stringtranslate.com

Marie van der Zyl

Marie Sarah van der Zyl OBE (née Kaye; born November 1965) is an English lawyer who was president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews from 2018 to 2024. When she was first elected in May 2018,[1] she was only the second female president in the 258-year history of the organisation.[2]

Early life and career

She was born in the London Borough of Redbridge, the daughter of Barry Kaye, who was in tailoring, and his wife Szusanne, a beautician, and grew up in South Woodford, London, where she attended the local comprehensive school.[2] She took a law degree at Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University).[3]

She qualified as a solicitor in 1991,[4] specialising in employment law.[5] In 2001 she joined Davenport Lyons[6] where, in 2012, she defended Stringfellows nightclub in Stringfellow Restaurants Ltd v Quashie by asserting that the claimant, a lap dancer, was self-employed.[7] In 2019 she acted for 27 art and history experts at the National Gallery who had not been given any paid holiday, sick pay, pension or maternity pay despite paying taxes through the payroll. The case, which they won, was reported to be one of the first in the UK public sector about workers' rights.[8]

After Davenport Lyons went into administration in 2014 its practice was taken over by Gordon Dadds[9] where she became a partner, and subsequently a partner at Ince Gordon Dadds after Gordon Dadds took over Ince & Co's practice in 2018.[10] In 2023, Ince Gordon Dadds itself went into administration,[11] and she joined Keystone Law as a partner in June 2023.[12]

Board of Deputies of British Jews

Van der Zyl was initially a deputy for the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade.[13] She took office as President on 1 June 2018, succeeding Jonathan Arkush, who did not seek re-election.[1][14] She was the second ever woman and fourth lawyer in a row to hold the role.[15] She was re-elected in May 2021[16] and stood down in 2024 at the end of her second term of office.

Her visits to her grandparents gave her, she says, "a great passion for Israel"[2] and she has sought "to promote a sympathetic understanding of Israel."[5] She has pledged to "defend Israel’s legitimacy and its centrality to Jewish identity".[17] She is a self-described "fighter" and takes as a compliment the comparison that "the only difference between me and a Rottweiler is that a Rottweiler eventually lets go".[18]

During her Board of Deputies presidency she met Pope Francis to improve Jewish-Catholic relations[19] and worked with Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who spoke at a historic landmark event in Bevis Marks Synagogue in 2023.[20] She held a number of interfaith seders[21] and worked with other minorities in defending religious practice and in highlighting the plight of the Uyghurs.[22]

In February 2023 she attended the opening in Abu Dhabi of the Abrahamic Family House which includes the purpose-built Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue, a church and a mosque.[23] Later that year she took part in a two-day visit to Qatar as part of a World Jewish Congress (WJC) delegation led by WJC president Ronald Lauder that sought and secured the Qataris' commitment to the release of the hostages taken from Israel by Hamas.[24]

She attended the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022[25] and led the interfaith procession at the Queen's state funeral.[26] [27] In March 2023 she led a delegation of Jewish communal representatives to petition King Charles III[28] before his coronation, which she also attended.[27]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with Muslim leaders in the UK in successfully calling on the government to amend its emergency legistion on cremation and burial, so as to repect Jewish and Muslim religious traditions.[29]

Van der Zyl spoke on radio and television including Question Time,[30] Newsnight[31] and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.[32]

She sat on the Labour Party's antisemitism advisory board that was established in 2020 and sought to eliminate antisemitism in the party.[33]

In 2023, using her legal skills, she successfully brought a case against retired vicar Stephen Sizer who was banned, for twelve years, from ministry in the Church of England after sharing "virulently antisemitic" material.[34]

Other roles

Van der Zyl is a long-standing member of West London Synagogue, where she has been a member of the management board, and is also an associate member of Mill Hill United Synagogue.[17] She was a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council[35] and is currently a trustee of the Claims Conference and the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

In 2023 she was appointed as the World Jewish Congress Commissioner for Gender Equality and Inclusion.[36]

Recognition and honours

In 2018, The Jerusalem Post ranked her as the 40th most influential Jew of that year.[37] She was also ranked the 47th most influential Jew in 2023, being described as "one of the leaders of some of the largest Jewish communities in the world [who] help keep Jewish life worldwide safe, vibrant, and thriving".[38]

In the 2023 New Year Honours she was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to faith and integration.[39]

Personal life

Marie van der Zyl lives in Mill Hill, London.[13] She has two daughters with her first husband, Darell van der Zyl,[2] son of voice actress Nikki van der Zyl, whose father was Rabbi Werner van der Zyl. In September 2022 she married Adrian Cohen, a banking and finance lawyer, at West London Synagogue.[40]

