We spoke with Laurence Saffer following the end of his tenure as LJRC President.
After over five years in total as president of Leeds Jewish Representative Council (LJRC) – longer than anyone since the 1960s – Laurence Saffer’s time in the role has come to an end. Laurence first became involved with the LJRC in 2014, becoming president in 2016. He was reinstated in the role in 2022, coming in with an aim to “rebuild our capacity to defend our community against those who may not share our values and represent us in a positive way to those who do.”
Speaking on that quote from his leaving statement, Laurence says: “It’s been a challenge. The reality is that all community relations are affected by events entirely out of our control. For example, what happened on October 7th has been a very challenging environment in which all Jewish communities have found themselves. But if organisations like the LJRC didn’t do the work they do, it would have been even more difficult.”
“The greatest pleasure I had in this role was hearing from people who moved to Leeds and found it a very warm and welcoming community,” Laurence reflects with fondness. “That’s probably the best thing that a community can have; people wanting to move and live here is a reflection not on any individual, but on the community as a whole.”
During his time as president, Laurence made the perhaps surprising choice of staying away from social media: “Social media is an echo chamber; people post for all sorts of reasons, a great many of whom aren’t members of the Jewish community or don’t live in Leeds. If I’m representing the Leeds Jewish community, it’s those people in the city that I need to hear from.
“If you look at the actual numbers of people who post, you only get a selection of people who shout the loudest – it doesn’t reflect on what everybody else is thinking. Social media is only a small part of what people want to say. Communities are about people who live here so I made sure that I went to different shuls and community events just to listen to as many people as possible. If I want to engage with somebody, I’ll meet them and talk to them properly.”
Although his presidency is over, Laurence’s communal work is not: “First things first, I’m taking a break! I’m still an active member of my shul – which is BHH – and I’m still very much around the community and will be representing it wherever I can. It all depends on what the community needs and where I think I can help best.”
One thing Laurence remains passionate about is getting everyone involved in communal work, no matter how small they think their contribution may be: “I understand there are limitations; some people don’t have a lot of time to give. But everybody has the chance to contribute in some way, whether it’s through schools, helping at Scouts, or helping with meals on wheels, there’s something anybody and everybody can do.
“It’s just as important for somebody to deliver meals to an elderly person and check in with them as it is for somebody to be a chairman of organisation. You can sit at home and make a difference through a phone call or charitable donation – you can do all sorts of things that use your skills! It really does make a difference,” Laurence emphasises. “When I was in my 30s and 40s and my kids were growing up, I was on one committee that met for once every few weeks, and I worked in the shul bookshop for two hours on alternate Sundays. I always found something to do!”
Offering advice to his successor, who will be announced in the coming months, Laurence says: “Just listen. LJRC was created and owned by the community in 1936 – which is still the case today – so as president, you must listen to what the people in this community have to say. You’re a representative, not the person who decides what goes on. We’re a great community that’s completely about people, no matter their religious beliefs or where they stand on the social spectrum; everyone is just as important as everybody else. It’s a very humbling role and I hope I’ve done no harm.”
