposals inBritain and the European Union which may affectJews, and ensures the political defence of thecommuniry It collects statistical and demographicinformation and undertakes research on and for thecommuniry It counters bias in the media andensures thatJews enjoy the full rights of all Britishcitizens.

The Board plays a coordinating role in key issuesaffecting theJewish community and promotescooperation among different groups within thecommunity The ba"sis of the Board's representationis primarily s1'nagogal, although the body itself ha-s

no religious affiliations. All properly constitutedsynagogues in Great Britain are entitled torepresentation, as are other significant communalorganizatic:ns, such as the Regional RepresentativeCouncils, youth organizations and other communalbodies, including malor charities.

RegionalBerkshire Jewish Representative CouncilBournemouth Jewish Representative CouncilBrighton and Hove Jewish Representative

CouncilBristol Jewish I iaison CommitteeCardiff Jewish Representative CouncilGlasgow Representative Council*Hull Jewish Representative Council*Jewish Representative Council of Gneater

Manchester and Region*Leeds Jewish Representative Council*Merseyside Jewish Representative Council*Nottingham Representative CouncilRedbridge and District Jewish Comrnunity

CouncilRepresentative Council of Birmingham and

MidlandJewryRepresentative Council of North EastJewryxScottish Council of Jewish ComrnunitiesxSheffield Jewish Representative Council*Southend and District Jewish Representative

CouncilSouthport Jewish Representative Council*

The role of the Representative Councils is torepresent theJewish communities 1oca111' on anvmatters on which aJewish view is sought or br.which the community is affected. The Councils alscrplay a coordinating role and provide a forum forJewish groups and organizations in the region. TheRepresentative Councils that are members of tl-reBoard of Deputies (*) represent their communiriesthere. The Scottish and the Cardiff Councils havebecome the sole representatives of theircommunities to the devolved legislative bodies ofScotland and Wales respective$

\X4rile the actMties of local Representative Councilsvaql broadly they include combating antisemirism,communal security, support for social welfareprogrammes, participation in interfaith comnritteesand involvement in local authority work related toJewish concerns. The range of issues with which theRepresentative Councils concern themselves on alocal level includes religion, education, socialwelfare, politics, justice zurd civil rights.

Religious organ izationsThe Chief Rabbinate has developed historicallyfrom the post of the Rabbi of the Ahkenazi GreatSynagogue in London. The official designation is theChief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations ofthe Commonwealth.

The Chief Rabbi has the responsibiliry in all

congregations accepting his jurisdiction, forauthorizing marriages and for the certification ofrabbis, ministers and officiants. He authorizes thecerti-fication of kasbrut (ewish dietary laws) and thelicensing of caterers. He holds titular responsibiliryfor the work of the committee granting ceftificatesfor mohelim (ritual circumcisers). The Chief Rabbiis the Head (Au Betb Din) of the l.ondon Beth Dinand ut ecclesiastical authority of the Board ofDeputies. He is the Chairman of the RabbinicalCommission for the Licensing of Shochetim(established in accordance with the Velfare ofAnimals Regulations 1995). He is also a president ofthe Council of Christians andJews and severalinterfaith organizations.

The range of issues with which the Chief Rabbinateconcerns itself includes religion, education, socialwelfare, politics, justice and civil rights.

TheAssembly of Masorti Synagogues comprisestwelve congregations throughout the UK. Masortiideology is a synthesis of traditional practice andcontemporary critical-minded thinking. Rabbi Drlouis Jacobs is the spiritual guide of the Masortimovement. The movement's concerns includeJewish literacy and a critical/ltistorical approach toJewish life; inter-communa"l harmony in Anglo-Jewry; community representation.

The Federation of Synagogues comprisesfourteen constituent syna€logues and twentyaffiliated congregations situated in most parts ofGreater London. The Federation aims to providethe services of Orthodox rabbis, ministers anddayanim (balacbic judges); the seryices of a burialsociety; to assist synagogues in the erectictn,reconstruction or refi:rbishing of their houses ofworship; to assist in the maintenance of Orthodoxreligkrus instruction in Talmud Torahs and Yeshivot;to obtain and maintain kasbrut; to supportcharitable and philanthropic works and to furtherthe progress of Israel.

The Reform Synagogues of Great Britain(RSGB) have seventeen ('onstituent synagogues inthe Greater london area utd twenty-four in theprovinces. Their aims are to promote a livingJudaism, to interpret the Torah in accordance withthe spirit and needs of the present generation and,through a positive, constftictive and progressiveview ofJewish tradition, to raise and maintain a highstandard ofJewish religious life throughour rhecountry

The Sephardi community is composed of the

Spanish and Portuguese congregations and otherSephardi communities originating primarily in theMiddle East and North Africa. The two componentshave amodus uiuendi but no formal association.The Spanish and PortugueseJews' Congregarktnha"s three constituent synagogues in the Londonareaand one in Ramsgate, and it enjctys close linkswith other Sephardi synagogues in ktndon andManchester The total number of SephardiconElregations is approxmately fifteen.

Sephardi institutions in the UK include theSephardi Beth Din, the Burial Society, theWelfare Board, Sephardi Kashrut Authorityand the Sephardi Centre.

The Union of Liberal and ProgressiveSynagogues (ULPS) was founded for theadvancement of LiberalJudaism and to establishcongregations, groups and religious schools basedon LiberalJewish principles. There are fourteenconstituent syna5logues listed within the GreaterLondon area and a further nineteen in the UK,Ireland and Ltxembourg.

The ULPS concerns include civil nghts issues inIsrael, women's rights, wodd emergencies,economic justlce and rvorld debt elimination.

The Union of Orthodox HebrewCongregations (UOHC) was established as anindependent community to protect traditionalHarediJudaism. There are presently sixty affiliateclsynagogues, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, representingapproximately 7,000 members.

The UOHC concerns itself with all religious issues,private or communal, from birth to burial-conversion, marriage, divorce, sbecbita andeducation-including pre-school and adulteducation. It operates Kedassia, which is aninternationally recognize d kasbrut supervisoryorganization. It supports and represents its memberorganaations and institutions at local andgovernment levels on issues of education and socialwelfare, including special needs provision, elderlycare, health, disability and family support.

The United SSmagogue (US) is the mainsrreamOrthodox body and the largest synagogal groupingin the UK: there are forty-two constituents of the USand twenty-four affiliated synagogues. The work ofthe US is carried out by three divisions: ReligiousAffairs, Community Seruices and Central Services. ItsactMties include the Youth and Community SeryiceCommittee and theVisitation Committee, which

arranges visitation ofJewish inmates of hospitals,prisons and other public institutions. The US bearsfinancial responsibility for the Beth Din Court of theChief Rabbinate Ntd plays a part in the work of theJewish Committee for HM Forces. It deals with awide range of issues through the Office of the ChiefRabbi.

The range of issues with which synagogal bodiesconcern themselves includes religion, education,social welfare, politics, justice and cMl rights.

Other religious bodiesThe National Council of Shechita Boardscentralizes information on all matters relating to theperformance and administration of kosher slaughterand acts as a liaison between all sbecbita boards andthe various ministries and organizations affectingshecbita and the kosher meatand poultry industrythroughout the UK and abroad.

Welfare organizationsThe Association ofJewish CommunalProfessionals (AJCP) aims to enhance thestanding of the communal professionals,representing their needs and interests, improvingprofessional practice and providing a forum forprofessionals to discuss common issues and aresource for relevant information.

The Association ofJewish Refugees of GreatBritain (.\JR Charitable Tlrrst) aims to assist

Jewish refugees from Nazi oppression and theirprimarily Central European families by providingregular support for the needy, weekly advicesessions, a day cenlre, sheltered accommodation,financial aid for a number of residential homes forthe aged, meals-on-wheels and selices of a team ofsocial workers and volunteers.

Bfumingham Jewish Community Care providesresidential and nursing services, sheltered housing,a day centre, meals-on-wheels, and general welfareand social selices for the communiry

Holocaust surwivors' groups such as the 45 AidSociety, consist of sulivors who came to Britain in7945 and others who immigrated subsequentlyThey help members as well as others in need, andconcern themselves with furthering Holocausteducation and awareness in the wider sociery

The Intedink Foundation provides support,information, training and representation for theOrthodoxJewish voluntary sector. Based inStamford Hill, London,the organaation works

closely with the Union of Orthodox Hebrevn'Congregations and the Commision on the VoluntarySector to represent the needs of the strictlvOrthodoxJewish communiry

Jewish Care is the largestJewish social sen'icesc>rgartization in the UK. With over fifty centresspread throughout London and south-east England,it offers care through an extensive network ofsetwices for elderly mentally ill, physicallv disabledand visually impaired people, as well as for thosewho are unemployed and survivors of theHolocaust.

Seruices are provided for over 6,000 individualsand/or their families. Resources include resiclentialand nursing homes, mental after-care hostels andgroup homes, communiry centres, special darcarecentres, home care and social work teams, andkosher meals-on-wheels. Jewish Care emplor-s o\/er1,200 people and works in partnership with neady3,000 volunteers in areas such a.s social sen'iceissues primarily relating to old age, health, disabilityfamily support and youth selices.

Jewish Care Scotland in partnership with EastRenfrewshire Council, provides social wor-k sen"icesto r,ulnerable individuals and families within theJewish community Services include dementia- andday-care, lunch clubs, meals-on-wheels, w'elfarerights advice, counselling and befriending.

There are otherJewish welfare organizations inScotland such as Cosgrove Care, which cares forpeople with learning disabilities, and theJewishBlind Society, which cares for the blind, paniallr'sighted and physically disabled.

