Ahead of the General Election the Board of Deputies is encouraging everyone in the Jewish community to call upon MPs and prospective Parliamentary candidates to support its Jewish Manifesto and the 10 Commitments it has highlighted. To enable this to happen quickly and easily an online tool is now available for members of the public to contact their candidates easily online.
The online tool, provided in partnership with We Believe in Israel, allows members of the public to write to all their candidates in a few clicks. They will be able to ask their local candidates to pledge their support to the Manifesto’s Ten Commitments and share their support for them on their social media platforms with the hashtag #TenCommitments @BoardofDeputies.
This is all with the aim of ensuring that candidates are aware of all the community’s policy positions, from antisemitism to social action, from Israel to education and religious freedom to restitution.
The Manifesto, which covers the broadest-ever range of Jewish issues, is divided into 14 sections including Religious Freedom, Antisemitism, Israel, Education, Social Care and Social Action. There is also a list of ‘Ten Commitments’ which encapsulate in brief the key aims of the document.
It will form the centrepiece of the Board’s drive to ensure that all the political parties take the concerns of Britain’s 300,000-strong Jewish community into account when setting out their own proposals for government.
Board of Deputies’ Chief Executive Gillian Merron said that “the process of consulting with all sectors of the community, and getting responses from nearly 300 communal stakeholders, whether on Israel, social justice or issues facing the Charedi community, means the Manifesto reflects the diversity of the community and its range of interests”.
President Vivian Wineman said: “This is an example of how we utilise the expertise of our representatives. It gives the Jewish community huge legitimacy as election candidates are presented with a clearly thought out and agreed set of policy requests.”
The e Manifesto – which follows on from this year’s successful European Elections Jewish Manifesto – has already been sent to policy makers and parliamentary candidates.
The idea, explains Mr Wineman, is that “individuals and local Jewish communities take the Manifesto to candidates and use it at hustings and in letters, in meeting and in public debates. Don’t be shy to challenge candidates on particular policies and to ask them whether they will support the key ‘Ten Commitments’ set out in the document. Community members should also consult with the Board’s Public Affairs department and local Deputies for guidance on what you might want to raise with your local candidates.”
To use the online tool, click here
To view the Jewish Manifesto click here.