Communicating with Diverse Audiences

Charedi Orthodox Jewish Community Case Study

Florence Obinna Consultation & Engagement Manager London Borough of Hackney Connecting with Hackney’s Charedi Orthodox Jewish Community 1. 30,000 strong community in Stamford Hill - largest Charedi community in Europe

2. Highly observant and communal religious life - no access to TV, radio, mainstream media, very limited digital access.

3. Very large, often intergenerational, households

4. High levels of distrust of secular institutions, including local government Key Challenges

● No access to internet, Radio, TV, digital or mainstream media - special dispensation by religious leaders for business critical purposes. ○ Getting public health messages out to the community in a timely manner without recourse to digital communications ● Lack of trust of Govt organisations collecting their data, linked to history ● Past Council interaction around Yeshivas - unregistered schools in the borough, sometimes led to combative relationship with the Council and distrust of the Council’s motives ● A recognition that we needed to improve our knowledge and cultural competency ● Charedi communities New York and Israel have seen disproportionately higher infection and death rates. Risk of similar outcome in Hackney ● Large multi-generational families, and collective religious worship and study indicated that the risk of infection was likely to be higher ● A number of religious festivals during spring and autumn presented significant risks. Communications shouldn't be cascaded during crucial religious periods - eg during Passover ● Work with the community to develop a bespoke communications approach to meet their needs Our Communications & Engagement partnership with the community ● Established a working group to focus on communications and engagement, expanding this representation in other areas of the Council’s work ● All comms materials and messages shaped with community partners ● Amplifying the messages through trusted community organisations - Hatzola, Shomrim, Interlink

● Developing our knowledge and cultural competency ● Focus on door to door distribution, paid for space in community

publications, texts from GPs surgeries and trusted community voices ● Taking comms across the border to Charedi households in Haringey and beyond ● Kehilla Community Covid helpline and Kosher food distribution hub Charedi communications during lockdown, including 8 page service focused newsletter to every Charedi home in Hackney and across the border in Haringey Advertising in the Charedi press [Heimishe & Tribune] and Passover comms Our Communications & Engagement partnership with the community Media coverage Targeted letter and leaflet drops What our community partners say

“We are very conscious of how in other “The joint work on Comms has been communities and other places COVID has successful at delivering powerful triggered a breakdown of relations between messages in a culturally sensitive manner communities and the authorities. That could so and has directly impacted the take up of easily have happened in Hackney. Actually, the NHS test and trace. The regular IMT reverse has happened and the relationship, meetings and the designation of specific respect and understanding have council leads to support with community strengthened in a way that will outlive matters have further enhanced this working COVID.” relationship proving that all things are possible when we work together as a team.” Chaya Spitz, Chief Executive Officer, Interlink Foundation Yocheved Eiger, Chief Executive Officer, Bikur Cholim Key Learnings to note: ● Empower communities to be part of the solution/an extension of our team ● Key social influencers in the community - authentic voices that are trusted - Faith leaders, health professionals, family members and friends ● Developing culturally sensitive messaging that speak to community values across cultural contexts is very important ● Importance of continuing to develop our knowledge and cultural competency ● Importance of community insight - understanding the barriers to vaccine acceptance and working to reduce those barriers, myth busting ● Co-producing and co-designing behavioural change campaigns with our communities.