TheJewish Welfare Board, Nottingham, sorksin collaboration with the Women's BenevolentSociety and the Nottingham Jewish HousingAssociation to provide a wide range of care for theelderly, the disabled and the needy

TheJewish Welfare Council, Liverpool, aims torelieve poverty and deprivation in the Merseyside

Jewish community It provides administrativeserwices to local communal organizations, andwelfare and social selices to individuals, familiesand groups, such as meals-on-wheels and supporlfor carers and for people with mental healthproblems or disabilities.

LeedsJewish Welfare Board provides acomprehensive mnge of social services, aiming toensure that the needs of the Leeds Jewish

community are met through core seiwices, such as

residential care for learning-disabled peopletransferred from Meanwood Park Hospital, homecare for the elderly child-care for children at riskand social selices for people suffering from mentalhealth problems.

ManchesterJewish Community Care provides aday centre and social work seruices for visually andphysically handicapped and isolated elderly people.The organization liaises with the local authoriry onfunding, the social selices department onprovision of services and the benefit agency to helpensure that people under its care get the benefitsdue to them.

ManchesterJewish Federation seeks to provideand facilitate social welfare services which ensurethat all sections of the Jewish community of GreaterManchester have access to religiously and culturallysensitive support. The organzations' serwices arerecognized and approved by way of contractsfunded by the local authorities and health selices.They include carers' support, both group and one-to-one support, with a twenty-four-hour informarionline and special events for carers; Project Smile, ahome-based respite selice for parents with a childwho has a disability; social work, community careassessment and support to adults and children; acommunitv centre for people with mental healthneeds; volunteers,4refriending for elderly andisolated individuals; luncheon clubs, a dav centrewhere people can meet and enjoy a hot meal;flnancial and material assistance.

The National Network ofJewish HousingAssociations is an umbrella organization forJewishprofessionals in the housing sector which acts as aninformation exchange, provides training andencourages good practice.

Nightingale is a dual-registered home for theelderly providing both residential and nursing care.It also manages sheltered housing for elderlyJewishmembers of the community on a neighbouring site.Nightingale offers care to older people fromanlwhere in the UK. This ranges from shelteredhousing and shon-term respite care through tospecialized dementia and Alzheimer's care.

North-East Jewish Community Services,Newcastle, integrates all community serwices forthe elderly for people with mobility problems andfor those with other care needs in the area.

Norwood Ravenswood is the largestJewish child

and family selice in the UK, working with over6,000 people every year. Serwices includecounselling and support to children and theirfamilies. Also community seruices for people withlearning disabilities and their families. Residentialselices including an adolescent unit, semi-independent bed-sits, a respite care house, anetwork of community homes and RavenswoodVillage. Day services and respite care are alsoprovided, a-s well as special educational needsselice, Binoh and an activity-based serwice foryoung Jewish deaf people.

Norwood Ravenswood concerns itself withspecial-needs education and social selice issues,including care for the elderly, health, disabiliryfamily support and youth selices.

Outreach Community and ResidentialServices, Manchester, provide individualizedresidential and communiry seruices forJewish andnon-Jewish adults with learning disabilities , and/orlong-term mental health problems. In conjunctionwith other social care providers, they offer in-homesupport, personal care and development ofeducational and social skills support, and as suchdeal with health authorities, the private sector,social services and welfare providers, such as

community nurses and carers and funding agencies.

Defence organizationsThe Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen andWomen (AJDO has thirtybranches in the Londonalreaand skteen in the provinces. It assists inmaintainingAJEX House, a block of flats providingsheltered accommodation for ex-servicemen andwomen and their dependants, and also maintains amilitary museum :rnd archives. AJEX's principalactivities are remembrance of those who fought zrrddied and seled the Crown over 300 years, welfaresupport for ex-servicemen and women includingcash grants, advice and other forms of assistance,and by educational projects, knowledge of andpride in Jewish heritage.

The Comrnunity Security Tfrrst (CST) empkrysresearchers to monitor antisemitism and securitypersonnel to assist orgutizations in the communityto maintain a high level of security whereJewsgather or hold meetings. Issues with which the CSTconcerns itself include discrimination, antisemitism,secunty, resurgent Nazism, Holocaust denial,campus antisemitism, civil rights issues in Israel, andreligious fu ndamentalism/fanaticism.

The Inter-Parliamentary Council Agaiirst

Antisemitism (IPCAA) is an umbrella body ofparliamentary groups throughout the world thatoppose antisemitism and make representations [otheir governments about antisemitic incidents anddevelopments.

lsraelZionist organ izationsThe range of issues with which the organizationslisted in this section concern themselves includesthe centrality of Israel inJewish life, problems ofIsraeli society including religious and civil rights,Israel-Diaspora relations, the Middle East and thepeace process, media coverage of Israel andJewishlife.

The Academic Study Group on Israel and theMiddle East is an academic orgutization whichaims to forge and expand contact betweenacademics in this country and their colleagues inIsrael, and to develop and enlarge researchcollaboration between scholars.

The Anglo-Israel Association (AIA) exists toinform and educate the British public about Israel'sachievements. The AIA promotes Israel byorganizing lectures, meetings, study tours of israeland Angk>Israel colloquia, by publishing andcommissioning literature about Israel, and byawarding scholarships and grants.

British Friends of Peace Now mobilizes supportfor the Israeli peace movement ancl the peacepft)cess, focusing on the Oslo Accords, amongBritishJews and the wider community It presentsits views to the Israeli government, the Britishgovernment and the European Parliament. Activitiesinclude public meetings with prominent Israelipoliticians, petitions to Israeli prime ministers,demonstrations and adveftisements in the Jewishpress.

British WIZO (Women's International ZionistOrganization) is the British branch of WorldWIZO, which maintains 800 institutions andselices for women and children in Israel. British\X/U,O is a constituent of the Zionist Federation. It isnon-party and apolitical. It has almost 200 affiliatedsocieties with 14,000 members.

The Conservative Friends of Israel (CFI) iscommitted to the Conselative Parry and to thewelfare of the state of Israel and is dedicated tcr

establishing close links between Britain and Israel.The CFI distributes balanced and accurateinformation on events in the Middle East and,through visits to Israel, gives MPs and candidates a

greater understanding and insight into the MiddleEast.

The Israel Inforrnation Centre, Birmingham,provides information on Israel, Judaism and Jen ishlife. It runs cultural and educational projects s-hichinvolve the local authorities.

The Israel Information Centre, Cardifi and theIsrael Information Centre, Manchester, pr or4deinformation on all aspects of Israel. Ther- runcultural events such as film screenings and art.photography and other exhibitions. Their sorkinvolves dealing with schools, the British-IsraelChamber of Commerce and the wider socien:

TheJewish National Fund (fNIF) LIK iscommitted to helping Israel's human and ecologicallife in numerous ways. JNF UK is also commirred rct

educating children, youth and adults about Israel, aswell as fostering loyalty towards the countn.

The Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) aims topresent the facts of the Middle East situation. tobuild bridges of understanding between the Britishand Israeli labour movements, to encourage studvgroups and visits to Israel, to welcome IsraeliIabour representatives to the UK and to forgestrong links between theJewish communin'ancl theBritish labour Party

The Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel (LDFI)is open to all supporters of the Liberal Democrars inthe UKwho recognize the right of Israel ro a free,independent, permanent and prosperous existenceas a member state of the United Nations. The LDFIexists to foster good relations and understandingbetween Britain and the state of Israel.

The likud-Herut Movement of Great Britainaims to promote the Zionist ideology as conceiredby Ze'evJabotinslql

Metetz UK for a Progressive Israel seeks topromote Progressive Judaism, the peace process,the unity of theJewish people, aliya (emigrarion roIsrael), social justice,Jewish education and culture.It believes in equalit.v for all Israeli citizens, withreligion left to the conscience of each individual. Itsconcerns include a lust and comprehensive peacebetween Israel and its neighbours, human and civilrights, ecology and a safe environment.

The Mizrachi-Hapoel Hamizrachi Federation isthe movement of religious Zionists in the UKwhichendeavours to create a link between Angk>Jewry

and Israel. It encourages its members (young andold) to make aliya and to build there a counrrybased on religious values and social justice. InBritain, it is engaged in supporting Israel politicallyand economically It contributes funds foreducational and cultural institutions, promotes civilrights in Israel and develops Israel-Diasporarelations.

The National Zionist Council (NZC) is arepresentative body for all Zionist organizations zurdindividuals in Great Britain and Ireland whosubscribe to Zionist aims a-s defined in theJerusalem Programme. NZC works in the fields ofaliya, public relations, information and economicactivities.

The New Israel Fund (NIF) aims to srrengrhendemocrary and social justice in Israel. Ir supportscharitable projects in Israel in the areas of civil andhuman nghts, improving the status of women,Jewish-Arab coexistence, religious pluralism andtolerance, bridging social and economic justice andassisting citizens' efforts to protect the environment.

The Poale Zion-Latrour Zlottist Movement is theBritish section of the World labour ZionistMovement and the sister parqr of the Israel labourParty It encourages aliya and demands effectiveinternational guarantees for the cMl and politicalrights ofJews in the Diaspora.

Pro-Zion: Progressive Religious Zionists worksfor full legal and religious righes for ProgressiveJewsin Israel and to affirm the centrality of the state ofIsrael inJewish life.

The UnitedJewish Israel Appeal (QIIA) isdesigned to aid the world-wide effort rrt rescueJewsin need and absorb them into Israel, renewJewishlife in Britain through education and strengthen tiesbetween communities in Britain and Israel. TheLIIAs chief representative concerns are sta[efunding forJewish education, evaluation andassessment ofJewish educational standards, statefunding for youth work,Jewish student activit)1international Jewish emergencies and Israeliabsorption policies.

The United Zionists of Great Britain andIreland are the British and Irish consrituents of the\{'orld Confederation of United Zionisrs, which isnot affiliated to or associated with anv Israelipolitical party

The Zionist Federation (ZE) is an umbrella

organtzation with a membership of over 725 Zionistorganuations and over 50,000 individuals in thecountq/ and, as such, represents the Zionistmovement in the UK. Its function is to support,coordinate and facilitate the work of all its affiliatesnation-wide.TheZF aims to encourage theparticipation ofJews in Zionist activities, includingeducation, culture and Hebrew language.

