Lord Mann, the Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, told a landmark Board of Deputies conference for Jewish professionals in the workplace, that Jewish staff networks have been one of the “big positives” for the Jewish community in the past two years.
Addressing the inaugural BoD@Work Conference yesterday, which brought together over 40 Jewish staff network members, industry leaders, and experts, Lord Mann said: “The Jewish community has had to organise itself in the workplace. It started with WhatsApp groups and has moved on to proper staff networks. It is incredibly important, it’s incredibly empowering and it should be permanent.”
He added: “What you’re doing here today is at the heart of what the Jewish community needs to be doing, and we must get it right.”
Opening the conference, Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said: “We want the workplace to be somewhere where everybody can thrive, where diversity is celebrated and where respect is woven into daily life. So often it seems that Jews don’t count. We work every day to insist that Jews must count.
He added: “Jews in the workplace have taken the important first steps. You’ve set up a Jewish network or joined the Jewish network. You connected with us and you’re here today. I want to assure you all that we’ve got your back.”
The full-day conference featured a series of workshops focusing on ‘building a network of networks’ and co-designing new materials for the Board of Deputies to support Jewish employees. Experts in workplace inclusion provided attendees with practical tools and techniques to strengthen Jewish staff networks, combat antisemitism and share strategies for how to respond to challenges in the workplace.
Tamara Finkelstein, former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, spoke in conversation with Board Treasurer Ben Crowne. She shared insights from her career in the Civil Service, focussing on the growth of the organisation’s Jewish network and the success it has had in providing support for Jewish staff.
At the conclusion of the conference, awards were given to five participants for the outstanding contribution they have made to supporting Jews in their workplaces.
In his closing speech, Board Vice President Andrew Gilbert thanked the Board’s Jewish Staff Network Support Officer, Noah Katz, for their work in organising the conference, adding: “This conference is a remarkable first. It’s something we’ll be able to build on in future years together. I want to thank all the speakers, organisers and all the participants and I want to encourage everyone to take all of the learnings
Enquiries to bodatwork@bod.org.uk
Photo: Sam Pearce