The role and responsibility of a Deputy

The Board of Deputies is unique in being the only democratically elected and national representative body of the British Jewish Community, whose welfare it exists to protect and promote.

The duties of a Deputy are central to the Board's ability to represent efficiently and effectively the interests and aspirations of the British Jewish Community. The commitment required of a Deputy is considerable. A Deputy must be prepared to be actively involved in the activities of the Board, working in conjunction with fellow Deputies and the Board's professional staff.

This article is intended as a guide to Deputies on their responsibilities and the way in which they should discharge them.

"Let all who work on behalf of the Community do so for the sake of Heaven"
(Ethics of the Fathers, 2:2)

In all of their activities, both inside and outside the Board, Deputies should not engage in any conduct or activity prejudicial to the Board, or likely to bring the Board into disrepute. They should have in mind that they are members of the Board, which has a public profile as the national representative body of the British Jewish Community, and should conduct themselves accordingly at all meetings and events held under the auspices of the Board.

1. To represent and express the interests and views of their Constituency to the Board, its Divisions and its working groups.
2. To carry Board policy back to their Constituency, ensuring a clear and uniform understanding of the Board's policies within the Constituency.
3. To promote and to encourage support for the work of the Board in all its aspects, including taking active steps to ensure that the work of the Board is adequately funded.

In order to fulfil these roles successfully, each Deputy must be prepared to participate to the greatest possible extent in the work of the Board.

• Deputies are expected to attend the plenary sessions of the Board regularly.
• Deputies who reside more than 50 miles from Central London are entitled to a travel subsidy.
• Deputies are requested to record on the Board's database their special abilities and experience.
• Deputies are encouraged to participate in plenary sessions of the Board and become involved in a Division or working group reflecting their particular skills and experience. They are expected not only to attend meetings, but to undertake specific tasks for that Division or group.
• On a local level, Deputies are expected to report back regularly to the management committee of their Constituency on the work of the Board. They are also encouraged to inform the Board of issues that the management committee would like to see raised for discussion at the Board. Deputies should be prepared to address the AGM and other meetings of their Constituency in order to report on the work of the Board and on their work on the Board's behalf. Deputies are encouraged to be in regular contact with the editor of their Constituency magazine on these issues, and to arrange for the regular appearance of reports about the work of the Board.
• Deputies are expected to help in the Board's public relations efforts by ensuring the distribution of the Board's publications to all relevant constituents and organisations; by addressing local groups in the community about the Board; and by inviting a spokesperson from the Board to address the Constituency. The Board can provide resources and training for speakers, from which Deputies might usefully benefit.
  Deputies representing synagogues must discuss with their Honorary Officers how to secure a satisfactory response to the Communal Levy. All Deputies must be prepared to help in other fund-raising efforts, for example by raising money for the Board's occasional sponsored events, and by suggesting potential participants in the Board's "Subscriber" scheme.
• Deputies should help in the Board's efforts to promote good relations between the Jewish and wider community, perhaps by speaking at local schools, by addressing local groups, or by organising a "Week of Welcome" for the Jewish community to meet other local communities.
• Deputies might be asked to contact the local press on an ad-hoc basis about an issue of concern and should provide their name to local media and politicians in case contact is sought.
• Deputies are asked to monitor local radio, newspapers and television, and to inform the Board's offices if anything of concern arises.
  Where a Constituency is represented by two or more Deputies, they should confer to ensure that all these functions are fulfilled.

In fulfilling their role, Deputies should please bear in mind that:

• Whilst members of the Board's professional staff are only too willing to give Deputies any proper assistance, Deputies are not entitled to give instructions to members of staff.
• Except with the authorisation of the Director General, Deputies may not:
• Write to the press or appear on the media in the name of the Board
• Use the stationery of the Board or write letters in the name of the Board
• Speak at public meetings about the work of the Board (except, of course, within the Constituency which they represent
• Purport to raise money under the aegis of the Board
• Give any undertaking which commits the Board to a particular course of action

If a matter is under discussion at the Board in which a Deputy has a financial interest or in relation to which it is relevant to know that a Deputy holds an office or a prominent position in an organisation, the Deputy should declare that interest, office or position before participating in the discussion.

In all of their activities, both inside and outside the Board, Deputies should not engage in any conduct or activity prejudicial to the Board, or likely to bring the Board into disrepute. They should have in mind that they are members of the Board, which has a public profile as the national representative body of the British Jewish Community, and should conduct themselves accordingly at all meetings and events held under the auspices of the Board.