Sheila Gewolb announces bid for Board of Deputies presidency

Sheila Gewolb has become the first person to formally announce a bid to be the next president of the Board of Deputies.

The deputy for Cardiff United Synagogue, who is the first to announce her candidacy, was elected as vice-president in 2015.

She told Jewish News: “With my three years as Vice President, at the coal face of British Jewry every day, I am best placed to carry out this crucial role at a particularly challenging time for our community.”

In February, Gewolb said she was considering a bid for the top job, adding: “I have been approached by many Deputies and people in the community voicing their support should I decide to run.”

“It is important that there is a choice for Deputies to make rather than coalescing around one particular candidate. Other Deputies I have spoken to support this concept. The Board is a democratically elected organisation and this should be reflected in the way the next president is chosen.”

The next triennial elections take place in May, and current president Jonathan Arkush said he would not stand for re-election.