Possible all-female election for vacant Board of Deputies Vice Presidential position
Two candidates have declared so far, with two others rumoured to be considering standing
Candidates for the vacant Board of Deputies Vice Presidential position will include the former Chair of Liberal Judaism and a previous Senior Vice President of the Board itself, with the possibility of an all-female election for the post in 6 week’s time.
Karen Newman, who currently serves as co-chair of the Board’s plenary meetings, confirmed she would be running on Tuesday. As well as serving on the organisation’s constitution committee, she has also previously served on the Board’s Finance and Security, Resilience and Cohesion division.
Newman, the immediate past chair of Liberal Judaism, described this as a moment “that calls for leadership rooted in responsibility, collaboration and service to the community.
“These are unprecedented times for British Jews; the Board needs to work for a Britain that is safe for all Jews”, Newman continued.
“I am committed to building on the work of the Security Resilience and Cohesion Division in areas including fighting antisemitism, working with the BBC, strengthening interfaith initiatives, and maximizing the contribution that Deputies within and beyond the division already bring to this work.
Meanwhile, Sheila Gewolb, who previously served both as Vice President, chairing the Board’s Communities and Education Division (CED), and subsequently as Senior Vice President, chairing the organisation’s International Division, announced her intention to stand.
“It’s less than 15 months until the next triennial elections”, she told Jewish News.
She commended other really “capable candidates” who are running, but said “As a former HO [Honorary Officer], I know how demanding the job is” describing “4 to 5 hours a day on [Board-related] e-mails, approving statements while walking through a Sainsbury’s car park.
“Somebody coming in would need quite a lot off support getting their feet under the table”, she said, continuing by saying that even those who had been longtime Deputies would be surprised at the different experience in becoming a member of the senior leadership team. “It took me a year when running CED to understand how it all works.”
A by-election for Vice President was triggered after it was announced earlier this month that Andrew Gilbert, elected as one of three vice presidents at the Board’s triennial elections in 2024, would be standing down from his position. Candidates for the vacant role will have to gather 20 nominations from other Deputies in order to officially be allowed to stand for the role. Jewish News understands that if more than one candidate receives the requisite number of nominations, an election for the position will be held in early March.
Denise Lester, who stood for a vice-Presidential position at the 2024 Triennial Elections, has not publicly declared her candidacy yet, but is understood to have contacted other Deputies to gauge levels of support were she to stand again. Another name mentioned is Judith Prinsley, who serves as vice-chair of the Security, Resilience and Cohesion division and has effectively been running it since Gilbert, who had chaired that division, stood down as VP.
If any of the four were to win, they would be the only female member of the Board’s senior leadership team. The Board faced criticism following the last Triennial Elections, after none of the senior officers elected were women. Since then, four different women were elected vice chairs of the organisation’s four divisions.
Were Newman to be elected, she would be the only Progressive Judaism representative on the senior leadership team, as well as the only one who is LGBT+. If Gewolb, the Deputy for Cardiff United Synagogue, were to be elected, she would be the only member of the organisation’s senior leadership representing somewhere outside England
Both Lester and Prinsley have been contacted for comment.
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