Greville Janner
Encyclopedia
Greville Ewan Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone (born 11 July 1928) is a British Labour politician, lawyer and author. A QC
since 1971, he was a Labour MP from 1970 to 1997. He is also associated with a number of Jewish NGOs, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews
, of which he was Chairman from 1978 to 1984.
, Wales
to Jewish parents, the son of Sir Barnett Janner, a former Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain. Educated at St Paul’s School, London, Janner was evacuated to Canada during the war and attended Bishop's College School
, Lennoxville, Quebec
. Later, Janner studied Law, attending Trinity Hall, Cambridge
where he was President of the Cambridge Union Society
in 1952, and Harvard Law School
, which he attended through both the Fulbright and Smith-Mundt awards.
He became a barrister
in 1954 and was appointed a QC
in 1971.
and then Leicester West
in the House of Commons
from 1970 until his retirement in 1997. His predecessor in the seat was his father, Sir Barnett Janner, a former Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain. He was succeeded by Patricia Hewitt
.
He was created a life peer
as Baron Janner of Braunstone, of Leicester
in the County of Leicestershire
in 1997. He is President of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism
, and chairs the All-Party Britain-Israel Parliamentary Group.
, the main representative body of British Jewry, from 1978 to 1984, and was a key campaigner in the efforts to get reparations for victims of the Holocaust. He is also a vice president of both the World Jewish Congress
and the Jewish Leadership Council
.
Lord Janner is Founder and President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council and Chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust
. He is the Chairman of Holocaust Educational Trust's Baltic Mass Graves Committee, seeking to find, map, signpost and mark the Holocaust mass graves in the Baltic States
.
and the International Brotherhood of Magicians
.
Lord Janner has throughout his career sought to foster good relations between different faiths and religions. His book, One Hand Alone Cannot Clap, is testimony to this work. He co-founded (along with Prince Hassan of Jordan) the Coexistence Trust, a charity to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism.
Lord Janner's youngest daughter is an ordained Rabbi. Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner was appointed National Rabbinic Spokesperson for The Movement for Reform Judaism
in 2011.
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
since 1971, he was a Labour MP from 1970 to 1997. He is also associated with a number of Jewish NGOs, including the Board of Deputies of British Jews
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...
, of which he was Chairman from 1978 to 1984.
Background
Janner was born in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to Jewish parents, the son of Sir Barnett Janner, a former Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain. Educated at St Paul’s School, London, Janner was evacuated to Canada during the war and attended Bishop's College School
Bishop's College School
This article is about the school in Canada. Alternatively, visit Diocesan College in Cape Town, South Africa.Bishop's College School is a private school in Lennoxville, Quebec, Canada....
, Lennoxville, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Later, Janner studied Law, attending Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
where he was President of the Cambridge Union Society
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to as simply "the Cambridge Union" or "the Union," is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the largest society at the University of Cambridge. Since its founding in 1815, the Union has developed a worldwide reputation as a noted symbol of...
in 1952, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, which he attended through both the Fulbright and Smith-Mundt awards.
He became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in 1954 and was appointed a QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 1971.
Political career
Janner represented Leicester North WestLeicester North West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester North West was a borough constituency in the city of Leicester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
and then Leicester West
Leicester West (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester West is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
from 1970 until his retirement in 1997. His predecessor in the seat was his father, Sir Barnett Janner, a former Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain. He was succeeded by Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hewitt
Patricia Hope Hewitt is an Australian-born British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Leicester West from 1997 until 2010. She served in the Cabinet until 2007, most recently as Health Secretary....
.
He was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Janner of Braunstone, of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
in the County of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in 1997. He is President of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism
All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism
The All-Party Parliamentary Group against Anti-Semitism is a group in the Parliament of the United Kingdom chaired by John Mann MP.The Group commissioned the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Antisemitism in 2005...
, and chairs the All-Party Britain-Israel Parliamentary Group.
NGO career
Lord Janner was president of the Board of Deputies of British JewsBoard of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...
, the main representative body of British Jewry, from 1978 to 1984, and was a key campaigner in the efforts to get reparations for victims of the Holocaust. He is also a vice president of both the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
and the Jewish Leadership Council
Jewish Leadership Council
The Jewish Leadership Council was formed in 2003, . The Council was founded by its first Chairman, then President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Henry Grunwald QC and an array of other senior UK Jewish leaders. The JLC brings together the most senior lay leaders of the major...
.
Lord Janner is Founder and President of the Commonwealth Jewish Council and Chairman of the Holocaust Educational Trust
Holocaust Educational Trust
The Holocaust Educational Trust is a British charity, founded by Greville Janner and Merlyn Rees in 1988, whose aim is to "educate young people of every background about the Holocaust and the important lessons to be learned for today." Its chairman is Greville Janner and its president is R....
. He is the Chairman of Holocaust Educational Trust's Baltic Mass Graves Committee, seeking to find, map, signpost and mark the Holocaust mass graves in the Baltic States
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
.
Miscellaneous
Janner wrote a number of books on public speaking and business communication, including On Presentation. He is a member of The Magic CircleThe Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
and the International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
.
Lord Janner has throughout his career sought to foster good relations between different faiths and religions. His book, One Hand Alone Cannot Clap, is testimony to this work. He co-founded (along with Prince Hassan of Jordan) the Coexistence Trust, a charity to combat Islamophobia and antisemitism.
Lord Janner's youngest daughter is an ordained Rabbi. Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner was appointed National Rabbinic Spokesperson for The Movement for Reform Judaism
Movement for Reform Judaism
Movement for Reform Judaism is the main organizational body of the Jewish Reform community in Great Britain....
in 2011.
Books
- (1978) The Motorist's Lawyer, Royal Automobile ClubRoyal Automobile ClubThe Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
- (1979) Product Liability, Random House Business Books
- (1985) Janner's Complete Letterwriter
- (1986) On Meetings, Gower Publishing
- (1989) On Chairing, Gower Publishing
- (1989) On Presentation, Random House Business Books
- (1991) How to Win Meetings, Gower Publishing
- (1998) One Hand Alone Cannot Clap: Arab Israeli Universe, Robson Books
- (2003) Janner's Speechmaker, Thorogood
- (2008) Jewish Parliamentarians, (with Derek Taylor)