London Jewish Forum welcomes this report.  We are saddened yet not shocked at its findings.

It is as important as the Macpherson report on the Stephen Lawrence enquiry.  The police response to Macpherson, as well as that of those who pay for and scrutinise the police, has to be as strong and dynamic. We want to pay tribute to the Stephen Lawrence enquiry, 25 years ago this year, and give honoured memory to Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered on the 22nd April 1993.  We also want to remember the "conscience" of Stephen Lawrence, Dr Richard Stone, from the Jewish Community, who devoted much of that decade to the enquiry and its findings.  

1. Antisemitism and cases of hate crime against Jews are not mentioned at all in the Casey Report and referred to but once in the Commissioner's Turnaround report.

2. We recognise that there are relatively few Jewish police officers.  The Jewish Police Association speaks for them.

3. We also can point to many times when our community has felt the support of the police.

4. However there are times, sadly too many, when convictions, even for high profile anti-Semitic hate crime have not happened including both the Oxford Street incident and the A41 convoys.  There have been  investigations  where some police officers have not shown the level of understand required of either the importance of the investigation or to the cultural sensitivities.  There remain great concern at the reduced number of clear-ups (sanctioned detections) of  anti-Semitic crime.   We recognise that this is likely to be felt to be the case for other victims  of  hate crime.

5. Policing the Metropolis is not easy and there are significant changes required to confront racism, homophobia and sexism in the police, but that is just a start.

6. Many of the recommendations in Casey and Turnaround we and others will comment on in the coming days and weeks in consultation meetings with the Police, MOPAC and local borough leadership.  We have specific communal concerns and we look forward to presenting them in our continued consultations with the Met Police and MOPAC.

7. That major change is needed in the Met Police has been known for a long while by successive commissioners who have not been able to deliver.  Sir Mark Rowley has a massive challenge and we hope he can make the many changes.. Will it be enough?

8. As well as reading Casey and Turnaround, we look back a year to the Independent report to the Police Foundation on policing in England and Wales.  It needs to be considered if there are other concerns raised in that report that also need to be addressed.

9. We still await further reports from His Majesty's Inspectorate of the Police, Fire and Rescue services that may examine in more detail how the Met Police are now in special measures, and what are the consequences.

10. Our community knows that we need a police force that is respected and is effective at protecting minority communities.  We pray that the outcome of this commission will lead to those improvements

  Andrew Gilbert, Co-Chair Adrian Cohen, Co-Chair Daniella Myers, Director

We are pleased to release the 2020-21 London Jewish Forum Year In Review. The Year In Review touches on the highlights of our work over the past year, focusing on Covid-19 and Recovery, Antisemitism and Cohesion, and Community Engagement. London Jewish Forum co-Chairs Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert, alongside Director Daniel Kosky said: "We're delighted to release our Year in Review. Despite much of our work being virtual, we are proud of what we have achieved over the past year and would like to thank our stakeholders for their support". Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: "I want to thank the London Jewish Forum for the vital role they have played in our capital’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic. From supporting our recovery programme to informing our response to a disturbing rise in antisemitic incidents, the team at London Jewish Forum reflect the very best of London’s civic life and i look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the years ahead." You can read the LJF Year in Review here.

The Jewish Community has launched its Manifesto for the London Mayoral and Assembly elections. The Jewish Manifesto for London, drafted by the London Jewish Forum, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and the Jewish Leadership Council address the issues that concern Jewish Londoners. The community’s policy priorities are summarised in the manifesto’s “#TenCommitments” that candidates are being asked to support, that includes implementation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, ensuring faith and culturally sensitive provision of public services and opposition to boycotts of Israel.   Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert, co-Chairs of the London Jewish Forum said: “We are delighted to be launching the Jewish Manifesto for London 2021. The last year has been incredibly tough for Londoners, including our Jewish community. This manifesto will give our elected officials a guide to addressing the needs of London’s Jewish community as we come out of this pandemic. We very much look forward to working with the next Mayor, their team and the London Assembly to support the Jewish community.”   Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies said: “As our society recovers from the pandemic, this manifesto provides a road map to elected representatives on how they can serve their Jewish constituents. Following its recommendations will help ensure that the Jewish community is supported and valued.”   Jonathan Goldstein, Chair of the Jewish Leadership Council said: “Following consultation with our member organisations we are pleased to present the Jewish Manifesto for London, outlining the priorities of Jewish Londoners. As we recover from the pandemic, a strong relationship between London’s politicians and the Jewish community couldn’t be more important. We look forward to working with our communal partners on the implementation of this manifesto.” The manifesto can be read here - The Jewish Manifesto for London.

