Stamford Hill JCC founder accused of allegedly ‘harassing’ government officials

The founder of Stamford Hill’s Jewish Community Council (JCC) has been accused of ‘harassing’ government officials, with an extraordinary letter from the strictly Orthodox community’s most senior body to 10 Downing Street apologising for his behaviour and reiterating their disassociation from him.

A letter sent from the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) to 10 Downing Street late last month cited the alleged activities of Levi Schapiro, who founded the JCC a decade ago. The letter, which has been confirmed by Jewish News to be genuine, appears to be a response to a direct query from Downing Street relating to Mr Schapiro.

The correspondence from the UOHC, which was signed by Shlome Sinitsky, the Chairman of the UOHC’s Kedassiah branch, and Abraham Schreiber, the organisation’s Treasurer, cites claims that Schapiro has been “persistently contacting government officials across departments and harassing them, scheduling calls under false names, and inviting individuals to official meetings under misleading pretences.”

Sinitsky and Schreiber go on to write that “we are particularly troubled to hear that his conduct has caused difficulty and discomfort to you and others in government. Please be assured that his conduct and communications do not reflect the values or practices of our community or its leadership.

“While he may act with good intentions, we must be clear: Mr Schapiro does not represent the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, nor does he hold any formal or informal mandate to speak on behalf of the Charedi or any other community. His actions reflect solely his own views.”

The letter from the UOHC also emphasises that “there are longstanding representative organisations within the Charedi community with appropriate structures and accountability. You may already be familiar with some of them but should you or your colleagues wish to engage with a particular body, we would be happy to assist in facilitating such contact.”

Responding to the letter, the JCC, the organisation led by Schapiro, claimed that “there is a strong possibility that the letter in question may be inauthentic. As with several letters previously released under the UOHC name, this letter appears to have been circulated without consultation or approval from the UOHC executive members.”

The JCC’s statement continued: “Should the letter prove to be genuine, its claims are entirely unfounded. No evidence has been presented to us — or to any other party.”

It claimed that the letter was “yet another attempt in a long-running smear campaign against Mr Schapiro.”

In language mirroring the UOHC letter, the JCC response said: “It is important to emphasise that while Mr. Snitzky [sic] may act with good intentions, he was never elected or appointed by the broader community and does not speak on behalf of all members, same applies to the JCC.”

It went on to state that “if there are genuine concerns or disagreements, we urge Mr. Snitzky [sic.] to act with the professionalism and discretion expected of any communal figure. These matters should be addressed privately and respectfully, not through the press or public forums which risk dragging our entire community into disrepute.”