The Jewish congressional membership organisation, National Jewish Assembly, (NJA) which former Board of Deputies Senior Vice President Gary Mond launched on 25 April, is delighted to announce its affiliation with the European Jewish Association.
The EJA is the fastest growing Jewish network of communities in Europe. Based in Brussels, it builds meaningful contacts with the key decision makers and opinion formers in the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament and among various permanent representations and embassies.
In addition, and through its partner communities, the EJA operates at a bilateral level, with Parliamentary representatives across the EU and lobbies for and defends Jewish community interests. These include freedom of religion, fighting against bans on shechita, securing and safeguarding Jewish communities, schools, synagogues and mikvot.
It is heavily involved in the ongoing fight against antisemitism across Europe and stands up for Israel, promoting the world’s only Jewish state. Moreover, it creates political initiatives that run against Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and tackles the latest manifestation of antisemitism: anti-Zionism and anti-Israelism.
The EJA invites key decision makers to flagship conferences with Jewish leaders and takes delegations to Auschwitz and Babyn Yar, so they better understand and advance matters relating to the ongoing fight against antisemitism.
Gary Mond, chairman of the National Jewish Assembly said: “It is a great honour for the National Jewish Assembly, which is only six weeks old, to be invited to affiliate to the European Jewish Association, a very large and wide-reaching association of Jewish organisations and communities in Europe. Its principal objectives of promoting Jewish community interests, supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism are identical to ours, and its record of a diverse and comprehensive range of activities in seeking to achieve these goals is highly admirable.”
According to the EJA’s 2021 Report of Activities, it has around 65 official partner organisations spread across 22 European countries. The NJA will be its first UK affiliate and in that capacity plans to work closely with the EJA on several projects in the future.
The chairman of the EJA, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said: “It is truly a privilege and an honour to welcome the National Jewish Assembly to the European Jewish Association. I say this not only because of their shared values and commitment to the common betterment of European Jewry as a whole, I say this not only because of the calibre and reputations of those involved in bringing the NJA into existence, but also because at long last there is a real dynamic force for good in the United Kingdom for Jews, one that together with the EJA represents the future of Jewry, not the past, and that we are certain will continue to grow from strength to strength.”
The National Jewish Assembly is open to anyone to join if they support its key principles of promoting and defending Jewish life, supporting Israel and fighting anti-Semitism.
