The Board of Deputies has suspended 5 Deputies from the organisation with a further 31 being sent a notice of criticism with a reminder of appropriate conduct, as a result of a letter sent to the Financial Times two months ago.
In a statement published this evening, the Board stated that an independent panel of the organisation’s constitution committee had unanimously found that 36 Deputies had breached its code of conduct. Following that decision, the Board said, “the Executive has now met and concluded that: In the case of 31 Deputies who signed the letter but did nothing more to promote it, a notice of criticism will be sent to them and their constituencies, with a reminder of appropriate conduct, including the likelihood of suspension if there is any further similar breach in future.
“In the cases of 5 Deputies, additional sanctions should be applied due to other activities undertaken in relation to the letter. These included: Deputies who contributed to the misleading press release; Deputies who made public appearances in breach of guidance from the Board to identify themselves as representatives of their constituencies; a Deputy whose social media posts were disrespectful to other Deputies, and a Deputy who sent inappropriate communications to the Panel.
“In light of the seriousness of these breaches and in line with the Code, the Executive has agreed to suspend these five Deputies from the Board’s activities for two years and remove them where applicable from elected positions they hold within the Board. In three of these five cases, the Deputies have been given the opportunity to reduce the suspension to six months by way of an apology to affected parties.”
In mid-April, 36 Deputies signed a letter which was published by the Financial Times, which was scathing in its criticism of the Israeli government, claiming that rather than continuing to engage in diplomacy, it had chosen to “break the ceasefire and return to war in Gaza”.
The letter said that “Israel’s soul is being ripped out and we, members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, fear for the future of the Israel we love and have such close ties to,” the letter said. “Silence is seen as support for policies and actions that run contrary to our Jewish values.”
The Board of Deputies faced significant criticism from within the Jewish community as a result, with many incorrectly assuming the organisation had endorsed and supported the letter. Some within the Jewish community, however, both in the UK and Israel, supported the letter, and subsequently condemned the Board for distancing itself from it.
The Deputies in question were reported to the Board’s constitution committee, having been accused of breaching the organisation’s code of conduct.
The Jewish News understands that among the five who have been suspended are Harriett Goldenberg, who had been serving as vice chair of the Board’s International Division, and Philip Goldenberg, a lawyer and longstanding Liberal Democrat councillor. Both had given public media appearances in the wake of the letter being published in the FT.
In its statement tonight, the Board again stressed that “the letter, regarding the conflict in the Middle East, was signed by 36 Deputies. It was neither authorised by the Board nor did the signatories share it with the organisation before sending to the Financial Times.
“The letter attracted significant attention. Many media outlets, individuals and other community stakeholders initially understood it to be a statement of the Board. The Board’s team spent considerable time contacting stakeholders and media outlets to correct headlines and coverage.”
The Board statement went on to say that “following its publication, various complaints were received by the Board. These alleged that, through the letter and actions around it, the signatories had broken the Code of Conduct by which all Deputies are bound.
“The Code of Conduct, set out in the Board’s Constitution, is intended to record the standard of conduct expected and behaviour which is not acceptable, and to provide a framework to address any departure from these standards. This includes ensuring that Deputies do not misrepresent the position of the Board or any of its members, do not bring the institution into disrepute, and treat one another and the institution with respect.”
While the panel unanimously found the Deputies to be in breach of the code of conduct, the Board stressed that “the breaches primarily arose from the public presentation and promotion of the letter, which created the misleading impression that this was an official document of the Board as a whole. The Constitution Committee emphasised the exacerbating effect of the accompanying press release and subsequent public appearances by some signatories.
“The Board is a democratic and representative organisation, of which all Deputies are members, and are entitled to express their opinions freely. Thus, the Panel was clear in its findings that the breaches do not refer to content of the letter but to the behaviour of the signatories, to a greater or lesser extent, in using their positions as Deputies to promote it.”
At least one of the 36 Deputies who signed the letter in April is no longer a part of the organisation, having stood down at the organisation’s plenary meeting last month after criticising its Israel stance.
Commenting on the process, Michael Wegier, Chief Executive of the Board, said: “I would like to thank the Chair and members of the Constitution Committee for investigating this matter fully and fairly.
“We are a democratic organisation that welcomes debate, diversity and free speech. Managing diversity of opinion within our organisation depends on our Code of Conduct. That code ensures Deputies do not create misunderstandings about the position of the Board or its members, do not bring the institution into disrepute, and treat one another and the institution with respect.
“By implementing these sanctions, we have acted to uphold the integrity of the Board and its diverse stakeholders.”