The London Jewish Forum and Hertfordshire Jewish Forum, in partnership with the Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish News are hosting a number of different Jewish Hustings around this year's May elections. London Mayoral Election For the London Mayoral Election, we will be livestreaming a Jewish Community Hustings on 19th April at 7:30pm. These hustings can be viewed on the London Jewish Forum, Jewish Leadership Council, Board of Deputies and Jewish News Facebook pages. Current Mayor Sadiq Khan will be going head to head with the Conservatives’ Shaun Bailey, the Lib Dems’ Luisa Porritt and the Green’s Sian Berry in answering your questions. The candidates will be grilled on the issues that matter to the Jewish community, helping you make your choice when it comes to voting on 6^th May. Members of the community can submit questions to the candidates by scanning the QR code below or by visiting www.app.sli.do and entering the event code #Q334. You can watch the event live on the London Jewish Forum, Board of Deputies, Jewish Leadership Council and Jewish News Facebook pages.

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London Assembly Elections Ealing and Hillingdon - You can register to join a Zoom Jewish Hustings in partnership with Northwood United Synagogue, Ruislip United Synagogue, and The Ark Synagogue. The event is taking place on 20th April at 7:30pm. Pre registration is essential. Click here to register. Brent and Harrow - You can register to join a Zoom Jewish Hustings in partnership with Pinner United Synagogue, Mosaic, Stanmore and Canons Park United Synagogue, The Ark Synagogue, Belmont United Synagogue, Kol Chai Reform Synagogue and Kenton United Synagogue. The event is taking place on 29th April at 8:15pm. Pre registration is essential. Click here to register. Barnet and Camden - You can register to join the Zoom Jewish community Hustings for Barnet and Camden! The event will take place at 8:15pm on Monday 26th April. Pre registration is essential. Click here to register. Hertfordshire County Council Elections Borehamwood - You can register to join a Zoom Jewish Hustings in partnership with Borehamwood and Elstree United Synagogue. The event is taking place on 28th April at 7pm. Pre registration is essential. Click here to register. Bushey North - You can register to join a Zoom Jewish Hustings in partnership with Bushey United Synagogue. The event is taking place on 29th April at 8pm. Pre registration is essential. Click here to register.

This winter has been sadly dominated by Covid-19 and a national lockdown. As with last Spring, it has required all of our activity to take place virtually. Despite these challenges, we've continued to work hard to advocate on behalf of the Jewish community in London, Essex and Hertfordshire. Below you can find a round-up of our work over the past three months.

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Parliament

• We introduced CST and the Antisemitism Policy Trust to Ealing North MP James Murray MP.
• We met Hendon MP Matthew Offord MP to discuss future engagement with JLC member organisations.
• We hosted a roundtable meeting with Minister for London Paul Scully MP to discuss the response of the Jewish community to Covid-19. JLC member organisations represented on the call include Jewish Care, CST, Board of Deputies and Mitzvah Day.
• We met the Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi MP to discuss the vaccine roll-out among London’s faith communities.
• We met MP of Westminster and City of London Nickie Aiken MP to discuss matters of interest to the Jewish community and future engagement with JLC member organisations.
• We introduced the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) and Imperial Jewish Society to Kensington MP Felicity Buchan MP.
• We met Jackie Doyle-Price MP to discuss future engagement with member organisations.
• We met Sir David Amess MP to discuss issues facing the Jewish community and future engagement with member organisations.
• We met with Florence Eshalomi MP alongside the Board of Deputies to discuss relations between the Jewish and Black community.
• We introduced David Simmonds MP, who sits on the Education Select Committee to the Partnership for Jewish Schools (PaJeS) and UJS.
• We met Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas MP alongside the Board of Deputies to discuss matters of interest to the Jewish community and future engagement with JLC member organisations.
• We introduced CST and the Antisemitism Policy Trust to Gagan Mohindra MP who represents South West Hertfordshire in Parliament.
• We met Helen Hayes MP to discuss future engagement with JLC member organisations.
• We held a catch-up meeting with Shadow Mental Health Minister Rosena Allin-Khan alongside Jami and Nightingale Hammerson.

City Hall

• We met Keith Prince AM, London Assembly Member for Havering and Redbridge to discuss matters of interest to the Jewish community.
• We met Ealing and Hillingdon Assembly Member Onkar Sahota AM to discuss matters of interest to the Jewish community.
• We continued our engagement the GLA's Community Engagement Department.

Councils

• We met with Cllr Morris Bright, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council, and Cllr Caroline Clapper, Deputy Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council to discuss the engagement of Jewish communal organisations in Hertsmere.
• We joined a catch-up with Cllr Jas Athwal, Leader of Redbridge Council to discuss the local Jewish community.

Dacorum Council became the final council in the Hertfordshire County to adopt the IHRA definition. Its Cabinet met on 15 December and approved the plans for adoption as part of the Councils Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. Dacorum Council have joined 300 other local authorities across the country in adopting the definition.   Daniel Kosky, Director of the London Jewish Forum, which also covers Hertfordshire and Essex said:   “I’d like to thank Councillors on Dacorum Council for listening to representations made by its Jewish residents to adopt this definition. It's great to close the year knowing that all tiers of government in Hertfordshire and London have now adopted this vital definition for combating antisemitism. The definitions acts as a useful guide for authorities to understand the changing nature of anti-Jewish racism.”

