In what has been described as “an important step in bringing the community closer together”, the heads of the Board of Deputies and the Campaign Against Antisemitism have said they will exchange ideas to combat the increase in Jew-hate since October 7.
In a wide-ranging discussion in front of an audience at Finchley Synagogue, Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies, and Gideon Falter, chief executive of the CAA , covered topics including the BBC, universities, policing and TikTok, mostly agreeing on the points of discussion.
After the event, which was chaired by JC columnist Nicole Lampert, Rosenberg said: “Among the Board of Deputies’ key priorities for the next three years are to fight antisemitism and to make the community more united, more inclusive and more outward looking.
“Against the backdrop of the biggest rise in antisemitism on record since the Second World War, it is important that we share knowledge and ideas. This conversation was an important step in bringing the community closer together in this vital aim.”
Falter told the JC: “At a time like this, it is especially important to keep our community informed and to maintain healthy dialogue with other organisations. We were very pleased to be able to put on this event for our community in partnership with Phil Rosenberg, the new president of the Board of Deputies.”
He added that October 7 had “unleashed a wave of antisemitism that has engulfed our community over the past year, so it was timely that at this sombre anniversary, we held this joint event to discuss what the future looks like for British Jews and what we will do to fight for that future”.
The discussion appeared to herald the start of a new working relationship between the two organisations, which, historically, haven’t always seen eye to eye. Last November, the Board of Deputies only publicly endorsed the CAA’s March Against Antisemitism shortly before the event began.
During the discussion, Rosenberg spelt out the Board’s plans for a new commission on antisemitism, saying that it would encompass a comprehensive review of hate crime legislation, policing and prosecution, including public order and safety.
He added that there would also be “a sector by sector review of the failings in civil society since October 7, whether in the media, social media universities, workplaces, culture or sport”.
Rosenberg said that the Board would be making recommendations on how to tackle extremism, whether from Islamist, far right or far left sources, as well as scaling up interfaith work “to inoculate people against hatred and build understanding”.
Falter pointed out that the CAA had been “at the forefront of efforts to draw attention to the raw antisemitism at anti-Israel marches and university encampments, to use the law to hold antisemites and failing law enforcement to account, to close loopholes in our laws and to persuade the public to back us”.
He noted that the March Against Antisemitism was “the largest gathering against antisemitism in this country since the Battle of Cable Street”, attracting around 100,000 people.