Pol itical/cam pa igni ng organizationsThe Anglo-Jewish Association (AJA) aims to runpublic events in order to provide an arena in whichrepresentatives of all elements of BritishJewry candiscuss matters of interest on the same platform, toencourage knowledge within the community aboutcultural and humanitarian issues, to promotediscussion within the community aboutJewishtopics and about matters which affect theJewishcommunity as an element in the generalpopulation, and to promote goodwill towards Israeland an understanding of Israel's position andpolicies within the community and the country The{fA is a member of the Claims Conference and hasNGO status at the Human Rights Commission inGeneva, and participates in the meetings of thosebodies.

Issues with which the A,fA ha^s concerned itselfinclude tolerance, the position of women in thecommunity, the appeal ofJudaism today the policyof the Israeli government towards the peaceprocess, racism and resurgent Nazism.

The Association of Jewish'Women'sOrganizations in the UKaims to furthercommunal understanding and to promote theachievement of unity amongJewish women ofdiffering shades of opinion and belonging toautonomous organizations with different aims.

B'nai B'rith District 15 of Great Britain andIreland aims to bringJews to€lether to work infriendship, to improve communal harmony tostrenFlthen theJewish communiry to combat racialand rehgious intolerance and to help the lessfortunate.

The core objectives of B'nai B'rith in Great Brirainand Ireland are to foster friendship thrctugh social,cultural and recreational programmes, to supportthe state of Israel and worldJewry to work frtrcharitable endeavours, to initiate and developcommuni[y projects and to strengthen B'nai B'rithlinks across Europe. B'nai B'rith in Great Britain andIreland and B'nai B'rith Continental Europe areworking to create a unified structure to strengthen

theJewish voice in Europe. The head office inBrussels will act as a centre for European activitiesand as the voice of B'nai B'rith in the EU.

The Holocaust Educational Thrst (HET) wasestablished to promote research into the Holocaust,,to collect archival materials and artefacts of theHolocaust period and to produce written andaudio-visual materials. It assists in the teaching ofthe Holocaust in schools and assists individuals andorgNtzations involved in Holocaust education. TheTirrst is also heavily involved in the campargn for therestitution of and compensation forJewish propertystolen by the Nazis or their allies.

TheJewish Council for Racial EqualityOCORE) aims to improve race relations in Britainand to encourage awareness in theJewishcommunity of the responsibilities of a multiracialsociety Issues with whichJCORE concerns itselfinclude race relations, equality of opportuniqldiscrimination, racism, antisemitism, refugeepolicies and Black-Jewish dialogue.

The League ofJewish Women is a voluntaryorgannationwhich unitesJewish women of allopinions in the UK. It aims to intensify both theirJewish consciousness and their sense ofresponsibility towards theJewish community It alsohopes to stimulate women's sense of civic dury andto increase their service to the country The IeagueofJewish W'omen works with disabled and able-bodied people irrespective of race, colour orreligion, helping people in their homes, schools,baby clinics, hospitals, hospices, friendship clubsNtd day centres.

Searcbligltf is principally an anti-fascist monthlymagazine with links to the media, but also aneducational trust which works to train people inanti-fascist activity Issues with which Searcbligbtconcerns itself include race relations, discrimination,racism, antisemitism, campus antisemitism, securityresurgent Nazism, Holocaust denial, Holocaustawareness and education, sulivors' aid, restitutionofJewish property, refugee policies and religiousfundamentalism.

The Union ofJewish Students (QlS) aims tocoordinate and assist theJewish and Israel societiesin the various further and higher education collegesof the UK and Ireland, to enhance theJewishidentity of students by promoting the study andunderstanding of Judaism, Zionism, Jewish andIsraeli culture and history to uniteJewish studentsand coordinate common efforts to encouraoe

education, to fight assimilation and protect theirrights on campus, to further and protect itsmembers'interests and to ensure adequaterepresentation of its members'opinions in all vitalmatters. The L[S also publishes articles and papersof interest to its members and maintains links withthe Hillel Foundation, the NationalJen'ishChaplainry Board and the RSGB Chaplaincr:

I nternational organizationsThe European Conference ofRabbis (ECR) wasestablished in 7957 to provide a medium forcooperation on matters of common concem torabbis of European communities.

The EuropeanJewish Congress (EJC)coordinates the initiatives of thirry-seven nationalJewish communities in Europe and acts as theirspokesperson. The EJC has consultative status n'iththe Council of Europe, the European Commissionand the European Parliament.

The International Council ofJewish Women(ICJW) consists of fifty-twoJewish women'sorganizations in forty-seven countries. The sen-icesthey offer to the community constitute the mainfocus of their work. The core purpose of the ICJSfl isto bring together women from all walks of life inorder to create a driving force for social justice forall races and creeds. The ICfl(/ makesrepresentations onJewish concerns to the \ationalCommission on Women. It has consultative statuswith the United Nations and is represented onmany international organizations

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an independentAmerican organization with international outreachand offices in Paris and London. Its aims are tomonitor, combat and educate against antisemitism,racism and prejudice. \{4rile it is not a represenndveinstitution, it has made representations to theBritish government on issues concerning theJeri-ishcommuniry in the UK.

TheWorldJewish Congress (WC) aims tocoordinate the efficrts of its affiliated organizationsin respect of the political, economic, social, religiousand culturalproblems of theJewish people. TheVJC represents and acts on behalf of its affrliatesbefore governmental, intergovernmental and otherinternational authorities. The Board of Deputies isthe British constituent of the\W'orldJewish Congressand of the EuropeanJewish Congress. There havebeen occasions when the VIC and the EJC havemade representations directly to the Britishgovernment.

Relief organizationsTzedek Qewish Action for aJust WodO wa^s

established to provide direct support to thedeveloping world byworking towards the relief andelimination of poverty regardless of race or religionand to educate people, particularly in theJewishcommunity, as to the causes and effects of povertyand theJewish obligation to respond. Among issueswith which Tzedek concerns itself are immigrationrights, refugee policies, wodd emergencies,including refugee reliel and economic justice,including world-debt elimination.

UIgAID (United Kingdom Jewish Aid andInternational Development) is a Jewishhumanitarian organnation which responds tointernational disasters and promotes sustainabledevelopment aimed at reducing deprivation andsuffering, irrespective of ethnicity gender orreligion. U{IND concerns itself with worldemergencies, refLgee relief and sustainable projectsin the developing; world.

WorldJewish Relief (WJR) is the overseas (non-Israel) aid arm of theJewish community in the UK.VJR provides welfare and community developmentservices to theJewish communities in Eastern andCentral Europe. It also advises and assistsJewishrefugees in the UK who have fled from racral, anclreligious persecution in any part of the world. \XJRliaises with the Home Office and local authorities,and concerns itself with immigration rights, refugeepolicies, world emergencies and relief

lnterfaith organizationsThe Council of Christians andJews (CCJ)promotes good relations between Christian ancl

Jewish communities. It has over sbrty branchesthroughout the UK. The CCJ brings together theChristian and theJewish communities in a commoneffort to right the evils of prejudice, intolerance anddiscrimination between people of differentreligions, races and colours, and to work for thebetterment of human relations based on mutualrespect, understanding and goodwill. It is neither amissionary nor a political organization.

The key work of the group is educational. The CCJconcerns itself with awide range of issues relatingto interfaith relations, religious education, racerelations, discrimination, racism, antisemitism,resurgent Nazism, Holocaust denial, Holocaustawarcncss and education.

The Maimonides Foundationwas established tofoster understanding and promote dialogue and

cooperation betweenJews and peoples of differentfaiths--especially between Jews and Muslims-tobuild alliances and to strengthen the cultural,spiritual and intellectual ties between them. TheFoundation concerns itself with a range of issuesrelating to interfaith relations and ethnic issues, racerelations, discrimination, racism, antisemitism,Islamophobia, Israel and the Middle East, includingthe peace process.

The Three Faiths Forurn encourages goodwill andunderstanding among people of the threemonotheistic faiths in the UK and elsewhere [slam,Christianity andJudaism). The Forum concernsitself with a range of issues relating to interfaithrelations, Islamophobia, antisemitism, racism,discrimination, Holocaust denial, Holocausteducation and awareness.

Educational organizationsThe Agency forJewish Education is a UnitedSynagogue bodywhich deals with training,resourcing and servicing the full- and part-timeeducation community in Britain. It has links tocentral government, local educational authoritiesand, increasingly the European Union. The Agencyworks with the Department for Education andEmployment on teacher training, the provision ofschool places, school building projects andgovernor training forJewish day schools. It alsotrains inspectors forJewish studies in all Englishvoluntary-aided schools.

The Anne Frank Educational Thrst arms tocombat bigotry and racism by providing touringexhibitions and educational resources on AnneFrank and the Holocaust for a mass audience,including primary and secondary schcnls, youthorganizations, universities and the general public.The Anne Frank Educational Tiust concerns itselfwith Holocaust education, Holocaust denial,prejudice, racism, antisemitism and socialresponsibility issues.

The British Association forJewish Studies aimsto promote and defend the scholarly study ofJewish culture in all its aspects, to organizeconferences, and to initiate and support researchand publication.

The Centre forJewish{hristian Relations is anindependent centre dedicated to the study anciteaching of all aspects of theJewish{hristianencounter through the ages.

The Centre forJewish Education provides

educational selices for the Reform Synagogues ofGreat Britain, the Union of Liberal and ProgressiveSy'nagogues and the Leo Baeck College.