The Mayor of London, London Jewish Forum, the Jewish Leadership Council, and Chabad have brought back the iconic London Chanukiah for this very different Chanukah.   In the heart of the City of London, lights will shine again this year with a new LED lit Chanukiah.  The GLA is supporting the giant Chanukiah in Trafalgar Square as in previous years and the festivities will begin with a message from the Mayor of London.   Sadly due to Covid-19, the Chanukah in the Square event could not take place this year. The community will be coming together for a series of online events from across the Jewish community in the UK.   These opportunities to celebrate together include videos from five national synagogue bodies – all of whom are members of the JLC, demonstrating our community’s unity during this different and very difficult year.

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Adrian Cohen, Chair of the London Jewish Forum said:   “Even in the most difficult of times we have managed to make sure that our city will continue to have a symbolic Chanukiah at the heart of our city.”   Michelle Janes, Interim Co-CEO of the JLC said:   “Despite not being able to come together in Trafalgar Square this year, we are happy this symbol of Chanukah will be present to share with all who visit in person or online to celebrate”   Rabbi Bentzi Sudak, Chief Executive of Chabad Lubavitch UK said:   “The innovative design of this year's digitally illuminated Menorah in Trafalgar Square will bring new light to our City both in the literal sense, as well as in the inspiration its message will bring to all Londoners: that even in the darkest of times, we can each be a source of light to our surroundings and make all the difference.”

Around 200 councillors from around London heard a message of zero tolerance to antisemitism at a seminar yesterday organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the London Jewish Forum and the Jewish Leadership Council. Local representatives heard from Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman that ‘ignorance is no excuse’ if politicians signal to their supporters the antisemitic trope that the Jewish community is involved in conspiracies. Councillors watched a video message from Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick, who thanked the Jewish community for all its efforts in supporting the vulnerable during the pandemic, including reaching out to neighbours and growing Mitzvah Day into Mitzvah month. Mr Jenrick said: “Our Faith communities together with our partners in local government have been at the forefront of the national response to the pandemic, and I am immensely grateful for your extraordinary efforts.”

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Meanwhile, in his video message to the councillors, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed, said: “The EHRC report showed why the Labour Party has lost so much trust in the Jewish community. Every single one of us has a special responsibility to repair that broken relationship and show beyond doubt that we will no longer tolerate antisemitism in the Labour Party.”

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Co-Chairs of the London Jewish Forum Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert said: “We would like to thank councillors from across London for attending Jewish London, a seminar for councillors. We are delighted that almost every London council took part, with 10% of our capital’s councillors in attendance. It’s vital for councillors understand the issues facing the Jewish communities that they serve, and we hope they gained a valuable insight into how they can engage with their Jewish communities moving forward. Together with our partners at the Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council, we look forward to continue connecting our local Jewish communities and councils.”

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Co-Chief Executive, Jewish Leadership Council Claudia Mendoza said: We were delighted to put this week’s councillor seminar together alongside our partners at the Board of Deputies and London Jewish Forum. The seminar provided an opportunity to magnify and amplify the work of the Jewish charitable sector and educate councillors from across London on the needs of the Jewish communities they serve. We would like to thank our member organisations for giving up the time to represent our community and we look forward to continuing our engagement with local government across the country. Councillors attended sessions on antisemitism, Israel, education, social care and volunteering and organisations.

It's been a busy early autumn at the London Jewish Forum. Below you can get an update on some of our work carried out in the months of September and October. We arranged a roundtable with Shadow Communities Secretary and Croydon North MP, Steve Reed MP. We had attendees from CST, the Jewish Labour Movement, the Board of Deputies and representatives from the synagogue in Croydon. We had an important discussion on the impact of Covid-19, antisemitism in the Labour Party, and the Online Harms Bill. We met DCMS Secretary of State, Oliver Dowden MP, alongside the Board of Deputies to discuss matters relating to his constituency of Hertsmere We met Dean Russell MP, MP for Watford, alongside the Board of Deputies. We had an important discussion on antisemitism, social care and Israel. We also discussed future engagement with the Jewish community in his constituency. We met with Fleur Anderson MP, the new MP for Putney, alongside the Antisemitism Policy Trust. We discussed the Online Harms Bill, how she can support the community through her role on the Education Select Committee, and future engagement. We met with Shadow Minister for Mental Health, Rosena Allin-Khan MP alongside JAMI and Nightingale Hammerson where we discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the sector. We arranged for Felicity Buchan MP, the new MP for Kensington, to visit Holland Park Synagogue. Holland Park is the only Synagogue in her constituency, and she was shown around the building by the Rabbi and Honorary Officer team, alongside LJF trustee Gary Mond and Director Daniel Kosky. We met MP for Vauxhall, Florence Eshalomi MP alongside the Board of Deputies and Antisemitism Policy Trust. We discussed antisemitism, the Online Harms Bill, and relations between the Jewish and black communities. We spoke with Harpenden MP Bim Afolami MP about issues currently facing the community. We met Ealing North MP, James Murray MP alongside the Board of Deputies. We discussed antisemitism, Israel, social care and issues facing London’s Jewish community. We hosted a roundtable meeting for the south London Jewish community with Sarah Jones MP, Shadow Policing Minister and MP for Croydon Central. We hosted representatives from Croydon and District Synagogue, Sutton and District Synagogue, Wimbledon Reform Synagogue, South London Liberal Synagogue, and Bromley Reform Synagogue.

