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 This is an extract from the Chair's report to the AGM, on Sunday 10th June 2007:
"I am absolutely certain that we are on the right track; that we are making very good progress and that although there is much to do, we now have a clear vision and strategy, backed up by some excellent projects and programmes and we are putting in place the organisational capability, to enable us to reach out to the parts of the community that others can't reach and take our place in the mainstream of the UK Jewish community."
"We continue to be increasingly seen as the best hope for British Jewry and there are more and more signs to support Tony's contention that we are very close to a tipping point. So, I am not going to speak further about that. I would like to use my short slot on something we rarely find the time to do and that is to recognise and thank some of the key players in this grand endeavour of ours, who we all too often take for granted.
Let’s start with our professional staff. Not only Tony, whose role is clear for all to see as the architect of our Vision and of raising our profile and most of our funds, but also Mike Frankl, who has not only kept control of our finances and most of the operations, but has led the synagogue support work with David Jacobs and has now taken on the huge task of looking after the Movement's interests in the Sternberg Centre Development; and David himself who plays an absolutely unique role supporting our congregations with his unmatchable and irreplaceable knowledge of our Movement; and Judith Williams who as you have all seen today, is having a major impact in developing our Youth activities; and Julian Resnick whose work on Living Judaism and Jewish Journeys, I believe, has been transformational for us; and Andie Newman and Rachel Barres and Mark Ozin and Gilly Freed and a number of others who will I hope forgive me for not mentioning them all personally.
We have an excellent professional team which, I am delighted to say, will be further strengthened on July 1st, when Tony becomes full time Head of the Movement and Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand joins us as Executive Director. Shoshana joins us with vast experience in many of the areas we are working in and an outstanding reputation. I am sure she will make a major contribution to the Movement’s continued development.
And then there is the Board. On which I assure you there are no passengers. Every member has a demanding portfolio responsibility. Stella Mason leads the synagogue support work; Peter Weber, as one of the joint treasurers, focuses on financial control; Stephen Moss, our other joint treasurer, concentrates on Movement development work and leads our negotiating team on the Sternberg Centre development. Mike Casale holds the small communities portfolio and is leading some pioneering work with David Jacobs; Jenny Pizer not only holds the very demanding Youth, Students & Young Adults portfolio but also has time to be a very active member of the Siddur Steering Committee; Miriam Kramer who did such a good job with the Leo Baeck College portfolio that they pinched her and made her Chairman of the Governing Body of the College; and Lisa Stock who is leaving us after a number of years representing the special, and often very different interests of the North. Lisa, we are very sad to lose you but delighted that you will be continuing your close links with the Movement as one of the newly elected Vice Presidents.
I am also very pleased to welcome onto the new Board Dolf Mogendorff, the current chairman of the Northern Region of the Movement who will take over the Northern Portfolio and Charles Kessler who will continue to lead the excellent communications development work he has been doing, as member of the Board.
My thanks to you all. Work on the Board is hard but most of the time very satisfying. We have a very good team and are always looking to involve new people in the Board so if any one is interested in finding out more, please let me know.
And last, but not least, to the Assembly of Rabbis. My special thanks to Rabbi Maurice Michaels who was the first chair of the Assembly who was also vice- chair of the Movement. Maurice, together with Rabbi Jeffrey Newman played a very important role in strengthening the relationship between the Movement and the Assembly; and thanks also to Rabbis Amanda Golby and lan Morris for stepping in to Chair the Assembly after Maurice stood down.
I am also delighted to welcome the new Chair of the Assembly, Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain MBE, to the Movement Board. Jonathan will also take over Maurice’s role as a vice-chair of the Movement. I look forward to continuing the close relationship between the executive of the Assembly and the Movement Board and am particularly pleased to hear of Jonathan's plans to raise the profile of the Assembly to become more vocal nationally on moral and social issues. I think it is vital that our rabbis provide an alternative voice to orthodoxy in the wider community and welcome Jonathan' s focus on this issue as Chair of the Assembly.
Finally, on behalf of the Board, our thanks to all Council members for giving us the opportunity to represent you and for working with us and supporting us at this very exciting time for the Movement."
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