Jon Benjamin (Jewish leader)
Encyclopedia
Marc Jonathan Benjamin has been the Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
since 2005.
Born in Croydon
, South London
, he attended Park Hill Junior School, Dulwich College
and Manchester University where he read law. He practiced law as a litigator in the City at Denton Hall Burgin and Warrens (now SNR Denton
) and then Teacher Stern Selby, with a nine month break between when he backpacked through India, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.
He moved into communal service in 1996, working for several years for educational and cultural charities before joining the Board in January 2005.
He has an entry in Who's Who and the Jewish Chronicle listed him in its 'Power 100' most influential members of the UK Jewish community, noting his modernising role at the Board of Deputies and his contacts within government.
Early in his tenure at the Board of Deputies he had to respond to the controversy following the publication of photographs of Prince Harry wearing a fancy dress Nazi uniform. This episode was followed by the incident in which the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, called a Jewish journalist a "German war criminal" and a "concentration camp guard", which prompted the Board of Deputies to refer the matter to the Standards Board for England, along with some two dozen other complainants.
Jon Benjamin has subsequently played a leading role in issues affecting the UK Jewish community, including on the issues of faith schools, Holocaust era looted art
, interfaith activity and domestic and international affairs. He has given evidence to UK Parliamentary Select and Legislative Committees.
He sits on the Charity Commission
's Faiths Advisory Council and has acted as a 'critical friend
' to the Commission, providing advice on the Public Benefit Guidelines published in 2008. He chairs the Chief Executives' Forum for Jewish Charities and is a member of the Policy Research Advisory Group of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a Board member of the World Council of Jewish Communal Service.
Jon Benjamin has broadcast on television and radio, and has been quoted extensively in print media in the UK and abroad.
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...
since 2005.
Born in Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
, South London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
, he attended Park Hill Junior School, Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
and Manchester University where he read law. He practiced law as a litigator in the City at Denton Hall Burgin and Warrens (now SNR Denton
SNR Denton
SNR Denton is an international law firm co-headquartered in London, United Kingdom and Washington, D.C., United States. The firm operates in 60 locations across 43 countries and has around 1,250 lawyers...
) and then Teacher Stern Selby, with a nine month break between when he backpacked through India, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the United States.
He moved into communal service in 1996, working for several years for educational and cultural charities before joining the Board in January 2005.
He has an entry in Who's Who and the Jewish Chronicle listed him in its 'Power 100' most influential members of the UK Jewish community, noting his modernising role at the Board of Deputies and his contacts within government.
Early in his tenure at the Board of Deputies he had to respond to the controversy following the publication of photographs of Prince Harry wearing a fancy dress Nazi uniform. This episode was followed by the incident in which the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, called a Jewish journalist a "German war criminal" and a "concentration camp guard", which prompted the Board of Deputies to refer the matter to the Standards Board for England, along with some two dozen other complainants.
Jon Benjamin has subsequently played a leading role in issues affecting the UK Jewish community, including on the issues of faith schools, Holocaust era looted art
Looted art
Looted art has been a consequence of looting during war, natural disaster and riot for centuries. Looting of art, archaeology and other cultural property may be an opportunistic criminal act, or may be a more organized case of unlawful or unethical pillage by the victor of a conflict."Looted art"...
, interfaith activity and domestic and international affairs. He has given evidence to UK Parliamentary Select and Legislative Committees.
He sits on the Charity Commission
Charity Commission
The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....
's Faiths Advisory Council and has acted as a 'critical friend
Critical friend
Critical friend has its origins in critical pedagogy education reforms in the 1970s and arose out of the self-appraisal activity which is attributed to Desmond Nuttall...
' to the Commission, providing advice on the Public Benefit Guidelines published in 2008. He chairs the Chief Executives' Forum for Jewish Charities and is a member of the Policy Research Advisory Group of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a Board member of the World Council of Jewish Communal Service.
Jon Benjamin has broadcast on television and radio, and has been quoted extensively in print media in the UK and abroad.