Consultation Response Form This is the response form for the consultation on the green paper, Integrated Communities Strategy. If you are responding by email or in writing, please reply using this questionnaire pro-forma, which should be read alongside the consultation document. The comment boxes will expand as you type. Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*). Full details of the proposals being consulted on can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/integrated-communities-strategy- green-paper. The consultation will begin on Wednesday 14th March 2018 and will end on 5th June 2018. All responses should be received by no later than 23:45 on 5th June 2018. To prevent losing your responses, you may wish to draft your response to the questions in a Microsoft Word document, before copying and pasting into the form. Navigating the form There are 14 questions in this form. You do not have to answer every question. Submitting additional information At the end of the form information is provided on how you can submit additional information or evidence to support your consultation response. Thank you for taking the time to complete this form. Your responses will inform how we take the proposals forward. General Overview The questions in this section relate to the Introduction – Building Integrated Communities. Question 1 We define integrated communities as communities where people - whatever their background - live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities. Do you agree with our definition? Please select an item from the drop down menu Yes Please enter any additional comments below: The Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) supports the green paper’s assertion that integration is not assimilation. The Jewish community is a successful case study of how you can feel confident and proud of your identity and heritage while recognising and valuing your relationship with, and responsibility to, other groups and to wider society. Integration must not be mistaken for forced liberalisation. Synagogue services on a Sabbath include a prayer to the Royal Family - Jeremiah: "Seek the peace of the city in which you have been exiled, and pray to God on its behalf, for in its prosperity is your prosperity" (Jeremiah 29:7). As well as this standard weekly prayer, supplementary prayers to commemorate jubilees and celebrations have been issued by the Chief Rabbi. In 2014, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis amended the prayer to include a special blessing for Britain’s Armed Forces - “May He bless and protect Her Majesty’s Armed Forces”. He described the prayer as a mark of deep respect and admiration as well as a sign of the Jewish community’s loyalty to Her Majesty. The prayer started in the centenary year marking the outbreak of the First World War, in which more than 50, 000 Jewish men and women served their country. Loyalty to the state is not contradictory to adhering to the Jewish faith – it is in fact a requirement of it. Dina d'malkhuta dina, translated as "the law of the land is the law" is a rabbinic dictum based on the halakhic rule that the law of the country is binding, and, in certain cases, is to be preferred to Jewish law. We broadly agree with the way integration has been described - “communities where people whatever their background, live, work, learn and socialise together, based on shared rights, responsibilities and opportunities”. However, respect and tolerance of the ‘other’ is not the same as mixing at every level which if forced may result in more hostility. Using ‘mixing’ as a benchmark for successful integration is limiting and possibly even detrimental to the promotion of genuine integration, which we believe should be predicated upon tolerance, acceptance and respect for those with a different way of life from your own, regardless of how different. Social engineering is unlikely to overcome the issues at hand. Freedom of belief is absolute but the freedom to act on a belief is not. It is important that people – regardless of faith or no faith – feel proudly British. By celebrating faith and diversity (including those who hold religiously conservative views), individuals will not feel there is a contradiction between their religion and their country. Of course it is vital that cultures and practices that are harmful to individuals or restrict their rights are challenged but this must be looked at carefully and in consultation with the respective communities. Question 2 We believe that the varied nature and scale of integration challenges means that tailored local plans and interventions are needed to tackle the issues specific to particular places. Do you agree? Please select an item from the drop down menu Yes Please enter any additional comments below: We are supportive of the green paper’s tailored plans and interventions. The Local Authorities which have been invited to be the first Integration Areas have no significant Jewish populations (according to the 2011 Census). One of our members, the Board of Deputies of British Jews (Board of Deputies) has a programme which addresses the lack of engagement between Muslim and Jewish communities in particular. They travel the country speaking to Muslim communities, visiting mosques, schools, and community groups, delivering sessions to Muslims who have never met a Jew. Crucially, they ensure that the challenging issues are covered. The Board of Deputies also runs the Jewish Living Programme which is a travelling exhibition. It is aimed at school groups and enables visitors to gain an insight into Judaism. These are the kinds of projects which could deliver tangible results by reaching more broadly if the resource was made available. Question 3 Do you have any examples of successful approaches to encourage integration that you wish to highlight, particularly approaches which have been subject to evaluation? Please select an item from the drop down menu Yes Please enter any additional comments below: Throughout this consultation, we will highlight the work and projects of the JLC’s member organisations where we feel we can provide relevant examples. Many of the approaches can be easily replicated by other communities and we will make ourselves available to share that best practice with government and with groups who would benefit. Indeed, we will seek to respond to this as comprehensively as possible but we welcome further follow up on any of the issues we raise and projects we share. One of our member organisations, the Community Security Trust (CST) is committed to promoting good relations between British Jews and the rest of British society by working towards the elimination of racism, and antisemitism in particular. CST is involved in several initiatives which encourage and improve community integration, including: Stand Up! Education Against Discrimination aims to empower young people in mainstream schools to learn about and act against discrimination, racism, antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred, whilst developing their social responsibility in the community. The project is led by Streetwise - a partnership between CST and Maccabi GB (another member organisation) and supported by Tell MAMA, Kick It Out and Galop. With a 29% rise in the number of Hate Crimes in 2017 in the UK- including anti- Muslim hate and antisemitism - (Hate Crime, England and Wales, 2016/17, Home Office), these interactive free of charge workshops aim to educate young people about tolerance and social responsibility, whilst giving them skills to counter discrimination whilst safeguarding their personal safety. Framed within a broad conversation about the Equality Act (2010) and British Values, Stand Up! currently employs two facilitators from Jewish and Muslim backgrounds, modelling a partnership of interfaith collaboration and demonstrating how groups which are often perceived as oppositional, can work together successfully. The workshop combines Streetwise and Maccabi GB’s experience in delivering informal personal development sessions to tens of thousands of young people in schools nationwide, with expertise in monitoring and recording antisemitic, anti- Muslim, racist, and LGBT+ hate incidents of the other partner organisations, the CST, Tell MAMA, Kick it Out and Galop. The Stand Up! project launched in January 2017 and has since gone from strength to strength, delivering sessions to over 8,000 young people and booking sessions in 48 schools and settings to date. In 2018, the project aims to increase number of students and schools engaged, broaden the geographical reach and create an ambassadors course for graduates of the programme, amongst other educational developments. The Alan Senitt Community Leadership Programme (ASCLP) is a community schools linking leadership programme for Year 10 pupils of different faith, cultural and social background. This is a programme by the Alan Senitt Memorial Trust, a charity dedicated to the memory of Alan Charles Senitt, murdered in Washington DC on 9th July 2006 whilst defending a friend. The programme is managed and facilitated by Streetwise. The ASCLP allows the participants to learn about each other; their different cultures, religions and communities and at the same time reflect on themselves and gain leadership skills that will benefit their local community and serve them throughout their lives. The ASCLP was first established in 2009. There are currently eight participating schools split into two tracks, each taking part in four day-long seminars hosted by the schools. Jewish schools Immanuel College, Yavneh College and JCoSS are part of the programme alongside Muslim Ayesha Community School in Hendon, Guru Nanak Sikh Academy in Hayes and Watford Grammar School for Boys, Nower Hill High School in Pinner and Copthall Girls school in Mill Hill which are comprehensive multi-faith schools with high cohort of minority groups. The ASCLP comprises of four seminars between the months of November and May and school-based work. At the seminars the participants are split into mixed school groups where they take part in workshops on community leadership, team building, and event management.