JPR media coverage archive
Grassroots left out in the cold

Friday 1 Jan 2010

If you were to ask, are British Jews better represented than they were a decade ago, then it would all depend on what you meant by “better”.

There is a difference between whether organisations are more effective in getting their message across, than whether collectively the views of British Jews are being more fairly represented by organisations that claim to speak for them.

Undoubtedly, the existence of the Jewish Leadership Council has improved co-ordination between leaders of mainstream organisations. That means that agreed decisions potentially carry greater weight by having the imprimatur of a larger number of organisations.

But there has been no great advance in democratic accountability by organisations doing more to consult grassroots opinion.

In theory, it would be possible to compile an electronic database composed of a representative sample of British Jews and regularly seek their views on any number of issues.

However, constituencies that feel unrepresented can still find it easier today to make their voices heard, thanks to the avenues opened by the electronic media. The Independent Jewish Voices initiative showed that any articulate group of Jews can stake a claim for attention in the public square, regardless of the attitude of established bodies towards them.