Ziff confirms he is standing for election as Board president
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Ziff confirms he is standing for election as Board president

A treasurer of the Board, businessman Michael Ziff says he would champion a 'heads down, practical approach' if elected president

Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor

Michael Ziff
Michael Ziff

Michael Ziff has become the latest confirmed name to stand for election as President of the Board of Deputies.

A treasurer of the Board, Leeds-born Ziff announced his campaign saying: “The President must, I believe, listen to and empower its committed, talented and dedicated Deputies to support and advocate for our community.”

In a message to Deputies, Ziff said that after the sad passing of his mother earlier this year he committed himself to say Kaddish in 200 different minyanim.

This allowed him to travel the UK, and make visits to Israel, where he said he “learned so much about our different communities and I listened to your challenges and concerns.”

Pledging to unite the community if made President, Ziff added: “In running businesses, leading Maccabi GB and in chairing my own shul, I have always championed a heads-down, practical approach. I will do that too in leading the BoD.

“The Board and our community are blessed with the most accomplished and exceptional talents. I will bring them together into a President’s Advisory Group, harnessing the skills required to confront our issues head on.

“The BoD must work with and help those organisations dedicated to specific fields to deliver and we will strengthen our partnerships, to achieve the most effective results.”

Ziff said the fight against the rise in antisemitism today, “must go beyond statements and complaints. ”

He said: “It must be led with a strong,practical and collaborative approach. At Maccabi GB, we did that and implemented education campaigns and grassroots’ workshops, that have had deep, lasting results across sports and interfaith settings.

“The Community Security Trust, the Campaign Against Antisemitism, and the Union of Jewish Students, together with other organisations, are vital in this fight.

“We must form a united, combined front. Strong partnerships and listening to those on the ground, will achieve real results against hate.”

He also said the Board “must focus on cultivating a strong sense of identity amongst our community and particularly our young people”.

“A knowledgeable community is a strong community,” said Ziff. “An informed community is a proud community. ”

Ziff joined the family Bradford-based footwear business, Stylo, as a director and in 1990 he joined the Stylo Board as chief executive officer. In 2004, Michael became a director of Town Centre Securities Plc. He also became chairman of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Members Committee and together with his family have dedicated their lives to philanthropy.

Ziff joins Amanda Bowman, who has been vice-president for six years, the Board’s former public affairs director Phil Rosenberg, and former vice president Dr. Sheila Gewolb, who first stood against incumbent Marie van der Zyl in 2018, in the election, to be held in May.

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.

For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.

Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.

You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.

100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...

Engaging

Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.

Celebrating

There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.

Pioneering

In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.

Campaigning

Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.

Easy access

In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.

Voice of our community to wider society

The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.

We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.

read more: