More needs to be done to integrate the London Beth Din into the United Synagogue communities it serves, one of the three candidates vying to become president of the UK’s largest Orthodox synagogue said at a hustings this week.
Former US president Dr Simon Hochhauser asked the contenders whether they believed it was a problem that LBD dayanim were drawn mainly from outside the US.
Saul Taylor, a current US trustee, said the Beth Din was “world-class” and ”respected the world over”.
But he added: “I think we need to integrate the Beth Din more into US communities. I am not happy at the moment at the amount of time the dayanim are spending in US communities, and I will be encouraging them to get out there to pick up what’s going on on the ground, to really be able to connect with our members more.”
Claire Lemer, also a US trustee, who is bidding to become the first female president of the organisation, responded: “It’s incredibly important to have a strong Beth Din, but I also think it is incredibly important we have strong trustees and a strong council who are enabled to speak with the voice of you, the members, so that the BD can hear what we want as well.”
She said it was “really important to have oversight” and “to continue the journey that started. There have been things that have changed that are really crucial – having an ombudsman, having feedback that goes back to the dayanim.”
Marc Meyer, the former chair of Hendon Synagogue, who is originally from Fance, agreed that the LBD was world-class and represented “an amazing repository”. But it could be perceived as a problem if dayanim chose not to eat meat from their own kosher authority or ran minyanim outside the US, he said.
“The ideal with the Beth Din is to respect them completely but at the same time, to engage with them. To engage with them, you have to be trusted by them,” he said.
Committing himself to “positive dialogue”, he said: “You have to be able to bring best practice from Orthodox Beth Dins from across the world.”
The candidates fielded a range of questions from Israel education and fighting antisemitism to attracting the disconnected or retaining rabbis in what the chair of the event, Board of Deputies president Phil Rosenberg, called the US’ “most contested presidential election in recent memory”.
Taylor promised to run “the biggest fundraising campaign” in the organisation’s history to support his proposed initiatives, including setting up a hub for young people in West Hampstead. He also wants to strengthen the bond with Israel. “If we become more Zionist, we will bring in the younger generation,” he said.
Meyer’s platform includes the creation of an “online university”, which will give members access to a wide pool of resources on both religious and secular Jewish topics; and developing the use of AI, which would enable US staff to spend more time on forging connections with members.
Lemer stressed her track record of delivering “change from within”, including her involvement in equality issues, ranging from the introduction of a siddur for those with special educational needs to enhancing the role of women within the organisation.
US council members began voting online for their new leader this morning. But there is also the chance to vote in person at the US council meeting next Monday, when the result will be announced at the end.
To find out more about the candidates, go to the JC’s Q&A
