BoD and JLC united in effort to strengthen community resources and responses to Covid-19

As the coronavirus emergency deepens, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the JLC have collaborated in creating a new online forum to work together at a level never seen before.

Together with their professional teams, Gillian Merron, Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies, and Simon Johnson, CEO of the JLC have brought together CEOs as well as skilled professionals in areas such as fundraising, communications, HR and operations to pool resources and skill for the benefit of the community.

This new initiative,  which harnesses the power of Microsoft Teams, allows groups to work in specific areas and for leaders to be connected nationally to work collaboratively.  This together with regular Zoom calls with communal CEOs and Chairs is offering a vital way to communicate in the current climate.

The JLC is primarily focusing on work with communal organisations, supporting their needs and those of their leaders, including advising on issues of financial sustainability. Meanwhile, the Board of Deputies is primarily focusing its efforts on supporting Jewish life, dealing with all matters that will affect Jews now and beyond the current emergency, including securing a legislative change in the Coronavirus Bill to prevent Jews and Muslims being cremated against their will. The respective professional teams are maintaining close contact and utilising their resources to ensure work is efficiently covered in a way that ensures we can have maximum impact.

Simon Johnson of the JLC said: “The JLC and the Board of Deputies are working flat out together to help build resilience in the community during this challenging period. However tough this situation is, it is heartening to see how both the community is pulling together and how our institutions are finding new ways of collaborating to address the immediate need.”

Gillian Merron commented: “Our two organisations are successfully harnessing all our skills so that we can cover all sides of the situation without any duplication. By doing this and by making use of technological solutions we are ensuring the Jewish community has the benefit of all of our shared expertise.”