Marie van der Zyl
48th President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
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]
She qualified as a solicitor in 1991,[5] specialising in employment law,[6]. In 2001 she joined Davenport Lyons[7] where, in 2012, she defended Stringfellows nightclub in Stringfellow Restaurants Ltd v Quashie by asserting that the claimant, a lap dancer, was self-employed[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, when Ince Gordon Dadds itself went into administration[11], and its purchaser subsequently closed down by the Solicitors Regulation Authority[12], she joined Keystone Law as a partner.[13]
Board of Deputies of British Jews
Van der Zyl was initially a Deputy for the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade.[14] She took office as President on 1 June 2018, succeeding Jonathan Arkush, who did not seek re-election.[1][15] She is the second ever woman and fourth lawyer in a row to hold the role.[16]
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."[6] 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]
In 2018, The Jerusalem Post ranked her as the 40th most influential Jew of that year.[19]
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.[20]
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.[17] She is a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council.[21]
Personal life
Marie van der Zyl lives in Mill Hill, London.[14] 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.[22]
References
- ^ a b "Marie Van der Zyl elected as the new Board of Deputies president". The Jewish Chronicle. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d Rocker, Simon (18 May 2018). "The making of Marie". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ Harpin, Lee (11 May 2021). "Marie van der Zyl re-elected Board of Deputies president". Jewish News. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ "Marie van der Zyl: Partner". Ince.
- ^ "Marie van der Zyl". Law Society Find a Solicitor.
- ^ a b Dell, Josh (6 December 2018). "How to represent the British Jewish community?". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ "Moving On". Law Society Gazette. Law Society Gazette. 21 August 2001. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Bindel, Julie (18 June 2012). "Lap dancer Nadine Quashie: Why I took on Stringfellows". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ David Stevenson (28 April 2014). "Davenport Lyons goes into administration as Gordon Dadds takes on clients, assets and partners". Legal Business. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Ryan, John (29 October 2018). "Done deal: Gordon Dadds agrees £43m Ince & Co acquisition". Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ Hamilton, Jamie (14 April 2023). "Ince collapses and files for administration". RollOnFriday. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "What has happened to Axiom Ince Ltd?". Solicitors Regulation Authority. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Marie van der Zyl Unanimously Voted as JLGB's Deputy". Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cooper, Zaki (19 May 2018). "Election marks sea change for British Jewry". The Times. Retrieved 6 June 2018. (subscription required)
- ^ a b "Marie van der Zyl announces Board of Deputies presidency bid". Jewish News. 13 March 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
- ^ Van der Zyl, Marie (18 November 2018). "Engagement does not mean concessions". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
- ^ Chernick, Ilanit; Dell, Josh (9 September 2018). "40. Mare van der Zyl". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ "No. 63918". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2022. p. N16.
- ^ "Trustees". Jewish Leadership Council. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ^ Glaser, Karen (8 September 2022). "Mazeltov! Board President has big Jewish wedding of the year". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
External links
- Personal website
- Board of Deputies profile
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