OPINION: Securing the future of Jewish life in our country
Keith Black, chair of the Jewish Leadership Council, sets out the aims of Forge the Future, a plan responding to the challenges of post-7 October Britain
Events of 7 October continue to reverberate around the Jewish world. The latest antisemitic incidents report released by CST for the first half of 2024, reveals the “highest total of anti-Jewish hate ever reported”, more than double the amount recorded between January to June 2023.
This takes place as the Jewish community continues to feel the effect of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and as far-right riots sweep across the country resulting in heightened social disorder.
We are a community under grave threat and not set up to deal with the level of animus and hatred that we are feeling now. For ten long months now, our communal organisations and our entire community have been working to protect everyone from the horrible level of antisemitism that so many of us are experiencing on so many levels.
As part of this collective effort, in March of this year, the JLC launched the Forge the Future (FtF) plan, an ambitious yet achievable set of initiatives for the entire community to get behind and ensure the future of Jewish life in this country.
Through nine projects and extensive cross-community collaboration, new structures and networks are being built across the community in order to respond effectively to the new challenges we face.
We are also very pleased to see new funding and new ideas enabling all this work to happen. We have taken on a new member of staff, Claire Mandel, to help coordinate and deliver on these critical community initiatives.
FtF is unique because it is not a programme delivered by any one organisation, but a community programme facilitated by the JLC with a focus on ensuring maximum community collaboration and coordination. For it to work, we know we need the buy in and support of our members and of the wider community and of course, also from funders.
We are very conscious that the current generation of British Jews have more complex views on Israel than their predecessors did, so the requirement for deeper understanding and more education on the current realities of Israel’s situation is evident.
We must provide the opportunity for constructive as well as positive engagement with the country, always on the bedrock that without Israel, Jewish life in the diaspora would be so much more vulnerable. Israel is a collective project of the Jewish people, and we will stand with her during the good and the bad times, working as diaspora Jews for the benefit of all her citizens.
We have brought together representatives with professional and lay leadership experience to support young people to develop their own authentic, positive Jewish identity and meaningful relationship with Israel. In early July, a roundtable meeting of formal and informal education professionals took place to determine immediate needs, and in autumn 2024 up-to-date views will be garnered from young people directly to further expand this information.
We have also commissioned the Institute for Jewish Policy Research to undertake research to provide a solid base of action, and we are considering a summit for 16- to 24-year-olds in early 2025.
The recent general election has resulted not only in a change of government but a significant number of new MPs in Parliament. Our External Affairs team continues to engage government, both nationally and locally, on the full range of issues pertinent to our community, bringing together key communal stakeholders to ensure a coordinated approach.
Students have been on the front line since October 7th, highlighting the urgent need to make schools and universities safe and positive academic environments, which are affirming of Jewish identity and experience, and to bring all campus organisations together. Relationships with lecturers, university administrators, friends on campus and the general student population have deteriorated and many feel alone and vulnerable.
UJS and other organisations on campus have done phenomenal work in supporting them on many levels. Whether it be meeting with academic and political leaders, running antisemitism training for university student bodies and faculty, monitoring antisemitism incidents, running classes or offering counselling and support, our community has been hugely engaged with the student body and we will continue to assist in increasing collaboration across the sector and facilitating a joined-up campus strategy for the community.
Relationships with lecturers, university administrators, friends on campus and the general student population have deteriorated and many feel alone and vulnerable.
In order to ignite the ‘silent majority’ for whom antisemitism is abhorrent and to build resilience and reduce isolation for Jews working across the gamut of civil society, we are establishing a robust network to engage with influential leaders across civic society who can effect change in their organisations.
We have mapped out key sectors and organisations, identified training offerings and we are examining best practices for HR & EDI policies. We aim to build a network of ambassadors who will enable this work to flow through society and will begin our pilot phase of this project in September.
Through proactive campaigning, we want to revitalise the way we inform the public about British Jews. In partnership with the Board of Deputies, a proposed Jewish History Month initiative received warm support when suggested last year in Parliament by former MP Nickie Aiken. This will now be taken forward and shaped by relevant experts within the Jewish community.
Through engagement with Bicom, We Believe in Israel and other communication bodies, we want to develop our community’s messaging on Israel and strengthen communal advocacy; we plan to feed into this through polling that will explore a range of issues concerning British Jews, including issues on extremism, Israel and antisemitism, and a new communications organisation to deliver this responsive, joined up community media and comms strategy is due to be launched imminently.
We are also moving forward with plans for other community communication projects, including both the setting up of a community activation hub where community members will identify activism opportunities to engage in, and, in due course, we hope to facilitate a broader Jewish Time Out like hub, being a one-stop shop for sharing information on a vast array of organisations and services, events and activities offered across the full spectrum of the Jewish community.
During these immensely challenging times we are all so heartened by the interest and engagement shown by the community, and the positives that are emerging from the various projects taking shape.
We are very grateful to the many organisations and individuals who have already contributed to delivery of the FtF strategy and welcome others to be in touch if they feel their work aligns with the programme at: forgethefuture@thejlc.org
Keith Black has been chair of the JLC (Jewish Leadership Council) since January 2022.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