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Engagement with City Hall (GLA) and Local Councils We organised a roundtable discussion for Jewish communities in Harrow, Brent, Hillingdon and Ealing with Deputy Mayor of London for Business Rajesh Agrawal. The discussion focused on the recovery plan for London from Covid-19. We were also joined by Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow Navin Shah AM. The second part of our meeting was a Q+A session with the Directors of Public Health in Harrow and Brent. We held an important meeting with Barnet Council for the Jewish communities in the borough. The major Synagogues and Jewish schools in the borough were joined by the Leader of the Council Cllr Dan Thomas and the Director of Public Health Tamara Djuretic who answered questions on Covid-19 recovery plans. We hosted a meeting for the leadership of the Enfield Jewish community with Enfield Council Leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan and Enfield Public Health Director Stuart Lines. Synagogues represented at the meeting included Cockfosters and North Southgate, Palmers Green, Enfield, Hadley Wood Jewish Community, and Southgate Progressive. We also had representatives from local Jewish school, Wolfson Hillel.

 

We were delighted to organise a meeting for the local Jewish community in Barnet with the leader of Barnet Council Cllr Dan Thomas, Mayor of Barnet Cllr Caroline Stock, and Director of Public Health Dr Tamara Djuretic. The meeting allowed the Council leadership to update the community on their efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Tamara Djuretic gave the community a breakdown of how Barnet is fairing in the battle against Coronavirus with specific updates on different areas of the borough. The communal leadership, which included representatives from the largest synagogues and Jewish schools in the borough, used the meeting to ask the Director of Public Health, and the Leader of the Council a range of questions on matters such as future lockdowns, coordination with neighbouring boroughs, and the viability of future communal events in the borough   Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert, co-Chairs of the London Jewish Forum said: "We were delighted to organise this important meeting between Barnet Council and the leadership of the local Jewish community. It was important for the community and the Council leadership to connect in this way as we head into the emerging emergency. We would like to thank Cllr Dan Thomas, Cllr Caroline Stock, and Dr Tamara Djuretic for taking the time to meet with us". Cllr Dan Thomas, Leader of Barnet Council said: “I would like to thank so many leaders from the Jewish community for taking the time to join me for a roundtable discussion on Monday to discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on their organisations, synagogues and lives. I am proud that Barnet has the largest Jewish population of any local authority in the country, and of the productive partnerships we have developed and continue to develop with Jewish communities, in order to build a better borough for all of our residents.”

We were delighted to organise a roundtable made up of Jewish communities in Harrow, Brent, Hillingdon and Ealing to discuss the recovery from COVID-19 and the emerging second emergency. We were joined by Deputy Mayor Rajesh Agrawal, Chair of the London Assembly and Assembly Member for Harrow and Brent Navin Shah, alongside the Directors of Public Health in Harrow and Brent. The meeting began by Deputy Mayor for Business Rajesh Agrawal taking us through the challenges of the recovery from the pandemic in the local community. He based his comments on the four Economic Pillars from the Recovery Strategy Draft Document. Asif Hussain, from the GLA, also covered the four Social Pillars from Recovery Strategy Draft Document.  You can read more about this in on https://www.london.gov.uk/coronavirus/londons-recovery-coronavirus-crisis/recovery-context. The Deputy Mayor then took questions from community leaders on the recovery and the engagement of the community. The second half of the meeting was lead by the Directors of Public Health in Harrow and Brent. They summarised the current situation in the boroughs, and efforts to tackle the emerging second emergency. Community representatives raised questions about requirements for local lockdowns among other issues. Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert, c0-Chairs of the London Jewish Forum said: "We were delighted to organise this important meeting for the Jewish communities in Harrow, Brent, Hillingdon and Ealing. We are grateful to the Deputy Mayor, the Chair of the London Assembly and the Directors of Public Health for joining us today. We look forward to continuing our engagement with the GLA and local boroughs as London navigates the emerging second emergency." Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business said: "Excellent discussion with the Jewish community leaders on the challenges of the recovery from the pandemic in the local community. Thank you London Jewish Forum for organising." Navin Shah, Chair of the London Assembly and AM for Brent and Harrow said: "Delighted to attend the roundtable discussion organised by the London Jewish Forum. Look forward to continuing our work with the Jewish community to address priorities during the pandemic crisis and strategies beyond the recovery period"  

We were delighted to facilitate the visit of Kensington MP Felicity Buchan to Holland Park Synagogue. Holland Park is the only Synagogue in the Parliamentary constituency of Kensington, where Buchan has served as MP since December 2019. The MP was introduced to the leaders of the community, where she received a tour of the Synagogue. We then discussed the history of the community, which is nearly 100 years old. The Synagogue was forced to close due to COVID-19 restrictions, and the Synagogue leadership laid out their plans to re-open for the upcoming High Holy Days. The community's Rabbi, Rabbi Lavi, also showed Buchan his shofar, which has been passed down through his family for over 400 years. The London Jewish Forum were represented by Trustee Gary Mond and Director Daniel Kosky. We look forward to facilitating future visits of MPs to their local Jewish communities.

