Jon Benjamin (Jewish leader)

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Marc Jonathan Benjamin (born 31 October 1964) has been the Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews since 2005.

Born in Croydon, South London, he attended Park Hill Primary School, Dulwich College and Manchester University where he read law. After practicing law as a litigator in the City, he moved into communal service working for several years to support educational and cultural charities before joining the Board in January 2005.

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 controvery 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 broadcast on television, radio and been quoted extensively in print media in the UK and abroad.

[edit] References

• Jewish Year Book 2007, p.204