JBOD welcomes new youth

MORE than a quarter of the 77 NSW Jewish Board of Deputies (JBOD) general franchise deputies elected last week are under the age of 30.

JBOD president Yair Miller said this was a great result for the future of the community.

“The experience of our re-elected deputies, the addition of the new faces, and a generous representation of young adults, are a testament and clear indication of the exceptional interest and growing awareness of the meaningful work that the Board of Deputies does, coupled with a genuine desire to get involved and make a difference,” Miller said.

Nineteen of the elected deputies are under the age of 30, including 22-year-old Sarah Constable.

“I think the work the board does in terms of establishing great relations with opinion makers is such a vital role,” Constable said.

“We are really lucky that we do have access to people at the top and also we enjoy bipartisan support.

“The representative nature of the board means that young people should be involved because we are an important part of our community and there should be a some-what equal proportion of young people on the board so our voices can be heard.”

Ninety four candidates nominated for the 77 positions and more than 10,000 votes were counted to determine the winners.

“This method of engagement and the significant communal input into the election process are what makes the board unique and gives it the authority to act in its role as the peak body,” Miller said.

“When we add to that the deputies representing our 63 constituent organisations, we have a truly representative model.

“We warmly welcome every one of the elected deputies and look forward to their active participation,” he said.

The deputies, who include those who strongly identify with the right and the left on the Australian and Israeli political spectrums and those who identify as Orthodox, Progressive and are non-practising, will serve a two-year term from January.

JOSHUA LEVI

NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president Yair Miller (centre) with vice presidents Jeremy Spinak (left) and Yaron Finkelstein