August has been a busy month for the London Jewish Forum.  We were pleased to continue engagements with City Hall, the London Assembly, Parliament and setting up area groups across London. Engagement with City Hall Roundtable on young people with Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney Over August we were pleased to continue our roundtable meetings with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the Jewish community. Early in the month we had a discussion with Statutory Deputy Mayor of London Joanne McCartney on the impact of COVID-19 on young people. Present in the meeting were the Jewish charities which work with young people, including UJIA, Reshet, Union of Jewish Students, RSY-Netzer, Bnei Akiva and JLGB. The meeting also had representatives from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, PaJeS, and Jewish Women’s Aid. We discussed the impact of COVID-19 on young people, including school children, university students and recent graduates. Meeting with Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander We met with Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport, and staff from TfL to discuss the transport issues facing London’s Jewish community. School travel in the COVID-19 era was high on the agenda and we were pleased to host representatives from JFS, JCoSS, Hasmonean, PaJeS and the Board of Deputies to discuss this issue. We raised questions around capacity, changes to under-18 free travel and feedback. We also discussed wider transport issues facing the Jewish community, including calling for the 210 bus route to be extended from Finsbury Park to Stamford Hill. Such an extension would link the two main Strictly Orthodox communities in Golders Green and Stamford Hill. Changes to the operating times of the Congestion Charge were also part of conversation, where participants raised concerns that Central London synagogues would be hit by the application of the Congestion Charge on Sundays, when synagogues host their religious supplementary education (cheder). Engagement with the London Assembly We were pleased to meet various members of the London Assembly over the month of August to discuss issues facing the Jewish community. The impact of COVID-19 was high on the agenda, as well as discussions around antisemitism, social care, and transport. We met:

• Susan Hall AM – GLA Conservatives Leader
• Alison Moore AM – Chair of the Transport Committee
• Caroline Pidgeon AM – Deputy Chair of the Transport Committee
• Andrew Boff AM – Deputy Chair of the Health Committee

  MPs We met with Felicity Buchan MP, the new MP for Kensington to introduce her to the issues facing the Jewish community. We have since coordinated a visit for her to her local Synagogue (Holland Park), which will take place in September. We met with David Simmonds MP, the new MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner. We discussed the Jewish community’s response to COVID-19 and future engagement with his local Jewish community. We also discussed David’s role on the Education Select Committee and the issues facing the community on a school and university level. We met with Gagan Mohindra MP, the new MP for South West Hertfordshire, together with the Board of Deputies. We discussed the resistance of Three Rivers Council in adopting the IHRA definition and thanked him for his work behind the scenes and future engagement with his local Jewish community. We met with James Murray MP, the new MP for Ealing North, together with the Board of Deputies. We discussed engagement with his local Jewish community, antisemitism, social care and the issues surrounding quick burials. London Councils We were pleased to meet with London Councils to discuss the issues we are both currently lobbying for. We discussed changes to under-18 free travel and the potential impact that could have on Jewish schools. We also raised the importance of faith based bereavement support being signposted on council websites. Area Groups We were pleased to formally establish our area groups in Hillingdon, Harrow and Kensington & Chelsea over the last month. We have representatives from the following Synagogues Hillingdon

• Northwood United Synagogue
• Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue
• Ruislip Synagogue

Harrow

• Stanmore and Cannons Park Synagogue
• Belmont Synagogue
• Pinner Synagogue
• Kol Chai Hatch End
• Mosaic

Kensington & Chelsea

• Holland Park Synagogue

The London Jewish Forum hosted a meeting of Jewish schools with Deputy Mayor of London for Transport Heidi Alexander to discuss the impact of changes to school travel in the wake of Covid-19. The Deputy Mayor and her team were eager to understand how City Hall can better support the schools in this regard and hear the experiences and concerns of Jewish schools. The meeting covered three different areas:  

1. The implementation of possible changes to free under-18 travel on the TfL network
2. Changes to school travel in the era of Covid-19
3. Wider transport issues facing the Jewish community

