Marie Sarah van der Zyl OBE (née Kaye; born November 1965) is the 48th president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. When she was elected in May 2018,[1] she was only the second female president in the 258-year history of the organisation.[2] She was re-elected in May 2021.[3]

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).[4]

Specialising in employment law,[5] she was a partner at Ince in London.[4] In June 2023, she joined Keystone Law in London as an employment partner.

Board of Deputies of British Jews

Van der Zyl was initially a Deputy for the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade.[6] She took office as President on 1 June 2018, succeeding Jonathan Arkush, who did not seek re-election.[1][7] She is the second ever woman and fourth lawyer in a row to hold the role.[8]

Her visits to her grandparents gave her, she says, "a great passion for Israel"[2] and she believes that the Board exists "to promote a sympathetic understanding of Israel."[5] She has pledged to "defend Israel’s legitimacy and its centrality to Jewish identity".[9] 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".[10]

In 2018, The Jerusalem Post ranked her as the 40th most influential Jew of that year.[11]

Van der Zyl was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to faith and integration.[12]

Other roles

Van der Zyl is an associate member of Mill Hill United Synagogue and has been a member of the management board of West London Synagogue.[9] She is a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council.[13]

Personal life

Marie van der Zyl lives in Mill Hill, London.[6] 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.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "Marie Van der Zyl elected as the new Board of Deputies president". The Jewish Chronicle. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Rocker, Simon (18 May 2018). "The making of Marie". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Harpin, Lee (11 May 2021). "Marie van der Zyl re-elected Board of Deputies president". Jewish News. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Marie van der Zyl: Partner". Ince. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  5. 1 2 Dell, Josh (6 December 2018). "How to represent the British Jewish community?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Marie van der Zyl Unanimously Voted as JLGB's Deputy". Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Cooper, Zaki (19 May 2018). "Election marks sea change for British Jewry". The Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018. (subscription required)
  9. 1 2 "Marie van der Zyl announces Board of Deputies presidency bid". Jewish News. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Van der Zyl, Marie (18 November 2018). "Engagement does not mean concessions". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Chernick, Ilanit; Dell, Josh (9 September 2018). "40. Mare van der Zyl". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N16.
  13. ↑ "Trustees". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  14. ↑ Glaser, Karen (8 September 2022). "Mazeltov! Board President has big Jewish wedding of the year". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
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