Philip Rosenberg, at The Blogs

Jan 17, 2025, 1:38 PM

The Beatles, Berlioz and a story of the Jewish world

Busking, as it were, in Jerusalem. (courtesy)

When you're a gentle musical virtuoso, your viola E-string can snap mid-performance and you'll figure out how to play on (at least, that's what my grandfather did)

Nov 26, 2021, 11:51 AM

Sometimes it seems that miracles really are possible.

That was my abiding experience while participating in a World Jewish Congress (WJC) and UAE Embassy in Washington D.C. delegation to the Gulf this last week. Just 18 months ago, it would have been inconceivable for 40 Jews from all around the world, some carrying...

Jul 6, 2020, 5:21 PM

The world failed in Bosnia 25 years ago. We cannot turn a blind eye again

The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial in Potočari (Via Jewish News)

The genocide that took place in Srebrenica starting on 11 July, 25 years ago this week, was the largest act of mass murder in Europe since World War Two. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia found Bosnian Serb Military Commander Ratko...

May 14, 2019, 4:31 PM

Jewish Belgrade: There is life after death

Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (Philip Rosenberg)

Like much of Europe, a Jewish visit to Serbia’s capital Belgrade inevitably carries with it the tinge of sadness at what was lost in the Shoah. 14,500 out of 16,000 of the pre-war community were murdered by the Nazis. But my recent visit, principally to...

Mar 28, 2019, 4:43 PM

Jackie Walker’s case: A cause for sorrow, not celebration

Yesterday, after two and a half years since her second suspension, Jackie Walker was finally expelled from the Labour Party. Her first suspension came in May 2016 after she posted on Facebook that Jews “were the chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade”. After...

Aug 21, 2018, 11:56 AM

The 201st Jew in Indonesia

Phil Rosenberg alongside some of the Muslim guests at the 7th World Peace Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia (Credit: World Jewish Congress on Twitter - via Jewish News)

When the World Jewish Congress asked me to attend the 7th World Peace Forum in Jakarta, Indonesia, on behalf of its Jewish Diplomatic Corps, I felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country with over 261 million people. Estimates are that...

Jul 12, 2018, 7:13 AM

Pope reminds us we must look after our planet

At the end of last week, I attended a conference at the Vatican to mark the third anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical on protecting the environment, known as Laudato Si. The gathering included 300 people from 100 countries, including representatives of different religions, governments, non-governmental...

May 30, 2018, 2:29 PM

What starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews

Over the last couple of years, after intense provocation, I have taken to these pages a couple of times to express my disgust at the standard of behaviour in the Hampstead and Kilburn Constituency Labour Party. Almost two years ago to the day, I could...

Feb 23, 2018, 2:44 PM

The institutional racism in my local Labour party

I did not join the Labour Party to talk about Jews or antisemitism. I am very proud of being Jewish, but I can talk about that in my day-job at the Board of Deputies and elsewhere. I thought I could take for granted that Labour...

Sep 5, 2017, 1:45 PM

Corbyn’s double standards: Champion sacked, but not a murmur about Williamson

Many of Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters are incredulous that a party he leads could be accused of having a problem with anti-Semitism. “He’s a life-long anti-racist”, they protest. Corbyn showed some of this passionate opposition to racism when he forced out his Shadow Secretary of State...

About Me

Phil Rosenberg is the 49th President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. At 38, he is the youngest-ever president in the Board’s 264-year history. Phil is the Deputy for Brondesbury Park Synagogue. A consultant specialising in government relations, media, faith and diplomacy, he has served as an elected local councillor in the London Borough of Camden and was previously Director of the Faiths Forum for London. Phil is married to Frances.