The British Jewish community is extremely diverse and varied in terms of ethnicity, heritage, minhag or custom, degree of religious observance, viewpoint and politics. The British Jewish community comprises of White Jews, Black Jews, Brown Jews, Jews from the far East, Jews from Spain and the Middle East, Jews from Africa and from the Americas. British Jews can be so secular that they do nothing specifically religious but keep a strong hold on their Jewish culture or so religious that they would be lost outside of their enclaves and get all that they need from their religious community.

Politically some Jews can be politically disengaged whilst others blow their trumpets for conservatism or socialism or just about any other political ideology (ones that mean Jews no harm of course although there’s always the occasional meshugganah or crazy person who might choose such a path) one could care to name. Britain’s Jews are not all cut from the same cloth, in fact if you were to envisage the British Jewish community as a material then it would look much more like a patchwork quilt instead of a fabric dyed in one solid colour.

There is a massive amount of viewpoint diversity in the British Jewish community. I don’t think that I’ve ever been to a Jewish event where everyone agreed on everything. Some Jews for example may believe that I am too liberal for supporting stuff like allowing women to be Rabbonim whilst others call me a overly observant nutcase for changing my kitchen utensils for non-bread contact ones and covering my worktops in tin foil at Passover. Everybody is different in UK Jewry and everyone has an opinion.

But the problem facing British Jews as I see it is that whilst the community may be diverse in viewpoint and in their politics, this diversity is not reflected in some communal organisations most notably the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BOD). There does seem to be the perception that the BOD has become a creature of the political Left. I’ve had people come on here and express exasperation with the BOD because of their leftism. One even refers to it as ‘The Board of Marxists’. The BOD has kicked off appointed and elected members, the deputies, for criticising Islamic extremism or for recognising that there is a theological and political conflict between Islam and the West. Writers like David Collier have claimed that individuals associated with some pretty extreme Left wing stuff such as the in my view quasi-blasphemous ‘Kaddish For Hamas’ event have acquired influential positions in the Board of Deputies. For information the Kaddish for Hamas incident happened a few years back when a group of left wing non-Orthodox Jews gathered in Parliament Square and recited the Jewish memorial prayer, the Kaddish, for Hamas terrorists killed during a conflict that Hamas started with Israel. This was not something that went down well with conservative minded British Jews.

I personally do not feel in any way that my views or my concerns as a centre right conservative are represented by the Board of Deputies. Although I believe that nothing should prevent those of a socialist viewpoint from voicing their views as part of the BOD’s work, socialism should not dominate the organisation. For the record neither do I think that conservatives and conservatism should dominate the BOD because that would be equally as detrimental to an organisation that purports to represent and work for a community with a wide variety of viewpoints.

Many British Jews, especially those Jews who hold to opinions not favourable to the Left, have long been frustrated by what they perceive as a left bias by the Board. Most of us have just grumbled about it or released our frustration with laughter, but someone has stepped up to the plate and formed a new Jewish communal organisation that might either provide a home for those Jews dissatisfied with the BOD or help to push the BOD to become more open to views not held by the Left.

This new organisation, The National Jewish Assembly, has been set up by Gary Mond a former representative on the Board of Deputies. Mr Mond was forced out of the BOD when comments he had made about the conflict between Islam and the West along with likes on Twitter for a post by Pamela Geller were publicised by Leftists. But this group is not just Mr Mond. This group has some good people working for it. I’ve had a look at some of the other people on the Advisory Board and the management team for the National Jewish Assembly and I must say that this group has managed to gather together some pretty competent and solid talented individuals. The organisation is also noticeable in that those in control of this organisation are not only London based and instead come from communities across the United Kingdom. I’m also impressed that the membership fees for this organisation is not extortionate when compared to other similar groups and hopefully that will encourage free thinking Jews and the communities that respect free thinking and plurality to join.

The story of a new challenger to the centuries old Board of Deputies has been carried by the UK’s Jewish Chronicle. Here’s a pic of the story, but the JC’s story calls the new entity the British Jewish Assembly whereas the proper name for the group that they use for themselves is the National Jewish Assembly.  Sorry the image quality is not that good, my phone got damaged when I suffered a poultry related gravitational incident a while back (I tripped over a chicken*) .

The JC said:

Whilst this move is welcomed by me and I would imagine others who believe in viewpoint plurality it has really given some on the Jewish Left the screaming ad dabs. I’m hearing rumours that some non-Orthodox Rabbonim are telling their congregations that joining this new group would be akin to following Tommy Robinson and that the new organisation is, of course, ‘racist’, an accusation that they make naturally without much in the way of evidence. I know some of the synagogues over which these Rabbonim preside and although I have great admiration for them on matters of theology, learning, art and culture and am more than willing to respect them with regard to these areas, when it comes to the political paths of these Rabbonim, I take a different view. I believe that because because some of these Rabbonim are over on the extreme Left as I would see it, that it’s probably a good idea in most cases to just do the absolute opposite of what the Rabbonim are saying you should do. If a Rabbi tells me that I should condemn or avoid a group that wishes to promote political and viewpoint plurality then as a believer in plurality I’m duty bound to support plurality and reject the Rabbi’s screeching about the group.

Personally I find it extremely ‘off’ for the Board of Deputies to be politically partisan and be dominated by either the Left or the Right. I feel a similar way about Rabbonim who demand that their congregations think in a certain way politically and do not wish to see either plurality or discussion. For me the idea that one Jew would forbid another Jew from engaging in debate or associating with Jews they disagree with, which is what some of what the left Rabbonim are demanding, is profoundly un-Jewish.

This new organisation could be a good thing. It could provide a forum for those who feel that they are excluded by the Jewish Left from communal entities and maybe help to represent those who have for far too long felt that they have not been properly represented by the Board of Deputies.

* The chicken was unharmed.