The Centre forJewish Studies, SOAS (School ofOriental and African Studies), Near and Middle Ea^st

Department, offers a BA in Hebrew and Israelistudies and degrees combining Hebrew with law,economics, management, Arabic and many othersubjects. AYddish language and literatureprogramme is designed for both degree andoccasional students. There is also a one-yeardiploma inJewish studies catering for postgraduatesfrom around the world.

The Departrnent of Hebrew andJewishStudies, University College, London, is thelargest university department in the UK and Europefor obtaining honours degrees in Hebrew, medievaland modernJewish history biblical Hebrew andancient Egyptian.

The Institute of Contemporzlry HistoryandWiener Library is a research library and instituteon contemporary European andJewish historyespecially the nse and fall of the Third Reich;suliva1 and revrval of Nazi and fascist movements;antisemitism; racism; the Middle East; and post-warGermanv It holds Britain's largest collection ofdocuments, testimonies, books and videos on theHolocaust. Issues with which the Institute concernsitself include education, promoting multi-culturalism, race relations, racism, resurgentNazism, antisemitism, campus antisemitism,Hokrcaust denial, and Holocaust awareness andeducation.

The Institute ofJewish Studies, UniversityCollege, London, is funded by the private sector.Its activities are dedicated to the academic study ofall branches ofJewish history and civilization.

TheJewish Education Bureau, Leeds, provides avariety of educational programmes and promotesthe study ofJudaism as part of multi-faith religiouseducation in county schools and colleges.

The Lubavitch Foundation aims to furtherJewishreligious education, identity and commitment.There are separate departments for adult education,summer and day carnps, youth clubs and training,university counsellors, publications, welfare andorgantzations concerned with Israel.

The O:dord Centre for Hebrew andJewishStudies is one of Europe's leading teaching and

research institutions in the area of Hebrew andJewish studies. Its work includesJewish historv andliterature (ancient, medieval and modern); Talmudicstudies; Jewish4slamic and Jewish/Christianrelationships at all periods; Hebrew and Vdclishlanguage; anthropology; sociology; larr'; andtheology Issues with which the Odord Centrc forHebrew andJewish Studies concerns itself includethe teaching ofJewish culture at univercin'ler-el aspart of the wlder educational curriculum.

The ScopusJewish Education lhrst aims topromote academic excellence inJewish and seculareducation, to develop the teaching of Hebren- as aliving language and to inspire a love of Israel s-ithina learning environment based on traditionalJes-ishvalues. Scopus is the largest group ofJen-ish dar-schools in the United Kingdom, with fifteen schoolsnation-wide.

The Sephardi Centre aims to promore Sephardiculture. Courses ftrcus on religion, histon: nrusic,art and cuisine.

The Spiro Ark wa^s established to meer rheproblems facingJews in the twenty-firsr cenrun- bvusing innovative teaching methods in order toencourage a learning community Hebres anclYddish are taught at all levels, together nithJes'ishhistory and other related subjects. The Spiro Arkzrlso regularly holds cultural events.

The Spiro Institute for Study ofJewish Historyand Culture promotesJewish identity and self-awareness. The Institute engages in widespreadteaching ofJewish history and culture, includingliterature, films, art, drama and Hebrew for aclultsclasses; Holocaust education in schools ancl forLEfu, including teaching packs and video;preparation for GCSE and Alevel in modernHebrew Issues with which the Spiro Instituteconcerns itself include the teaching of religion inthe national curriculum and state funding forJeu'isheducation, Holocaust awareness and education,Jewish cultural programming, civil rights issues inIsrael and antisemitism.

Other centres, institutes and universities also plar.arole in representingJudaism to the wider socienlThey include the Centre for GermanJewish Studies,University of Sussex; the Centre forJewish Studies,University of Leeds; the Centre for Modern HebrewStudies, University of Cambridge; the DepartmentofJewish Studies, Mzrnchester Universiry; theOxford Institute for Yiddish Studies; the ParkesCentre, University of Southampton; and the Queen

Mary and W'estfield Programme for Yddish andAshkenazic Studies, University of London.

Cultural organizationsThe Ben Uri Art Society holds the Ben UriHeritage Collection of nearly 900 works byJewishartists, with particular emphasis on BritishJewishartists. It regularly loans and exhibits these works, aswell as exhibiting work by contemporaryJewishartists.

TheJewish Book Council aims to stimulate andencourage the reading of books onJudaism,Jewishthought, life, history and literature.

TheJewish Comrnunity Theatre aims toadvance, develop and maintain public educationandawareness of the history of BritishJews by therepresentation at theatres and other venues of playsreflecting the cultural identity of Anglo-Jewry

TheJewish Film Foundation is an educationalcharity whose aim is to promote the exhibition,distribution, production and study ofJewishcinema, television and video programmes.

TheJewish Music Heritage Thrst promotes rhestudy and performance ofJewish music to preselvethe heritage and teach it to successive generations.

The Jewish Museum-London's Museum ofJewish life seeks to recover, preserve and exhibitmaterial relating to the rools and heritage ofJewishpeople in Britain, and to illustrate and explainJewish religious practice with objects of rarity andbeauty Issues with which theJewish Museumconcerns itself include the arts,Jewish cultural/ethnic progmmmes, education, Holocausteducation, Jewish heritage and preservation.

The ManchesterJewish Museum hosts a

progralnme of events including exhibitions,demonstrations, concerts, talks and educationalvisits for schools and adult groups onJudaism andJewish life.

Jewish mediaTheJewisb Cbronicle is an independentJewishweekly newspaper with a nation-wide distributionandan extensive coverage ofJewish affairs in theUK. It plays an important role in cctnveyingJewishissues to the wider society by marketing its leadarticles to the British press and the world media.

Other Jewish media, including the BirmingbamJeruisb Recorder, the Edinburgb Star, Hamodiab,theJeuish Quctrterly, Jewisb Spectrum Radio, theJewisb Te legrapb, the Jewish Tribune, Tbe JewisbYear Book,Juclaism Today and the LondonJewisbNetL,s, also play a role in representingJewishconcerns.

Th i n k-ta n ks/d iscussion foru msThe Institute forJewish Policy Research (fPR)is an independent think-tank which informs andinfluences policy opinion and decision-making onsocial, political and cultural issues affectingJewishlife. JPR's policy work is organized around fourpro5lrammes: cMl society; planning forJewishcommunities;Jewish culture: arts, media andheritage; Israel: impact, society and identiry Issueswith whichJPR concerns itself include education,social welfare, politics, justice and civil rights.

The Israel-Diaspora Trust (IDT) organizesdiscussions on issues of social welfare, politicsjustice and civil rights.

The NewJewish Initiative for SocialJustice actsas a think-tank on social justice issues and aims toinfluence policy and debate on these issues in theJewish community and beyond.

Aooendix 2: Reoresentation in FiveJdwish Commdnities-france, the Nether[ands, Australia,Canada and the USA

Daniel Elamr, z'1,

Jensalem Centerfor Public Affairs,

for tbe Commission on Representation of theInterests of tbe BritisbJewisb Community

The second generation of worldJewry since theend of the Second \X/orld rVar is now at its height.The first generation, which lasted more or less fromthe end of the war to the late 7970s, witnessed thereconstitution of Jewish communities throughoutthe world. This reconstitution had to take placebecause of the ravages of war, the impact of theestablishment of the state of Israel and the changeswhich had affected communities in the new worldsas a result ofJewish migration from the old.

That process essentially involved a series ofmodifications of the five patterns ofJewishcommunal organization developed during themodern epoch to take cognizance of the realities ofthe opening of a new, then as yet unrecognized,postmodern age. These five patterns emergedbetween the convening of the NapoleonicSanhedrin in 1807 and the First World \Xr'ar. Theywere:

1 The 'consistonal' pattern, pioneered in France,whereby all those who identified asJews wereofficially organzed into hierarchical synagogue-centred bodies called cottsistoires or some similarterm, and, one way or anotheq allJewishactivities had to be subsumed within theconsistorial framework.

2The Kultusgemeinde pattern pioneered inGermany and found, inter alia, in theNetherlands in which territorial organizations ofJewish communities based on, but stretchingbeyond, the synagogue were governed bycommunal boards officially recognized andempowered by host governments andgovernment-supported through their revenue-raising and distribution powers.

3 Boards of Deputies pioneered in Great Britain,and found in Australia and in a modified versionin Canada, government-recognized bodies inwhich all the various activities in theJewishcommunity were represented and which seiwedas a central address for theJewish community

but engaged primarily in external relations onbehalf of the communiry These were suppoftedbyJewish resources exclusively or almost so.

4 Congregational communities, developed insmaller countries, which embraced theJesishcommunity as a whole. Normallv these sere notstate-recognned and relied upon voluntan'affiliation and support.

5 Communities with no formal or official centraladdress or framing body, no formal go\-emmentrecognition, and no general government support(although some functions might receivegovernment aid), pioneered in the United States.

These models persisted more or less in theiroriginal form until the Second World War. flostwere restored to some extent after the q-ar. n-ithmodifications based upon changing times.changing situations, reconceptuahzation of s-hat aJewish community should be and how indir-idualJews could identift with it, and changing patternsof government recognition and support. Thecentral thrust of these changes was the sjthdrawalof formal government support and, often.recognition, a.s well and the broadening of thecommunity's framing institutions to includereligious, welfare and community relationsorganizations in equivalent framing roles in anincreasingly open environment in which nes'institutions and organizations could be establishedwith relative ease and market-like competitioncould take place among them.

FranceIn France, the Consistoire found itself confrontingtwo rival locd organrzations, the ConseilRepr6sentatif des Institutions Juives de France(CRIF) and the Fonds SocialJuif Unifi6 (FSJL). Bothat the very least claimed paritywith the Consistoireas umbrella organizations within their respectir-espheres and, at times, claimed to have replaced theConsistoire as the community's central address. TheCRIF wa.s founded in 7944 to represent FrenchJewry before the Vichy government and hascontinued its representative role throughout thepost-war years. \X/hile an independent organization,the president of the Consistoire was also itspresident automatically until very recently The FSJUwas founded after the war to serve as French

Jewry's local fund-raising and social service deliveryaddress. Israel-centred concerns were handled bythe separately incorporated French branch of theJewish Agency and Keren Hayesod, neither trulyFrench organizations.

