BOARD OF DEPUTIES REPORT David Montague and Michael Sharron

Since our last report, the Board of Deputies has continued to address various areas concerning the Jewish Community. These include:-

Meetings have been arranged with Ambassadors in Central & Eastern European countries as a means of developing good relations with the respective governments. So far, the Board’s delegation has visited the Embassies of Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Lithuania and Russia. The meetings allowed discussion on areas affecting local Jewish communities, including their compensation for Nazi looted property and support for community facilities, as well as antisemitic incidents.

Following calls of condemnation from Jewish Organisations worldwide (including the Board of Deputies), the Lebanese Government has decided to ban a conference on "Revisionism and Zionism" due to take place in Beirut. The event was jointly planned by the Swiss revisionist organisation Verite et Justice and the US - based Institute for Historical Review, one of the world’s leading exponents of Holocaust denial and anti semitism.

The Board of Deputies Director General, Neville Nagler, was invited to contribute an article to the latest Journalist’s Handbook. The Handbook is published quarterly and is distributed to the country’s leading journalists. Neville Nagler wrote about the negative portrayal of Israel in many British newspapers as well as on television and radio. He stressed the danger of unbalanced, biased news coverage by the nation’s opinion-formers and the impact such reporting could have on the level of antisemitic attacks on British Jews.

The Board of Deputies has objected to proposed changes to the school holiday calendar which would cause Passover to fall during the school term, when pupils are either revising for or taking public examinations. The Board has written to the New Secretary of State for Education & Skills explaining the problems concerning Jewish students and Jewish schools.

The Board of Deputies participated in the International Year of the Volunteer and has noted the contribution from members of the community assisting on the Seeing Jewish Life Tours (which the Board organises for non-Jewish school children), the Jewish Way of Life Exhibition and the volunteers who service the Jewish Community Information enquiry desk at the Board.

The Board is also closely monitoring the developments in connection with the World Conference against Racism to be held by the United Nations in Durban, South Africa. The conference is planned as an opportunity for the countries of the World to pledge their support to outlaw all forms of racism. However, Israel has been excluded from the whole planning process for this conference and has been accused of racism, apartheid, crimes against humanity and of imposing a serious threat to international peace and security. It is important that governments worldwide are lobbied to ensure that the conference does not become an anti-Jewish and anti-Israel platform.

The Board of Deputies has unreservedly condemned the recent suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem and sends its thoughts and sympathies to the families of those killed and injured at this most difficult of times. We hope and pray that, at this time of reflection, there will be a supression of violence in the region and positive dialogue held.

We would remind readers that updated press releases are available from the Board of Deputies on their web site: www.bod.org.uk