The schools were keen to understand changes to school travel in the era of Covid-19. Questions tabled by the schools to the Deputy Mayor included bus capacity issues, staggered arrival times, social distancing and masks wearing requirements. The Deputy Mayor and her team told the schools that they would be adding more than 230 extra buses to the network to bolster some of the busiest low-frequency routes for schoolchildren to travel on, including adding more vehicles to existing school bus services. These include extra services on the 653, 683 and 688 which serve the Jewish Free School in Kenton. In addition, TfL also said it would designate some existing regular buses as School Services, which would be prioritised for school travel and would operate at full seated capacity, as is permitted by Government guidelines for school bus services. Changes to under-18 travel were also a key topic of discussion, and whilst details of the scheme change were still to be determined, TfL pledged to keep the community updated on any relevant developments. The schools were reassured by the recent announcement that the latest Government plans suggest that pupils who live more than two miles from their place of education will continue to be applicable for free school travel. The meeting also covered wider transport issues facing the Jewish community, and the London Jewish Forum raised the issue of the 210 bus route, requesting its extension from Finsbury Park to Stamford Hill. Such an extension would link the two main Strictly Orthodox communities in Golders Green and Stamford Hill. Changes to the operating times of the Congestion Charge were also part of conversation, where participants raised concerns that Central London synagogues would be hit by the application of the Congestion Charge on Sundays, when synagogues host their religious supplementary education (cheder). The Jewish community were represented in the meeting by the headteachers of JFS and JCoSS, the Assistant Head of Hasmonean, Vice-President of the Board of Deputies Edwin Shuker, Board staff Jake Berger and Daniel Elton, PaJeS Director of Public Affairs Raisel Freedman, and Andrew Gilbert and Daniel Kosky from the London Jewish Forum. Adrian Cohen and Andrew Gilbert, co-Chairs, London Jewish Forum said: “We were delighted to organise a roundtable meeting for the community with Deputy Mayor for Transport Heidi Alexander. School travel in the Covid-era is a huge issue facing not only our community, and we were pleased to give the main Jewish secondary schools the opportunity to speak with Deputy Mayor Alexander and the team from TfL. We would like to thank Deputy Mayor Alexander for her time and support of the community on this matter.” Edwin Shuker, Vice-President, Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “We’d like to thank Deputy Mayor Heidi Alexander for taking the time to listen carefully to Jewish communal concerns about under 18 travel on the TfL network. We are pleased that the latest information suggests that pupils who travel more than 2 miles to their place of education will be granted free travel. Parents and school leaders will also be glad to hear that expanded capacity is planned on popular routes to school.” Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor of London for Transport said: “I was pleased to meet with representatives from Jewish secondary schools and the wider Jewish community to talk about our plans to enable pupils to travel safely on public transport as they return to school, and our world-leading Streetspace programme which is making it easier to walk and cycle. We will continue to do all we can to urge Government to do the right thing and drop their demand to suspend free travel for certain groups of young people under 18 after the October half-term.” Raisel Freedman, Director of Public Affairs, PaJeS said: Thank you to Deputy Mayor Heidi Alexander and her team for meeting with a cross-section of the community yesterday. We felt that she really understood the challenges facing schools regarding travel and is working to provide solutions. We will be feeding the messages from her team back to schools and appreciate their willingness to address travel related issues as schools start to return next week.

The London Jewish Forum hosted a roundtable meeting with Deputy Mayor of London Joanne McCartney to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on young people in the Jewish community. The Deputy Mayor was keen to understand how City Hall can better support the community in this area and hear the experiences of young people across the Jewish community. During the meeting we were able to distill our discussion onto various different areas:

1. Looking at how young adults and recent graduates have been affected by COVID-19
2. The impact of COVID-19 on Jewish university students
3. How Jewish teenagers have had summer plans changed and the impact on Jewish youth movements
4. Issues of disrupted school learning, particularly for those students studying for their GCSEs and A-Levels
5. Mental Health and Safeguarding in the wake of COVID-19

It was noted that much of the concerns facing young Jewish graduates are the same as concerns facing the wider community in London. We discussed how graduates were finding it significantly harder to find employment coming out of university, this has been placing significant strain on young people’s mental health and in many cases was forcing young people who had moved out of home and wished to remain living away from their parents post-university to return home. During the meeting we also discussed the importance Jewish youth movements play in the lives of many young Jews. A key feature of this is Israel Tour, which approximately 50% of Jewish 16-year-olds take part in each year. This was unfortunately cancelled this year and has come as an extreme disappointment to many young Jews. It has also caused financial damage to Jewish youth movements who use the surplus finds from Israel Tour to fund other activities throughout the year. During the meeting, student leaders from JFS and Yavneh College shared their experiences of how COVID-19 has impacted their learning and studies, and the importance of returning to school was highlighted. We discussed how in some areas, mental health has been supported by increased volunteering across the community, for example delivering food and prescriptions for elderly and those shielding. But it was acknowledged that in many cases, COVID caused significant challenges to young people’s mental health. Not being able to see friends, go to school, the ability to have casual chats with a teacher or youth worker about issues that may be troubling, has been extremely detrimental. Present in the meeting were the Jewish charities which work with young people, including UJIA, Reshet, Union of Jewish Students, RSY-Netzer, Bnei Akiva and JLGB. The meeting also had representatives from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, PaJeS, and Jewish Women’s Aid.  