The NetherlandsIn the post-war Nethedands, the three separatecongregational groupings for Ashkenazic, Sephardicand Liberal synagogues rebuilt the Federation ofDutch Communities to be their representative bodywithout granting it much strength. The lead role fellto the Ashkenazic congregational group, the largestof the three by far.

AustraliaAustralia, less disrupted by the waq never had astrong country-wide body The Executive Council ofAustralianJewry (ECA) is the leading Australia-widecommunal organizatron and is meant to play themajor country-wide representative role. It hasbecome progressively weaker through thecompetition of various country-wide state and localarms of Zionist bodies, B'nai B'rith, the W'orldJewish Congress, and the various welfareinstitutions which, while state or local, serve thecountry-wide communiry Because the greatstrength of AustralianJewry is lodged in irs rlvomajor roughly equal communities, Sydney in thestate of New South'Wales, and Melbourne in thestate of Victoria, in fact the state bodies were andremain the stronger ones and the ECAJ leadershipand headquarters are rotated between the two citieswith every new election a.s the chairs shift betweenthe two states on a rotation basis. Even within thestates the powers of the state-wide bodies havediminished greatly in recent years, so that in the lastanalysis most organizations and institutions areindependent of any serious framing body

CanadaCanadianJewry once held up as a shining exampleof a New'WorldJewish communitywith anappropriately institutionalized common structure,has gone in the same direction. In the inter-waryears the CanadianJewish Congress (CJC) couldcorrectly have been said to be the address for thewhole community country-wide. The CJC combinedthe British Board of Deputies model and the Polishkebilla model, reflecting the synthesis between themany PolishJewish immigrants to Canada and theCanadian environment.

If anyhing, the CJC gained srrength, to all outwardappearances, in the first post-war F]enel?tion, butduring that time nval orgNizarions were gatheringstrength, all stimulated by their counterpafts in thelarger American Jewish community who,intentionally or not, pressed their influence acrossthe Canadian-American border. First, the CJC'srepresentative status was challenged by B'nai B'rith,the Anti-Defamation League and the Canadian

Zionist Federation; then locally it was challenged bythe localJewish community federations. Assisted bythe federation movement in the United States andwith the added tendency of CanadianJews for neatand comprehensive organaations, the federationsnot only became the framing bodies in ail of themajor CNndianJewish local communities, butformed a National Budgeting Conference toundertake allocations within Canada that wereneither local nor for Israel and overseas activities.The NBC immediatelybecame powerful byvirtue ofits flnancial role. In the meantime, Keren Hayesodin Canada became the United Israel Appeal, locallycontrolled by community federations.

Then an arrangement was reached between thefederations and the CanadianJewish Congress sothat the local branches of the CJC would enter thefederation framework. By the early 1990s the CJChad lost not only its monopoly for representarionbut also its monopoly of the top leaders ofCanadianJewry most of whom went to thefederation movement or the UIA. The CJC began toattract only the second-level leadership. Its triennialcountry-wide meetings ceased to be significantdecision-makers and in 7998 abandoned thepretence of decision-making and instead made themeeting a 'virtual happening' for the delegates.

The USAThe United States, which from the first had beenessentially an open market for every form ofJewishorganization and institution, continued in thismanner into the post-war period. Then the greatfinancial needs of Israel and overseas rescue shiftedeffective power to the federation complex, whichincluded the local federations, the UnitedJewishAppeal (,]A), its two parent organizations, theJoinrDistribution Committee [DC) and the United IsraelAppeal (IJIA), and the federations'umbrella CouncilofJewish Federations (CJF). For a short while in the1950s, the struggle that had begun in the 1930sbetween theJewish community councils and thecommunity federations continued. The Jewishcommunity councils sought to play both arepresentative role and a role leaguing all theseparate Jewish organizations, synagogues anclother institutions into one body especially forcultural and representational purposes, at a timewhen the federations concentrated on fund-raisingand service delivery

For reasons that cannot be discussed here, incommunity after community the federations wonout over the community councils by the 1960s.Community councils became Jewish community

relations councils, either as constituent agencies ofthe federations or sometimes even as federationcommittees with purely representational roles.\X/hile this change eliminated their efforts to beindependent comprehensive representative bodies,it actually strengthened their ability to representtheir local communities since they had the backingof the now-powerful federations.

More than that, their country-wide organnation, theNational Jewish Community Relarions AdvisoryCouncil (NJCRAC), began to become morepowerful than the independent national bodiespreviously claiming to represent theJewishcommunity A1l were seliproclaimed in that nrle.Principal amonFa them were the AmericanJewishCommittee, founded in 7906 by the leadingJewishnotables at the time to representJewish interests inWashington; the Anti-Defamation League (ADL),founded by B'nai B'rith in 7973 to fight antisemirismby mobilizing popular support in the aftermarh ofone of the few blood-libel cases in American Jewishhistory; and the AmericanJewish Congress,founded in 1918 in an effort to provide a counrry-wide democratic body along the lines that wereseen at that time as modified versions of the kehillamovement and which had come to emphasizeseparation of church and state in the United Statesin fields in which theJews found themselves at adisadvantage because of their religion.

These three groups and other specializedrepresentative bodies such as theJewish l.aborCommittee and the Jewish \l'ar Veterans vigorouslycompeted with one another, in most cases over thesame turf, until the CJF stepped in in the 1940s inan attempt to bring order to the representationfield. \Xhile formally the attempt failed, undoubtedlybecause of the market-place character of Amencanlife which gave the CJF no opportuniry ro impose irs'u4ews on what were, after all, independentorganizations, the effon did give birth to theNJCRAC and ultimately led to irs assuming aposition of supremary, and to the otherorganaations becoming more specialized in whatthey did so that they conflicted less.

In the 1960s and 1970s it seemed as if thefederations and their movement would become theunequivocal framing institutions in American Jewishlife. The growth of the federations'communiryplanning and Israel-oriented roles both pushed inthis direction. Yet today the federations are fightingfor their lives as a shift in the attitudes and outlookofAmericanJews has led the latter to abandonfederated giving in droves and, if they are involved

atall,to seek directly the 'causes'of most interest tothem as individuals. The unbounded indiridualismof the youth revolt of the 1960s is haring is effecr asthe baby-boomers reach middle age and Israel'sestablished institutions have lost drasing po\\-er.

Today it is fair to say that there has ner-er been atime whenAmericanJewish life has been sodiffi.rsed, with so little in the wav of commonleadership and effort, except in the representationsphere, where the picture is curioush- mired. Thefederations and their country-wide arms har-eretained a much more impoftant role beczuse r-enrfew private bodies can compere u'ith them and.indeed, very few want to.

The older representative organizations harebecome weakeq even if they continue ro don'rinatethe country's publicity channels, and of the nen-ones, only the Simon Wiesenthal Center has proveditself able to mobilize the resources and the talentsnecessary to be a competitive voice, n-hich ir hasbeen, much to the distaste of the organizecl-lesishcommuniqr The WorldJewish Congress. for its firsthalf-century virtually unrecognized in the UniteclStates and with no red. organizational presencethere, has moved up rapidly as a public roice underthe leadership of Edgar Bronfman and Israel Singer,who, by relocating the world headquarten ro \err,York from Geneva and pursuing a strategr- ofselected issues handled in a well-publicized nanner,have capitalized on a name that carries a grsltercachet than its realweight might beaq to entergewith new strength. On the other hand, theConference of Presidents, which had becomestrong during the years of Israel's maximumstrength and visibiliry on the AmericanJes'ishscene, is now in something of an eclipse because ofthe decline of Israel's cachet, afactor compoundedby the divisions over Israel in the AmericanJenishcommunity making it more difficult for thePresiclents' Conference to take sharp stands or tospeak in the name of the entire communinr

Contemporary patterns of communalorganizationToday we still find five patterns ofJewish communalorganization, but they are considerably differentfrom the more rigid patterns of the modem epoch.They are:

1 Communities based on a single localorganization or congregation. This is the simplestpattern and the closest to its predecessorcongregational-community model. It exlsts onlyin the smallest communities where local |ews

find that they cannot afford the 'ltxury' ofdifferent organizations despite the Jewish'incentives for division. B<amples: Ltxembourgand Monaco.

2 Integrated congregational communities whereseveral different organrzations or congregationsexist but all are tied together around a singlecommunity or congregation and operate withinthat integrated framework. Examples: Gibraltarand Norway.

3 Government-recognized/assisted framinginstitutions in a very limited market situation,where the availabiliry of government recognitionand assistance encourages the distinctionbetween recognized and unrecognizedorgannations and encouragesJews to belong tothe formeq but at the same time allows room forthe latter to develop. Germany is the bestexample.

