Jewish Leadership Council

In January 2022, Keith Black, CEO of the Regatta Group, became chair.[4] Before this, the position was held by Jonathan Goldstein from May 2017 until January 2022.[5] From 2009 to 2017 Mick Davis, chairman of the United Jewish Israel Appeal, was in the role. He was the first chairman of the council's executive committee.[6]

Claudia Mendoza and Michelle Janes were appointed joint chief executives in 2020.[7] They took over from Simon Johnson, a former Football Association executive, who held the CEO position from 2013 to 2020. Before this, Jeremy Newmark (former spokesperson for the Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks) held the CEO position from January 2006 until 2013.[8] Under Newmark, the organisation increased its expenditure from £192,000 in 2007 to £2,782,000 in 2013.[9]

The JLC works and aspires to facilitate long-term strategic planning for communal life. It aims to increase and improve co-ordination, cooperation, collaboration and (where appropriate) consolidate resources to enhance the effectiveness and impact of Jewish communal organisations. The JLC has the ability to bring individuals and organisations together to share challenges and solutions. The JLC connects and co-ordinates member organisations, be this through the JLC CEO Forum and Council Meetings or cross-communal fora such as the HR Forum and a new Fundraising Forum.

The JLC sees itself as an integral part of the support network to members. JLC is a central point of expertise member charities and organisations can refer to, helping them to locate resources and find others who can help resolve issues. It also has the ability to co-ordinate members in line with their values and purpose A recent example of this type of work undertaken by the JLC is the establishment of the Jewish Community Refugee Task Force in March 2022 with the Board of Deputies of British Jews to ensure that the Jewish community could provide a co-ordinated, needs-led and effective response to the refugee crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Regional managers at the JLC ensure that the breadth of the Jewish community has people advocating on their behalf. Together, they build relationships with MPs, local councils, and regional mayors in London, the North West, and North East. This country-wide focus allows the JLC to think strategically and locally about the continued vitality of the Jewish community in the UK. The JLC supports the London Jewish Forum and Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region through a close working relationship and staffing of these organisations.

The JLC created Reshet in response to joint research with UJIA on the informal (out of school) provisions available for young people in the UK Jewish community. Originally starting as a network that brings together the many Jewish youth movements, today Reshet also act as the primary provider of safeguarding expertise and training in the Jewish community. It has led the central community response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and provided training for communal bodies in safeguarding.

The JLC works to create the leaders of tomorrow. In 2008, the council launched the 'New Leadership Network', a project designed to create a forum for the development of the next generation heads of the major agencies of the UK Jewish community.[11] This then developed into Lead, established in 2011, which is the leadership development arm of the JLC. It is the only organisation of its kind working cross-communally in the UK Jewish community to offer leadership programmes, events, and networking opportunities for trustees, lay, professional, and emerging communal leaders.

The JLC has created the community's first Digital Development Project which aims to support community leaders and organisations to increase and improve use of digital tools to enhance their productivity and effectiveness. Underpinned by the JLC's ability to bring Jewish community organisations together to learn from each other.

The JLC continues to be data-driven in its decision-making and strategic thinking. Informed and supported by guidance from the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), the JLC are helping co-ordinate members and communal organisations through a charity income survey. Through this piece of research, planned in 2021 and due to be carried out in 2022, we are seeking to understand the impact of COVID-19 on Jewish community organisations’ ability to secure funds over the last two years. The survey will also explore emerging fundraising trends and changes. The JLC will then share best practice and lessons learnt across the participating organisations to support fundraising efforts across the community.

The JLC work with JPR (the Institute Jewish Policy Research) to support efforts to create a Jewish population research panel to understand long-term trends and to help strategically inform their work and that of their members. Most recently this has included in-depth research into the community's response to COVID-19 and, through PaJeS, analysing the most recent Census data alongside assessing future schools’ provision.

The JLC prides itself on identifying and tackling key communal challenges. A key example of this is the recognition by the JLC of the need for greater support for Jewish Schools. From research undertaken and subsequent investment in response, the Partnership for Jewish School (PaJeS) was formed in 2011. The Council published a report on the impact of its 2008 Commission on Jewish Schools, and the work of the JLC Schools Strategy Implementation Group. The report was launched by JLC Vice-president Leo Noe and Secretary of State for Education, Nick Gibb at a gathering of 200 key figures from the Jewish schools sector. The Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks and Policy Exchange Chairman Daniel Finkelstein also spoke at the launch of PaJeS. In 2021 the JLC celebrated PaJeS moving to a sustainable independent organisation.

PaJeS, now a JLC member, helps plan strategically for the continued provision of sufficient Jewish school places and works to maintain the schools' continued excellence.[12]

In December 2006, the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews formed the Fair Play Campaign Group, a pro-Israel advocacy organization. The Fair Play Campaign co-ordinates activity against anti-Israel boycotts and other anti-Zionist campaigns.[13]

In December 2009, the Council sought and published a legal opinion from Lord Pannick advocating a change in UK law to prevent the issuing of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders without prior consent of the Attorney General.

In June 2011, together with BICOM and the Board of Deputies, Council Chair Vivian Wineman, Chair of Trustees Mick Davis and CEO Jeremy Newmark, met Foreign Secretary William Hague to discuss developments in the Middle East.[14]

The Jewish Leadership Council has previously been criticised as self-appointed and unaccountable. Deputies have in the past noted that, while Board honorary officers are accountable to deputies, who themselves are accountable to their constituencies, the JLC had no such governance structure.[15]

In February 2018, The Jewish Chronicle published an internal audit report into the conduct of Jeremy Newmark, while he was CEO of the council between 2006 and 2013, that alleged that he deceived the council out of "tens of thousands of pounds". The Jewish Chronicle claimed the council had covered up the former CEO's alleged behaviour, and accepted a resignation on the grounds of ill health. Newmark denied any wrongdoing, though he resigned as Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement two days later.[16] The Charity Commission stated it had not been informed of these allegations of financial impropriety in 2013 which raised serious potential regulatory concerns which it was assessing.[17] In March 2018, a three-member panel, with Charity Commission approval, began investigating the allegations.[18] In February 2019, a police investigation was also opened.[19] The panel later said that it could not quantify any missing funds due to the absence of key documents and records. The police closed their investigation in March 2019.[20]