It’s been a busy start to the summer for the London Jewish Forum with the impact of COVID-19 on the Jewish community across London, Essex and Hertfordshire continuing to take up much of our focus.   Engagement with City Hall In June it was agreed with City Hall that the LJF would put together a number of roundtables to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on the Jewish community with relevant representatives from the Greater London Authority (GLA).   Meeting with Deputy Mayor Debbie Weekes-Bernard The first of these was a roundtable of Jewish communal leaders and organisations with Deputy Mayor of London Debbie Weekes-Bernard. The meeting covered Disproportionality of Deaths from COVID-19 in the Jewish Community, Bereavement and Mental Health, Care Homes and the Elderly, experience of London Students, Community Safety and Security, and Women.   Consultation with GLA on Mental Health and Bereavement Counselling On 16^th July we held our second COVID-19 consultation with the City Hall. Together with JAMI and Jewish Care, this roundtable had a specific focus on bereavement counselling and mental health. The community was represented by specialist organisations in the Jewish community, including the Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service (JBCS), Bereavement Care (Harrow and Hillingdon), Bikur Cholim and Ahada. The GLA were keen to understand how City Hall can better support the community in this area, and much of the meeting focused on provision for a potential second emergency over the autumn and winter. The role of councils in signposting for faith-based bereavement care and mental health groups was also a key part of discussion. The meeting was attended by councillors from across five London boroughs including the Mayor of Barnet Cllr Caroline Stock, and Mayor of Haringey Cllr Sheila Peacock.   Roundtable on Volunteering Towards the end of the month we hosted our third consultation with City Hall. Together with the Jewish Volunteering Network, we co-chaired a meeting between Jewish charities and the GLA to discuss the charities’ outstanding efforts during the COVID-19 emergency. Charities in attendance included Mitzvah Day, JW3, JLGB, GIFT, Project Impact and the synagogue bodies. The group conveyed to the Greater London Authority (GLA) their work over the past few months. Efforts included shopping for the elderly and those shielding, regular calls to those above the age of 70 to tackle loneliness, foodbanks and blood donor drives. The discussion was focused around the work of volunteers, with multiple charities stating the response from the community was so great that the number of volunteers outweighed the volunteering opportunities. It was pointed out that the groups represented thousands of volunteers within the Jewish community. A message of thanks on behalf of Londoners was passed on by the GLA team from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Mayor Debbie Weekes-Bernard. Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard said: “I am pleased that City Hall representatives were able to meet with the London Jewish Forum and representatives of Jewish charities from across the capital to thank them for their efforts in helping others throughout this pandemic. I have been inspired by the amazing work they have been doing to connect Londoners and help the most vulnerable during the lockdown. “While we have kept physically apart, the outbreak of Covid-19 has brought communities together as people of all ages have volunteered their time to help and support friends, neighbours and relatives through this uniquely challenging period.”   Appointment of new LJF Director July we welcomed our new Director Daniel Kosky, who joined the London Jewish Forum after two years as head of Campaigns at the Union of Jewish Students. Kosky has been at the forefront of the Jewish community’s efforts to tackle antisemitism on campuses across the UK, and said he was “delighted and excited” at the prospect of working with City Hall and Town Halls across the capital.   Meeting with Greg Hands MP During July we were also pleased to meet with Chelsea and Fulham MP Greg Hands. Greg Hands serves as the Minister of State for Trade, and we were pleased to meet him alongside colleagues from the Jewish Leadership Council, CST, Union of Jewish Students and the Antisemitism Policy Trust. During our meeting we discussed antisemitism in the UK, the importance of the Government advancing the Online Harms Bill, the issues facing Jewish students on campuses, and future engagement with the Jewish community in Chelsea.   Meeting with Leonie Cooper AM During the last week of July we were also pleased to meet with Leonie Cooper AM. Leonie is a Labour member of the London Assembly for Merton and Wandsworth. We discussed the impact of COVID-19 on the Jewish community. Specifically, we raised our concerns about the proposed plans to cut free travel for under-18s on TfL. We are very much concerned that this decision will disproportionality affect our community. A majority of Jewish children attend Jewish faith schools which in almost all cases are not local schools. As a result, Jewish children are extremely reliant on public transport to attend school. We also discussed antisemitism, disproportionality of deaths from COVID-19, and the work the Jewish community is doing to tackle climate change.

The London Jewish Forum, together with the Jewish Volunteering Network (JVN) co-chaired a meeting between Jewish charities and City Hall to discuss the charities outstanding efforts during the COVID-19 emergency. Charities in attendance included Mitzvah Day, JW3, JLGB, GIFT, Project Impact and the synagogue bodies. The group conveyed to the Greater London Authority (GLA) their work over the past few months.

Efforts included shopping for the elderly and those shielding, regular calls to those above the age of 70 to tackle loneliness, foodbanks and blood donor drives.

The discussion was focused around the work of volunteers, with multiple charities stating the response from the community was so great that the number of volunteers outweighed the volunteering opportunities. It was pointed out that the groups represented thousands of volunteers within the Jewish community.

A message of thanks on behalf of Londoners was passed on by the GLA team from the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, and Deputy Mayor Debbie Weekes-Bernard.

