Tabachnik withdraws calls for Wineman to resign

A former president of the Board of Deputies has withdrawn his calls for the current incumbent to step down.

Eldred Tabachnik was among the supporters of a resolution, initiated by former vice-president Jerry Lewis, condemning a joint statement with the Muslim Council of Britain and claiming that the Board’s leaders had failed to do enough in response to the Gaza crisis.

But the one-time president told the Jewish News that backing the motion had been a “mistake”, saying it was right for the representative body’s constitutional committee to have ruled the motion out of order.

“We should give this time and see how serious they are about the statement and see what affect the MCB has on wilder elements. If they seem to be playing ball we can affirm the statement.”

The Board’s constitutional committee advised the organisation’s executive last week that the motion – “does not meet the necessary requirements of the Board’s constitution”.

President Vivian Wineman said the executive had agreed an alternative motion supporting the release of the joint statement, adding there would be “ample opportunity to debate this resolution at the plenary”.

Tabachnik urged Lewis to now back his third way of monitoring the situation over backing either motion.