She joined the Labour Party in June 2024, after stepping down from her Board of Deputies role.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "Marie Van der Zyl elected as the new Board of Deputies president". The Jewish Chronicle. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Rocker, Simon (18 May 2018). "The making of Marie". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Marie van der Zyl: Partner". Ince & Co (via Wayback Machine). 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Marie Sarah Van Der Zyl". The Law Society. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dell, Josh (6 December 2018). "How to represent the British Jewish community?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Moving on". Law Society Gazette. 23 August 2001. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  7. ^ Bindel, Julie (18 June 2012). "Lap dancer Nadine Quashie: Why I took on Stringfellows". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  8. ^ "National Gallery: NG27 group win workers' rights". BBC News. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  9. ^ Stevenson, David (28 April 2014). "Davenport Lyons goes into administration as Gordon Dadds takes on clients, assets and partners". Legal Business. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  10. ^ Ryan, John (29 October 2018). "Done deal: Gordon Dadds agrees £43m Ince & Co acquisition". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  11. ^ Hamilton, Jamie (14 April 2023). "Ince collapses and files for administration". RollOnFriday. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  12. ^ Ryan, Alex (11 September 2023). "Revolving doors: Firms build up London deal teams as Keystone hires six new partners". Legal Business. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Marie van der Zyl Unanimously Voted as JLGB's Deputy". Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
  14. ^ Sugarman, Daniel (13 March 2018). "Sheila Gewolb and Marie Van der Zyl running for Board of Deputies president". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  15. ^ Cooper, Zaki (19 May 2018). "Election marks sea change for British Jewry". The Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018. (subscription required)
  16. ^ Harpin, Lee (11 May 2021). "Marie van der Zyl re-elected Board of Deputies president". Jewish News. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  17. ^ a b "Marie van der Zyl announces Board of Deputies presidency bid". Jewish News. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  18. ^ Van der Zyl, Marie (18 November 2018). "Engagement does not mean concessions". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  19. ^ Bordoni, Linda (16 February 2022). "UK Jews thank Pope Francis for his friendship and support". Vatican News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Archbishop of Canterbury speaks at landmark Board of Deputies event". Board of Deputies. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  21. ^ "Our CEO attends an interfaith sedar: A special event welcoming representatives from the UKs major faiths, hosted by Marie van der Zyl". Anne Frank Trust UK. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  22. ^ "Board Of Deputies President Writes To Chinese Ambassador Citing 'Similarities' Between Chinese Treatment Of Uyghurs And Nazi Atrocities". Board of Deputies. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ^ Rosenberg, Michelle (17 February 2023). "The Gulf's first purpose-built shul in 100 years opens in Abu Dhabi". Jewish News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ^ Frazer, Jenni (1 November 2023). "Board of Deputies president visits Qatar". Jewish News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  25. ^ Harpin, Lee (1 June 2022). "Chief Rabbi and Board President to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee service". Jewish News. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  26. ^ @BoardofDeputies (19 September 2022). ""Board of Deputies President Marie van der Zyl was deeply honoured to lead the procession of religious representatives at the State Funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth today at Westminster Abbey"" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  27. ^ a b "Marie van der Zyl speaking to BBC News about the Coronation and the role of faith community leaders". BBC News via YouTube. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  28. ^ "Board of Deputies President leads delegation to address the King". Board of Deputies of British Jews. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  29. ^ "Coronavirus bill amended to protect religious burials". Asian Express. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  30. ^ "BBC One: Question Time". BBC. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  31. ^ @BBCNewsnight (18 November 2020). ""My personal opinion is that Jeremy Corbyn has no place in the Labour Party" – Marie van der Zyl, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, tells our Political Editor Nick Watt. More tonight from 22:45 on @BBCTwo" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 July 2024 – via Twitter.
  32. ^ McSorley, Christina; Dunkley, Elaine (15 February 2024). "UK antisemitic hate incidents hit new high in 2023, says charity". BBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  33. ^ a b Rocker, Simon (4 June 2024). "Ex-Board of Deputies president Marie van der Zyl joins Labour". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  34. ^ Farley, Harry (30 January 2023). "Retired vicar banned over 'virulently antisemitic' posts". BBC News. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  35. ^ "Trustees". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  36. ^ "WJC Commissioner for Gender Equality and Inclusion Marie van der Zyl: "We must tackle the barrier women face"". World Jewish Congress. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  37. ^ Chernick, Ilanit; Dell, Josh (9 September 2018). "40. Marie van der Zyl". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  38. ^ "50 Influential Jews: Jewish Community Guardians – No. 47". The Jerusalem Post. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  39. ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N16.
  40. ^ Glaser, Karen (8 September 2022). "Mazeltov! Board President has big Jewish wedding of the year". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 September 2022.

External links