4 Communities with recognized framingorganizations but with a semi-open market inwhich one or more organizations are accepted bythe vast majority ofJews as central addresses forthe communiry or for specific bundles ofcommunal firnctions or which frame communalactivity in that manner in a situation in whichotherJewish organtzations not only cannotemerge but cannot become strong enough tocompete with those more formally recognized.Australia CNtada, France and the Nethedands-four of the five communities under discussion-fit into this category

5 Diffr"rsed communities that are either partiallyframed or unframed, where an open marketexists for competingJewish organizations toemerge in every sphere and in every arena. TheUnited States is a prime example of this category

\(4-rat is characteristic of these new patterns is thatmembership in the community, indeed adherenceto a formal connection withJudaism or theJewishpeople, is an entirely voluntary matter. Even in acase such as Germany where those registered as

Jews pay their share of the government-leviedchurch tax, which is then reallocated to theJewishcommunity, one can choose to register a-s aJew ornot as one wishes. All of the communities areincreasingly pluralistic: that is to say there is noestablishment to impose a single pattern, religiousor communal, on them, but rather people seek away to express theirJewishness orJudaism withwhich they feel comfortable, even if they have to

invent new ways tcl do so, and sooner or later thecommunity must recognize them in some way

In one way or another all are organizecl to copewith five spheres of communal actMry:

. religious/congregational;

. educationaVcultural;

. external relations/defence;

. communal&elfare;

. Israel4ruorldJewry

Formally, the third sphere, that of external relationsand defence, embraces what in Europe are referredto as representative organizations. Indeed, outsidethe United States, before the Second tVorld Waqthose organizations framed and spoke for thecommunities of concern here. That can no longerbe said to be true for any of them. In the UnitedStates, this sphere has become subordinated to thecommunal/welfare sphere. In Australia it plays averylimited role and shares the field with morespecialized bodies who'represent' AustralianJewry's interests in Israel. In Canada this sharing iseven more diffused. In France, the CRIF continuesto represent internal FrenchJewish interests and itspresident now can be chosen independently of theConsistoire while FrenchJewry's interest in Israel isexpressed through other channels. In theNetherlands, the largest congregational body theNIK (that is, the first sphere), represents itscongrep4ations' interests directly and a weakcoordinating council ha^s very limited rule.

Most, if not all, of the spheres receive somegovernment assistance. On the whole, Flovernmenta-ssistance has ceased to be in the form of generalsupport and is more in the form of assistance forspecific functions. Thus, even in the United Stateswith its strong rules of separation of church andstate, federal and state funding is available forJewishhealth and welfare institutions. Elsewhere it may beavulable primarily for educational institutions.

There seem to be emerging two integrative sets ofinstitutions in the various communities regardless oftype. One is cosmopolitan, seruing the communiryas a whole, either formally framing, such as acommunity or country-wide federation or arepresentative board, or developing a thick textureof informal relationships within the government-likeinstitutions lhat may even merge into onecomprehensive institution, or may simply absorbfunctions in the external relations/defence,

communalh/elfare and Israeltvorld Jewry spheres.

The other is localistic, reflecting the growingconcentration of individual and family Jewishactivities within a congregational or localcommunity centre framework. That framework maybe very pluralistic, with congregations to setve everyexpressedJewish orientation, or it may be in somemore formal religious establishment in whichindividual congregations adapt to different styles inthe interests of their members, but increasingly ifJews want to be counted, they connect themselveswith a local congregation for lack of any other sureform of connection.

Types of communal organizationsLarger communities will have four kinds oforganizations:

1 Government-like institutions, whether'roof '

ot ganaations, framing institutions, or separateorganizations serving discrete functions that playroles and provide services on all planes (country-wide, local and intermediate) which, under otherconditions, would be played, provided, orcontrolled- predominantly or exclusively-bygovernmental authorities. They are responsiblefor tasks such as external relations, defence,education, social welfare and public (communal)finance. They include:

..a more or less comprehensive fund-raising andsocial planning body;

. a representative body for external relations;

. aJewish education service agency:

. a vehicle or vehicles for assisting Israel andotherJewish communities;

o various comprehensive religious, health andwelfare institutions.

2 Localistic institutions and organizations thatprovide a means for attaching individualJews toJewish life on the basis of their most immediateand personal interesls and needs. They include:

. congregations organized into one or moresynagogue unions, federations orconfederations;

.local cultural and recreational centres, oftenfederated or confederated with one another.

3 General purpose mass-based organizations,operating country-wide on all planes that

function to (a) articulate communitv values,attitudes and policies, (b) provide the energvand motive force for crystallizing the communalconsensus that grows out of those values,attitudes and policies, and (c) maintaininstitutionalized channels of communicationbetween the community's leaders and'actires'('cosmopolitans') and the broad base of theaffi liated Jewish population ('locals') for dealingwith the problems and tasks facing thecommunity in the light of the consensus. Thevoften include aZionist federztion and itsconstituent organization and B'nai B'rith loclges.

4 Special-interest organizations which. bv sen-ingspecialized interests in the communin- on allplanes, function to mobilize concem and supportfor the progmmmes conducted bv thecommunity and to apply pressure for theirexpansion, modification and improvement.

The first trvo of these types are embodied in theinstitutions that form the structural foundations ofthe community and the last two in organizarionsthat primarily function to activate the instirutionalstructure and give it life. Institutions of the firsttype are easily identifiable in most communiries.They include the boards of deputies founded bvAnglo-Jewish communities, the American Jen-ishcommunity federations and the Council ofFederations, the Canadian Jewish Congress. theFonds Social Juif Unifi6 in France and the like.

The most important localistic institutions are thesynagogues, which, by their very nature, are gearcdto be relatively intimate associations of compatiblepeople. Even very large synagogues that lose theirsense of intimacy are localistic institutions in thissense, in the overall community context. The mostimportant localistic organizations are Jewishcommunity or sports centres.

Organizations in the third category differwidelr-from community to communiry In the UnitedStates, B'nai B'rith and Hadassah come closest toperforming these functions, with a number ofsmaller country-wide organaations sharing in thetask. In South Africa and much of latin America theZionist federations have assumed that role. Thespecial-intere st organzations are also readilvidentifiable in the various communities.

Voluntary communitiesBy now allJewish communities in the Diaspora areunbounded: that is to say, no clear external limitsdMdeJews from non-Jews. Ratheq all are organtzed

as a series of concentric circles around a centralcore of Judaism,{ewishness that draws Jews towardsit in varying degrees, circles which fade out at theperipheries into a grey area populated by peoplewhose Jewish self-definition and Jewish status areunclear, certainly from a balacbic standpoint butalso from a sociological one. Thus every Diasporacommunity today is fullyvoluntarv and itsorgannation reflects its voluntary character.

Moreover, Judaism is recognized as a major faith inall five countries and manvJews who participate inthe public square derive their compass in publicpositions and activities from the teachings ofJudaism as they understand them, which generallymeans filtered through their panicularJewishexperience. Howeveq because the Jewishcommunity is more than simplv a religion in theconventional Christian manner but also has ethnicand communal dimensions that are both part ofand stand somewhat separate fromJewish religion,

each Jewry articulates itself in a far more complexmanner than can be encompassed by anyrepresentative organization except, perhaps, on afew specific issues in each community or in whichthere is a woddJewish consensus.

Consequently, the first task of everyJewishcommunity is to learn to deal with the particularlocal manifestation ofJews' freedom to choose.This task is a major factor in determining thedirection of the reconstitution of Jewish life in ourtime. It is increasingly true that DiasporaJews, ifthey feelJewishly committed at all, feel that theyare so by choice rather than simply by birth. Notthat organic ties do not underlie the fact of theirchoice, but birth alone is no longer sufficient tokeepJews within the fold in an environment as

highly indMdualistic and pluralistic as thecontemporary wodd. None are more conscious ofthis than Jews themselves,

Aooendix 3: United KinodomLe$islation Concerning Jews*

by His HonourJudge Aron Owen

Historical backgroundIn the Middle Ages, hostility towardsJews was acommon feature in many European countries. InEngland, during the reign of Edward I (7272-7307),the Stcttutum deftdeismo was passed in 1275. Thisstatute forbade usury and included an ordercontinuing to obligeJews to wear a distinguishingbadge and imposing upon them an annual poll tax.

In 7290, Edward personally decreed the expulsionofJews from England. During the reign of Charles I(162519) the number ofJews in England steadilyincreased. Menasseh ben Israel (I604-5N r>f

Amsterdam made a direct appeal to Cromwell toauthorize readmission. His'Humble Addresses'presented to the Lord Protector in October 1655urged the revocation of the edict of 7290 andentreated that theJews be accorded the right ofpublic worship and the right to trade freely Noformal announcement was ever made of theJews''readmission' but, from about 7557, the edict of1290 ceased to have effect.

The Religkrus Disabilities Act 1846 extended toJewsthe provisions of the Toleration Act 1688. Under the1846 Act, British subjects professing theJewishreligion were to be subject to the same laws inrespect of their schools, places for religiousworship, education and charitable purposes, andthe property held with them, as Protestantdissenters from the Church of England.

Present positionToday English law does not regardJews as aseparate nationality or as different from any otherBritish citizen. They have no special status except inso far as they constitute a dissenting religiousdenomination.

Provision for that special religious position ofJewsha-s, from time to time, been made in legislation(see, for example, the 7846 Act mentioned above).A discussion of the subject will be found inHalsbury's Laus of England, fourth edition, 1975,Volume 74, paragraphs I,423 to 1,432.

+ Reprintcd by permission from Tbe Jewisb Year Book 1999 ^.r'allentrneMitchell Publishers, 900 Eastern Avenue, Ilfcrrcl, Essex, Englancl.

Copynght Vallentine Mitchell Publishers).

Some of the various statutory provisions in forcetoday are set out briefly below Further infornnrhnand details can be obtained from the Boand ofDeputies (5th Floor, Commonwealth Hour. l-19New Oxford Street, l.ondon \fC1A 1NF. Tel. 0lO7543 5400). Legal advice should be sought bv *roewishing to know the impact of specific legislationupon their own particular circumstances.

lThe Representation of tbe People Act 1983(which is a consolidation of several previous -{rr:senables a voter in a padiamentary or localelection 'who declares that he is aJew'andobjects on religious grounds to marking theballot paper on theJewish Sabbath to have. if tlrpoll is taken on a Saturday his vote recorded b1

the presiding officer. This right does not apph-tcrJewish holy days other than the Sabbath. Aperson unable by rea.son of 'rel44ious obsen'ance-to go in person to the polling station ma,v applr'to be treated as an absent voter and to be giren epostal vote for a particular parliamentary or loczlelection.

