The Board of Deputies is on course to honour President Phil Rosenberg’s commitment to ring-fence a budget of £100,000 for its regions, making engagement with communities outside of London a priority.
Treasurer Ben Crowne announced the news during a statement on the Board’s finances for 2025 at its first regional plenary meeting since COVID which was held at Manchester Maccabi.
Vice President Jeremy Michelson, who represents Manchester’s Stenecourt Synagogue, noted that 20% of the Board’s staff are now based in Manchester, giving it one of the biggest presences of any national organisation in the city.
The well-attended meeting was addressed by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, and included a collection for Mitzvah Day and an exhibition on the work of Maccabi GB.
The Deputies voted in two new member organisations, JNetics and HIAS-JCORE. With this, and the recent rapprochement between the Board and the Campaign Against Antisemitism, President Rosenberg noted that the Board was living up to the new Honorary Officers’ ambition to make the community more united, inclusive, and outward-looking.
Following the meeting, President Phil Rosenberg said: “I am delighted that we are fulfilling our commitment to the regions by being a truly national organisation, offering genuine support in cash and kind. We are not the Board of Deputies of London Jews, we are the Board of Deputies of British Jews, as our dynamic programme – including this weekend in Manchester – is showing.”