Board of Deputies seeks to engage with Jewish youth

The Board of Deputies has sought the views of young Jewish adults “not keen to engage with existing institutions” in an effort to work out how to adapt for the future.

Today a half-day seminar saw community leaders listen to the thoughts of 18-35 year olds they fear may become disenfranchised.

It follows a recent warning from Senior Reform Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner that the younger generations ask themselves: “Why should I bother being Jewish, when it’s so expensive, so hierarchical and when institutions are stuck?”

In a speech to the Board of Deputies, she added: “They do not necessarily buy into institutional authority as previous generations did. We have to give them far more input into determining what happens in our communal spaces.”

Ahead of this week’s seminar, a Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “We are responding to the concern about this issue… We hope that this event might herald the arrival of new ways of thinking and engaging with people of this age group.”