2 The Education Act 1994 permits Jewishparents to have their children attending stare orstate-aided voluntary schools withdrawn fromany period of religious instruction and/orworship where such instruction or worship isnot in theJewish faith. In order to takeadvantage of these provisions of theAct, awritten request must be submitted to the headteacher of the school.

3 The Oatbs Act 1978. AJew may take an oath (inEngland, \!'ales or Northern Ireland) by holdingthe OId Testament in his uplifted hand and sayingor repeating after the officer administering theoath the words: 'I swear by Almighty God that...',followed by the words of the oath prescribed bvlaw The officer will administer the oath in thatform and manner without question, unless theperson about to take the oath voluntarily objecsthereto or is physically incapable of so taking theoath.

Any person who objects to being sworn (whetherin that way or in the form and manner usuallyadministered in Scotland) is at liberty instead tomake a solemn affirmation, which will have thesame force and effect as an oath. The form of theaffirmation is as follows: 'I...do solemnly sincerelyand truly declare and affrrm that...', followed bythe words of the oath prescribed by law Theform of affirmation omits anywords ofimprecation or calling to witness.

1X{arfiage Act 1949. English law expresslyrecognizes the validit.v of marriages byJews inEngland if the cerernonies of the Jewish religionhave been complied with.

The secretary of a synagogue has statutorypowers and duties in regard to keeping themarriage register books, and the due registratior-rof marriages benveen persons professing theJewish religion under the provisions of theMariage Act 1949. He has no authorit]. unlessand until he has been certified in writing to bethe secretary of a synagogue in England ofpersons professing theJewish religion by thepresident of the Boarcl of Deputies.

1ffhen the $/est London S,vnagogue wasestablished, actin€l on the advice of the ChiefRabbi and other recognized Jewish ecclesizr.sticalauthol'ities, the president of the Board ofDeputies refrrsed to certii/ the secretary of thenew congl'egation. Accorclingly, by tl-re MarriageAct 1949, it is enacted that the secretary of theWest Lonclon Synagogr-re of BritishJews, ifcertified irr writing to the Registrar-General bytwenty householders being members of thatsynagogue, shall be entitled to the sameprivileges zs if he had been certified by thepresident of the Boiud of Deputies. Theseprivileges are also accorded to a person whomthe secretary of the \l'est l.ondon Synagoguecertifies in writing to be the secretaly of someother st nagogue of not less than tv\,entyhouseholders professing theJen4sh religion, rf itis connectecl with the Vest lrrnclon Synagogueand ha-s been established for lrot less than one).ear.

TheMctniages(.'SecretariesoJ'4%nagogues)Act1959 gives sinilar rights to LiberalJewishsynagogues.

5 The Fantily Laut Act 1996 cc'tntains importantspecific provisions in relation toJewish religiousclivorce.

Section 9, subsections (.3) and (4) provide as

follorvs:

(3) if the puuties-(a) were married to each other with usages ofa kind r-nentioned in Section 26(1) of theMarriage Act 7949 (mar-riages which may besolemnizecl on authoritl, of superintendentregistrar's certificate), and(b) are requirecl to c()operate if the mardage is

to be dissolved in accordance with thoseusages,the couft may, on the application of eitherparty direct that there must also be proclucedto the couft a declaration by both parties thatthey have taken such steps as are required todissolve the marriage in accordance with thoseusages.

(4) A direction under subsection (3)-(a) may be given onlv if the court is satisfiedthat in all the circumstances of the ca^se it isjust and reasonable to give it; and(b) may be revoked by the court at arry time.

Tl're effect of these provisions is that whereparties who have Lleen maniecl in accordancewith the usages ofJewish law (i.e. chuppab anclkiddusbin). seek a divorce, then, before such aJewish husband and wife would be granted thecivil decree of divorce by the English court, theycoulcl be requirecl to declare that tl-rerc has beenaget, i.e. theJewish religious clivorce. Therewould thus be abarner to such aJewish husbanclor wife obtainirrg a civil clivorce and being able toremarry unless and until there has been a priorget.

It is hoped that these new statutory provisionswill go some way towarcls alleviating the plight ofanagunab. The usual case of an agunab(literally 'a chained woman') is that of a wifewhose husband refilses to give her aget so thatshe is unable to remarry in accordance withorthodoxJewish law. Under the above pn;visionsof the Farnily Lrw Act 1996 such a husband r,vouldhimself be unable to obtain a civil clecree ofdivorce and remarry

6 Sbecbita. Animals and birds slaughtered bi, theJewislr method (sbecbita) for tl're fooci ofJews byaJew duly licensed b,v the RabbinicalCommission constituted for the purp()se do notcome within the provision of theSlaughterhouses Act 7974 or the Slaughter ofPoultryAct 7967 relatingto the methods ofslaughter of animals and birds. The right topractise sbecbitct is thus preserued.

In March 1995 lrcdr Acts (the SlaughterhousesAct 7974 ancl the Slaughter of Poultry Act 1967)were repealed and replaced by seconclary.legislation in the form of a Statutory Instrument.Tl-ris implements the European Community'sDilective (931I19EC) on the protection of animalsat the time of slaughter. There is specific

provision that the requirement for animals andpoultry to be stunned before slaughter or killedinstantaneously does not apply in the case ofanimals subject to particular methods ofslaughter required by certain religious rites.Sbecbita is accordingly safeguarded.

7 The Sunday Trading Act, which came intoopemtion on 26 August7994, has removed manyof the difficulties caused by the Shops Act 1950.All shops with a selling and display area of lessthan 280 square metres may be open at any timeon Sundays. Shops with a selling and display areaof 280 square metres or more are still subject tosome restriction, with an opening time limited toa continuous period of six hours between 10 a.m.and 6 p.m.

There is, howeveq a special exemption for'persons observing theJewish Sabbath'who areoccupiers of these 'large' shops. Provided suchan individual (and there are pardlel conditionsfor partnerships and companies) gives a signednotice to the local authority that he is a person oftheJewish religion and intends to keep the shopclosed for the seruing of customers on theJewishSabbath, he may open it as and when he wisheson a Sunday

The notice given to the local authority must beaccompaniedby a statement from the minister ofthe shopkeeper's synagogue or the secretary formarriages of that synagogue or a persondesignated by the president of the Board ofDeputies that the shopkeeper is a person of theJewish religion. There are severe penalties for anyfalse statements made in connection with thisintention to trade.

Iarge shops which were previously registeredunder Section 53 of the Shops Act 1950 maycontinue to trade on Sundays without newnotification. But occupiers of food stores andkosher meat shops over 280 square metres who,even if closed on Shabbat, did not previouslyrequire exemption, may well have formally tonotifiz their local authority that their premises willbe closed on Shabbat to enable them to open onSunday

Jewish shopkeepers who close their premises forthe twenty-five hours of Shabbatmay open afterShabbat.

B Discrimination against a person on account ofhis being aJew is unlawful under the Race

Relations Act 1976.

9 Friendly Societies Act 1974. Afriendlv socierymay be registered for the purpose, inter alia, ofensuring that money is paid to persons of theJewish persuasion duingsbiua (referred ro intheAct as'the period of confned mouming').

TOBy the Places ofWorsbip Rqistration Act1855, as amended by the Cbarities Act 19@, theRegistrar-General may ceftify a srmagogue. Theeffect of ceftification is freedom from uninritedinterference by the Charity Commissioners and, ifexclusively appropriate to public n'orship. fron-rgeneral and special rates.

71 By the Juries Act 1 870, the minister of aslrragogue who has been certified is free fromliability to selve on a jury provided he folloss nosecular occupation except that of a schoolmaster.

The Scottish Position

by SbenffG. H. Gordon, QC, LLD

Jews do not appear in Scots legislation as a uniquegroup, except in relation to United Kingdomstatutes which treat them as such, of which the onlyone still in force is the Representation of tbe PeopleAct 1983. European Regulations apply in Scodand as

they do in England.

The Education (Scotland) Act 1944 pror,ides bvSection 9 that every public and grrtt-uded schoolshall be open to all denominations, and that anvpupil may be withdrawn by his parents frominstruction in religious subjects and from anvreligious observance in any such school.

The oath is administered by the judge in Scotscourts, and the witness repeats the words (n-hichbegin 'I swear byAlmighry God') after him n-ith hisright hand upraised. No books are used. AJel-ishwitness is in practice allowed to cover his head if hewishes to do so. Anyone who indicates a wish toaffirm is allowed to do so.

Section B of tlrre Marriages (Scotlartd) Act 1977provides that a religious marriage may besolemnized by the minister or clergyman of anyreligious body prescribed by regulations, or by anyperson recognized by such a body as entitled tosolemnize marriages. The bodies prescribed by theMarriage @rescription of Religious Bodies)(kotland) @egulations) 7977 (SI No. 1670)

include 'The Hebrew Congregation', whatever thatdenotes. In practice Orthodox marriages aresolemnized by ministers authorized to do so by theBoard of Deputies.

The Laru Reform (Miscellaneotn Prouisions)(kotlard) Act 1980 includes regular ministers of

any religious denomination among those personswho although eligible for jury service are entitled tobe excused therefrom as of right.

The Race Relatiot'ts Act 1976 applies to Scotland,but the Sunday TradingAct 1994 does not, nordoes the Places of 'Worsbip Registration Act 1B55.