It was agreed how important volunteering has been and will continue to be during the recovery period. In this vein, a discussion was had on how to maintain the levels of volunteering we have seen over the past few months into the future.

The impact on many in the community of working from home was also discussed, and there was general consensus that the loss of commuting time has led to many using that time to volunteer in their local communities.

Andrew Gilbert and Adrian Cohen, co-leads of London Jewish Forum said:

“We were so pleased to coordinate a meeting together with JVN between Jewish charities and the GLA. The work which has been done by Jewish charities during the emergency has been outstanding and has made an incredibly important contribution to Londoners. We are grateful to the GLA for continuing their engagement with us and we look forward to further conversations about how our community has responded to COVID-19.”

Nicky Goldman, CEO of Jewish Volunteering Network said:

“We would like to thank the London Jewish Forum for organising this very productive meeting with the GLA and Team London. It was important to have the opportunity to share how the Jewish community has been supporting civil society in London specifically during the pandemic, as well as through Jewish communal organisations.”

Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard said:

“I am pleased that City Hall representatives were able to meet with the London Jewish Forum and representatives of Jewish charities from across the capital to thank them for their efforts in helping others throughout this pandemic. I have been inspired by the amazing work they have been doing to connect Londoners and help the most vulnerable during the lockdown.

“While we have kept physically apart, the outbreak of Covid-19 has brought communities together as people of all ages have volunteered their time to help and support friends, neighbours and relatives through this uniquely challenging period.”

The London Jewish Forum, together with JAMI and Jewish Care hosted a meeting of Jewish communal organisations with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to discuss the community’s response to COVID-19. The meeting had a specific focus on bereavement counselling and mental health. The GLA were keen to understand how City Hall can better support the community in this area, and much of the meeting focused on provision for a potential second emergency over the autumn and winter. During the meeting we were able to distill our discussion onto four different areas of work which are focused on by slightly different agencies in the Jewish community

1. End of Life Care
2. Bereavement Support
3. Bereavement Counselling
4. Mental Health

The role of councils in signposting for faith-based bereavement care and mental health groups was also a key part of discussion. The meeting was attended by councillors from across five London boroughs including the Mayor of Barnet Cllr Caroline Stock, and Mayor of Haringey Cllr Sheila Peacock. Present in the meeting were the major synagogue bodies, with representatives from the United Synagogue, Reform Judaism, Federation, Masorti and the S&P communities. With the meeting focusing on bereavement counselling and mental health, participants also included the Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service (JBCS), Bereavement Care (Harrow and Hillingdon), Bikur Cholim and Ahada. This roundtable was part of a wider group that the LJF are coordinating between the GLA and London’s Jewish community in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency. Andrew Gilbert and Adrian Cohen, co-leads of London Jewish Forum said: “It was really helpful to have a call with representatives from across London’s Jewish Community to focus on Bereavement support, Bereavement Counselling and Mental Health.  We were delighted to organise this with JAMI and Jewish Care. We would like to thank our communal organisations for sharing their experiences, and also thank councillors Stock, Peacock, Conway, Nerva, and Pallis for taking part. We are grateful to the GLA for continuing their engagement with us and the wider Jewish community.” Adam Dawson, Chair of JAMI said: “It was very encouraging to see the GLA focusing on mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m hopeful we can turn this meaningful engagement with the GLA into improved understanding and resourcing for the mental health of the London Jewish Community.” Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard said: “The outbreak of Covid-19, the emotional impact of lockdown and the tragic loss of life due to the virus has taken a huge toll on the mental health of many Londoners. “We’re committed to doing what we can to offer our support during these challenging times, and, having recently met with the London Jewish Forum, I’m pleased that City Hall representatives were able to speak directly with the Jewish community to learn how we might best be able to help.” Community Organisations involved in the call London Jewish Forum  (Andrew Gilbert, Daniel Kosky and Adrian Cohen) JAMI (Adam Dawson, Laurie Rackind) Jewish Care (Andrew Hope, Paula Plaskow, Yehudit Amias, Hannah Jacobs) Board of Deputies (Phil Rosenberg, Daniel Elton) Jewish Leadership Council (Adam Langleben) Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service  (Trisha Curtis, Yvonne Schiff, Rosalind Monn and Margi Abeles) Bereavement Care (Harrow)  (Bobbi Riesel) Bikur Cholim (Stamford Hill) (Yocheved Eiger) Interlink (Stamford Hill) (Chaya Spitz) Ahada Bereavement Counselling (Redbridge)  (David Lipman) Raphael Jewish Counselling (Barbara Anne Creeger) University Jewish Chaplaincy (Sophie Dunoff) United Synagogue (Rabbi Nicky Liss) Federation of Synagogues (Rabbi Avi Lazarus) Reform Judaism (Rabbi Miriam Berger and Sharon Daniels) Spanish and Portuguese (Andrea Silverman) Masorti Judaism (Deborah Golend).   A screenshot of the meeting, which took place on zoom.