Limmud panel questions Board of Deputies’ role after FT letter fallout
Session features sanctioned Deputies as Board says panel description may be revised
A Limmud Festival session examining whether the Board of Deputies of British Jews is “fit for purpose” will feature Deputies who were sanctioned after signing an open letter critical of the Israeli government earlier this year.
The session, scheduled for Sunday 28 December at 4pm at the festival, lists Philip Goldenberg, Harriett Goldenberg and Robert Stone as panellists. All three have been subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Deputies.
Philip Goldenberg is a lawyer and former Liberal Democrat councillor. He is one of the 36 Deputies who signed a letter published in the Financial Times in April criticising Israeli government policy in Gaza. Goldenberg was sanctioned by the Board, and, along with four others, later received an additional sanction for speaking publicly about the letter.
Harriett Goldenberg is a suspended member of the Board of Deputies and has held senior communal roles, including chairing a Reform synagogue in Winchester and serving as the city’s first Jewish councillor. She was the vice-chair of the Board’s International division prior to the sanctions put in place by the organisation in response to the FT letter. She works professionally as a psychotherapist and psychologist.
Robert Stone is a political economist who served as a Deputy for around 20 years, including time on the Board’s finance and organisation division. He was also among the Financial Times letter signatories sanctioned.
The session description frames the discussion around the Board of Deputies’ role as the representative body of UK Jewry and how it has managed internal disagreement since the 7 October attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.
Jewish News understands from the Board that after discussions with Limmud, the blurb is being changed “to more accurately reflect the position of the people on the panel”.
Limmud Festival 2025 runs from 26 to 31 December. As part of this year’s programme, Limmud has introduced a Festival At Home option, allowing audiences to watch a selection of sessions live online. A household ticket costs £35 and provides access to 11 livestreamed sessions taking place between 28 and 30 December, aimed at those unable to attend the Festival in person.
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