BySimon Rocker, Simon Rocker
Leaders of Catford and Bromley Synagogue in south London have decided to leave the Board of Deputies on financial grounds.
Joe Burchell, chairman of the United Synagogue affiliate, said it would not send a deputy to the Board's next triennium because "we do not think it's good value".
It costs a synagogue such as Catford and Bromley £495 annually to send a deputy to the Board. This was "uneconomical", he said. Synagogue members could find out about the Board's work through the United Synagogue and the Jewish press without needing to send a representative to meetings.
A member of the synagogue's board also believed that "there was too much infighting at the Board", Mr Burchell added. "We'd sooner support the CST because we think they are doing a very good job."
Board of Deputies president, Vivian Wineman, said that while sympathetic to the shul's financial pressures, "we are mystified by this decision, which was taken without consultation with the synagogue's deputy, or any inquiry about the work of the Board".
The Board had written to Catford, "but have yet to receive a reply. With the many challenges that our community face, on antisemitism, Israel, shechita and Jewish schools, we would not want a situation where Catford and Bromley becomes a marginal voice. We would prefer that it remains an integral part of the community conversation."