Following the publication of the letter by 36 Deputies in the Financial Times last week that was not representative of the Board of Deputies’ policy on Israel, the Board of Deputies today convened an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee to discuss the ramifications and consequences of this act.
The Board of Deputies can now confirm:
* Following multiple complaints by Deputies and the public, all 36 signatories of the letter to the Financial Times are now subject to a complaints procedure in accordance with Appendix G to the Board of Deputies’ Constitution.
* A further Deputy is subject to the complaints procedure for an alleged GDPR breach.
* All Deputies and under-35 Observers subject to complaints procedures have been informed of the complaints made against them and the process to be adopted. The complaints procedure is likely to take at least four weeks.
* All members of the Executive eligible to vote, unanimously approved a motion temporarily suspending the Vice Chair of the International Division from that role and the Executive while they remain subject to the complaints procedure, having signed the Financial Times letter and given further media interviews on it.
Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said:
“We take alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct very seriously. I am grateful to the Constitution Committee for the speed with which they have reviewed the initial complaints, and it is right that they are now given the time and space to review the cases with due process and impartiality. The Board of Deputies is clear: only our democratically-elected Honorary Officers and authorised staff speak on behalf of the organisation.”
Notes:
The Board of Deputies Code of Conduct can be found here: https://bod.org.uk/deputy-code-of-conduct