The Board of Deputies of British Jews has suspended five deputies for a “breach of conduct” regarding a letter sent to the Financial Times that sharply criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The suspension followed an investigation into the letter, which was published on April 16 without Board authorization or prior vetting.
The signatories wrote that “as representatives of the British Jewish community, out of love for Israel, our Jewish values compel us to stand up and to speak out.” They went on to criticize the resumption of war, accusing the “most extremist” Israeli government of doing so as a way of appeasing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The letter, signed by 36 deputies (about 10% of the total deputies), attracted significant media attention, with many outlets and community stakeholders believing it to be a statement of the Board itself, forcing the Board to have to “spend considerable time” rectifying this.
In line with the organization’s constitution, an independent panel of the Board’s Constitution Committee was convened to investigate the complaints and make recommendations to the Board Executive.
The panel unanimously found the 36 deputies to be in breach of the Code of Conduct, which states that deputies must “not represent their own views as the views of the Board to third parties; not bring the Board into disrepute; and act ethically and with integrity and probity.”
Board of Deputies of British Jews suspends five people
The Board emphasized in its statement that, given the democratic nature of the organization, all deputies are entitled to express their opinions freely and that the breach of conduct related to the behavior of the members and not the opinions expressed in the letter.
The panel also convened to discuss sanctions. Of the 36 signatories of the letter, 31 have been sent a warning, and five have been suspended.
In the case of the 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 [the] future.”
The other five were sanctioned more harshly due to the efforts taken to promote the letter, either by contributing to the misleading press release, making public appearances in breach of guidelines, or by making social media posts that were disrespectful to other deputies.
They have been suspended for two years from Board activities and have been removed from their elected positions within the Board. For three of the five, the suspension can be reduced to six months, conditional on an apology to the affected parties.
All 36 have the right to appeal within 14 days with either reason to suggest procedural irregularity or new evidence.
The Board’s chief executive, Michael Wegier, thanked the chair and members of the Constitution Committee for investigating the matter “fully and fairly.”
“We are a democratic organization that welcomes debate, diversity, and free speech. Managing diversity of opinion within our organization 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.”
According to Jewish News, the five suspended deputies are Harriett Goldenberg, Philip Goldenberg, Baron Frankel, Robert Stone, and Rebecca Singerman-Knight. All five are deputies for Progressive synagogues.
Progressive Judaism released a statement shortly after the Board announced its decision, saying, “A key principle of Progressive Judaism is diversity of voice. We believe that the Jewish community – and the world – benefits from such robust and open dialogue in which we seek to disagree respectfully. We therefore hope that the Board’s decision will not be used by anyone to seek to silence these important conversations.”