Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews has expressed her gratitude to the Government for working with the Jewish community to amend legislation in order to protect the religious freedoms of religious minorities.
Marie said: “We would like to extend our deep and sincere thanks to the Government for working with us to amend this legislation to protect the final wishes and religious freedoms of the deceased. There could be few things more sacred.
“In particular, we are grateful to Health Secretary Matt Hancock, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, Paymaster General Penny Mordaunt, Communities Minister Simon Clarke and the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief, Rehman Chishti, for acting speedily to address the concerns raised by Jewish and Muslim communities.
“Our thanks go also to Naz Shah MP for her own proposed amendment, and to Wes Streeting MP, Co-Chair of the APPG on British Jews for their close communication with us throughout the Bill process.
“This has been an inspiring example of interfaith solidarity and responsive government. It shows, even in these difficult times for our nation, why we have so much reason to be proud of this wonderful country.”
You can read the amendment here.