Bank of England Chief Economist, Andy Haldane, visited key Birmingham Jewish institutions to learn about the community and consider how the Bank can serve the needs of all Britain’s communities.

The visit on October 11th, organised by the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Representative Council, included Birmingham Jewish Community Care, the King David School and a roundtable with the Jewish and Sikh communities at the historic Singers Hill Synagogue.

Earlier this year, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Community Council of Gateshead organised a visit for Mr Haldane to the Gateshead community, including the world-famous Yeshiva.

Following the visit Mr Haldane said, “I was delighted to visit Birmingham’s Jewish community, which has a proud past and could, under the right circumstances, have a bright future. The key messages from the visit were about the need for better regional transport infrastructure, continued investment in affordable homes and the importance of businesses thinking beyond London when planning their hubs and headquarters. My sincere thanks to the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Representative Council for organising a fascinating afternoon.”

Chair of the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Representative Council, Ruth Jacobs, said: “We were very pleased to welcome Andy and his team to Birmingham. We are proud of the fantastic facilities that our community offers and would encourage young Jewish families looking for a dynamic and more affordable alternative to London to consider joining our warm community.”

Phil Rosenberg, Director of Public Affairs at the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said: “As the national representative body of the UK Jewish community, we are always pleased to help showcase what the different parts of our community offer. The Board of Deputies is keen to do ever-more in all our communities and Birmingham holds a very dear place in our hearts. We have recently organised a seminar for Midlands councillors and are in the process of organising further engagements in Birmingham for our senior leadership. We thank Ruth Jacobs and the Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Representative Council for all their support with the visit and have very much enjoyed this partnership with the Bank of England. We look forward to further projects with both groups in the future.”