United Synagogue seeks to strengthen its position in the Board of Deputies
The President of the denomination has strongly backed the Board, after one US shul left the organisation last week with another saying it was considering doing so
The President of the United Synagogue has written to the denomination’s Deputies, robustly backing the Board of Deputies and making clear that the US will seek to expand its representation within the organisation.
Saul Taylor wrote to United Synagogue deputies this week, after Jewish News reported on Friday that one United Synagogue – Chigwell and Hainault – had announced it was leaving the Board, with another – Cockfosters and N Southgate – strongly considering doing so.
Recognising that “there are strong feelings in the community about the Board of Deputies at the moment”, Taylor went on to say that “I want to recognise that the United Synagogue Deputies have a broad range of views on a whole host of issues. In these uncertain and unprecedented times for our community, it is more important than ever to focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.”
He cited the late Chief Rabbi Sacks, who said: “Unity is not the same as uniformity. We can unite without agreeing on everything. I don’t need you to agree with me; I need you to care about me.” The United Synagogue President told the denomination’s Deputies that he was writing to them in that spirit.
On Friday, Jewish News reported that Chigwell and Hainault Synagogue had written to the Board, saying that “the Synagogue Council has concluded that the Board of Deputies does not represent its views and does not provide value for money.” Additionally, the Chair of Cockfosters and N Southgate Synagogue, Daniel Anderson, said that many congregants were “deeply concerned at the direction they [the Board] are taking”, with too much of a focus on actions by Israel when “its role and priorities should be UK Jewry”. He suggested such concerns “were reflected across the United Synagogue”.
Taylor’s letter, however, makes it clear that “the UK government recognises the Board of Deputies as the leading communal body when it comes to ensuring that our community’s voice is heard at the highest levels. The United Synagogue Trustees feel that it is crucial that we maintain our seat at the table and continue to advocate for our interests. Even if we disagree at times with what certain people at the Board of Deputies say or do, vacating that important space leaves both the Board of Deputies and the United Synagogue worse off.”
Taylor went on to confirm that far from vacating the Board, the United Synagogue would look to strengthen its position within the organisation. As well as Deputies representing a large number of individual synagogues within the denomination, the United Synagogue also has four ‘central’ Deputies representing the United Synagogue’s trustees.
“To be honest, we need to do better at amplifying the voice of the United Synagogue at the Board of Deputies”, he said.
“With this in mind, we will be looking to increase our Deputies in the coming months and have been working with the Board to make this financially possible for our charity. To better represent our views, we will be setting up a dedicated United Synagogue group.”
Jewish News understands that in recent years, various Deputies affiliated with the United Synagogue have expressed frustration that they are not as internally well-organised as Deputies representing other denominations, who have formed a ‘Progressive Caucus’. Additionally, one of the effects of the recent merger between Reform and Liberal Judaism was to join the two streams of Judaism into a single, larger bloc. While the United Synagogue is still the largest denomination represented within the Board, the progressive merger means that the gap between the size of the denominations within the Board has narrowed. The comments by Taylor suggest the US is seeking to bolster its position within the Board.
Taylor closed by inviting all United Synagogue deputies to join him for a meeting, to be scheduled in the Jewish New Year, “to discuss the challenges and opportunities we face.”
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