Appendix 4: Gatherino theEvidence-Consu ltatiSns via TownMeetinqs, Interviews andOuestio"nnaires

Town meetingsManchester: 9 November 7998Leeds: 23 November 7998Brighton: 1 December 1998Golders Green: 2 December 1998Glasgow: 6 December 1998Central London: B December 1998Redbridge : 25 J anuary 7999

lnterviewsPersonal lnterviewslndividualsMax Caller, chief executive, London Borough of

Barnet, 75July 7999Daniel Fox, Consultant, GPC Government Policy

Consultants, Brussels, 25 August 1999Lord Immanuel Jakobovits, z'1,2J March 1999Lord GrevilleJanneq 22 Apnl7999Sir Stanley Kalms, 22 ApnI7999Jonathan Kestenbaum, chief executive, ffIA, 1

July 1999Lionel Kopelowitz, former president, Board of

Deputies, 29 March 7999Rabbi DrAbraham Ler,y Spanish and Portugese

Synagogue, 21 March 1999

Julian lewis, ME 15 March 7999CouncillorJosef H. Lobenstein, MBE, Mayoq

London Borough ofHackney 17August 1999Rabbi Avraham Pinter, principal, Yesoday Hatorah

Schools, 21 December 1998Rabbi Ytzhak Rubin, South Manchester Synagogue,

BJuly 1999Chief Rabbi DrJonathan Sacks, 23 March 7999Ita Symons, MBE, executive director, Agudas Israel

Housing Association, 75 July 7999Lord David Young, 75 Apnl1999HE Dror Zeigerman, Ambassador of Israel, 22 Apnl

1999

OrganizationsAssembly of Masorti Synagogues, Dr Harry

Freedman, director, 74July 7999Board of Deputies of British Jews, honorary officers,

26 Apnl7999Council of European Rabbis, Councillor Abraham

Dunner, executive directoq 27 July 7999Federation of Synagogues, Arnold Cohen, president,

79 Apnl7999Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, Isaac

Cymerman, director, 17 August 1999

United Synagogue, George Willman, chief executive,and Peter Sheldon, president, 13 December 7999

G overn ment depa rtme ntsDepartment of Education and Emplovment (DfEE),

School Framework Liaison Team; Iocal Decision-Making and Surplus Places Policv Team. 1+Julr.1999

Government Office for l.ondon, 10 August 1999Greater London Authoriry Thansition Team. 10

August 1999Home Office, Race Equality Strategr.Tean'r. Race

Equality Unit, BJuly 1999National Health Services, NHS Directorate. 19Julr.

1999

Mass mediaMadeline Bunting, former religion corre;1rcndent,

Guardian,6May 7999Richard Clemmow, head of news programnring.

BBC Television, 28 April7999Ruth Gledhill, religion correspondent. TIrc Tintes,20

March 1999

D i sc u ss ions/focu s g ro u psFocus group: university students, Oxforcl Unir-ersity(nine men, three women), 29 November 1998

Focus group: studentfoung leadership actirists.March 7999

Malcolm CohenJennifer EthertonRachel GaffrnGabriel HermanAndrew PalmerAnn Waldek

Israel-Diaspora Ti-ust discussion, 22 Apnl 7999Dr Sidney BrichtoWilliam Frankel, CBE

John FranksHon. Judge Dawn FreedmanDavid FreemanWendy LeighronTony Sacker

Jeremy SchonfieldClinton Silveq CBEPeter SussmanMarie van der ZylClive \X/olman

lnquiry day,29 April 1999Rabbi Tony Ba)field, chief executive, Reform

Synagogues of Great BritainValerie Bello, national vice-president, B'nai B'rithRickie Burman, directoq Jewish Museum

Melr,yn Carlowe, OBE, chief executive,Jewish CareProfessor David Cesarani, directoq rViener L\braryAdam Dawson, chaiq Union ofJewish StudentsStuart Etherington, chief executive, National Council

for Voluntary OrganizationsDavid Finkelstein, Conservative Party Director,

former director of research, Social MarketFoundation

Dr Edie Friedman, directoqJewish Council forRacial Equality

Andrew Gilbert, former chaiq UmmudLouise Greenberg, literary agent, former chief

producer, BBC RadioArieh Handleq president, Mizrachi-Hapoel

Harn:zrachiProfessor Roben Hazel, director, Constitution Unit,

University College, LondonBen Helfgott, chairman, Yad Vashem Committee,

Board of DeputiesAnnaJosse, chief executive, New Israel FundJanice Lopatkin, director, Holocaust Educational

fiustRabbi Dr Charles Middleburgh, execurive director,

Union of Liberal and Progressive SynagoguesBeverly Miller, senior managet British \MZO, and

Lorraine Varren, honorary secretary WIZOVal6rie Monchi, deputy editor, Prospect magazineJessica Penn, director, Runymede Tiust Commission

on the Future of Multi-Ethnic BritainStuart Polak, directoq Conservative Friends of IsraelAubrey Rose, CBE, former senior vice-president,

Board of DeputiesEsmond Rosen, Merseyside Jewish RepresentativeCouncil; LiverpoolJewish Youth and Community

CentreSister Margaret Shepherd, director, Council of

Christians and JewsColin Shindler, edrtor, Judaism TodayProfessorJohn Solomos, South Bank UniversiryDavid Sumberg, MEII director, Anglo-Israel

AssociationNed Temko, editor, Jewisb CbronicleMike \{.4rine, director, Community Security lhlstAnnie Wigman, editor,Jewisb Youtb Work

Ouestionnaire respondents and writtenevidencelndividualsFrancis AdamFrankAdamProfessor Geoffrey AldermanRuthAppletonRt. Hon. SirJohn BalcombeDaphne BandDavid BeharLord Max Beloff

A. BenAriJanet Berenson-PerkinsMoshe BergerRobert BermanStanley BloomRev Stanley BrickmanAustin BurtonRuth CantonRebecca CaplanMaureen Ca-sey

David Clarklady Valerie CocksAlan CohenNeville S. ConradAnne Cowen

J. Crivan, OBECouncillor Ab raham DunnerLouise EllmanZennia EstersonMarcus FieldingAnn FineBarry FinebergMike FranklCharles FriezeDr Eva FrojmovicIan Gerecht

Jessica GoldBrian GoldsteinPercy Gourgey MBEColin GrazinMs V GrosserFabian Hamilton, MPAlan HarrisLord Simon HaskelMichelle HayresRt. Hon. Michael Howard, QC, MPBarry HymanCyril M.JacobsMarcel ItuobilClive lawtonNorman LebrechtIrene Leeman

Joel IernerOliver l,etwin, MPVivien LichtensteinRaphael LoeweEdward MackStephen MarcusDavid L. MarksMrs V MellorRt. Hon. the Lord MilletJonathan MorrisSimon MyersonRabbiJulia NeubergerG. R. PintoFelix Posen

Rabbi DrJohn D. RaynerIvor RichardsRabbi DrJonathan RomainAubrey Rose, CBER. Stephen RubinSamuel RuferDavid SackerRuth SacksRabbi Zorach Meir SalasnikKaren SenittDavid ShepherdColin Shindler\Xtlliam G. SternPeter TaylorDoreen W'achmannMalcolmWaldProfessor Bernard \flassersteinAnnieWigmanMalloryWoberRt. Hon. the l,ord W'oolfMyra \X/oolfson

Jessica rX&yman

OrganizationsAngl o-Jewish Associa tionAssembly of Masorti SlnagoguesAssociation of Children ofJewish RefugeesAssociation of Jewish ex-BerlinersAssociation ofJewish Ex-Servicemen and Women

(AJEDAssociation of Ministers (Chazanim) of Great BritainBeth Din (Court of the Chief Rabbi)Birmingham Jewish Day CentreB'nai B'rith District 75 of Great Britain and IrelandBrighton and HoveJewish CommunityCambridge Ttaditional Jewish Congregation TiustCardiffHillel HouseCardiffJewish HelplineCardiff United SynagogueCentral Council forJewish Community SeMcesCentre firrJewish EducationCommunity Security TiustEdgware Adath Ysrael CongregationEdgware and District Communal MikvehEuropean Israeli ForumFieldgate Street Great SynagogueFriends of Kingsbury MikvehFriends of Shov ShmeitseGiffnock and Newlands Hebrew CongregationGlasgowJewish Choral SocietyGlasgowJewish Male Voice ChoirGlasgow Jewish Representative CouncilHabonim DrorHastings and District Jewish SocietyInitiation SocietyJ. E.Joseph Charitable Fund

Jewish Blind and DisabledJewish Care

Jewish Genealogical Societyof Great BritainJewish Learning CentreJewish Liberal Sy'nagogue

Jewish National FundJewish'Women's Network (Manchester)

Jubilee Ieisure ClubKeren LDovid and Nachlas DovidKesher,/The Iearning ConnectionKing David FoundationKisharonleague ofJewish'WomenLeeds Jewish Medical SocietyIeicester Progressive Jewish CongregationThe Lynton TlustMakor (formerly Jewish Programme Materials

ProjectJPMP)Manchester Central Board for Hebrew Educarion

and lalmud TorahManchesterJewish Homes for the AgedManchester Reform SynagogueNational Council forJews in the Former Soriet

UnionNational Council of Shechita BoardsNewport Hebrew CongregationNightingale House (Flome for AgedJeNs)Noam-Masorti YouthNorth ManchesterJewish Youth ProjectPrayer for Israel

Queenshill SgragogueReform Synagogues of Great BritainRevive!BrightonRuach Char,urahScottish Association of Jewish TeachersScottish Council ofJewish CommunitiesSha'arei Shalom SynagogueSheffield and District Reform Jewish CongregationSouthend and DistrictJewish Representative

CouncilSouth London Communal CouncilSutton United SynagogueSynagogue FranEaise de IondresUnited KingdomJewish Aid and International

Development\W'omen in the Community-Women's Campaign forSovietJewry (The 35s)\[omen's Campaign for SovietJewry4eeds 35sZemel Choir

JPR reports are lndexed in lndex of Articles on Jewish Studies(Jerusa em), Kiryat Sefer (Jerusalem) and n Ulrich! lntehationalPeriodicals Directory (NewYork) and are isted online by Bowkerlnternational Serials Database (NewYork). S ngle copy 115.00 / $24.00

O lnst tuie ior Jew sh Po cV Research 2000

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ISSN 1363 1322 Des gn: BNX Advert slng Lim ted Printed byr L G Davis

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