Board of Deputies of British Jews

The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the cross-communal representative body of the UK Jewish community, elected by synagogues and major Jewish organisations across Orthodox, Masorti, Reform, Liberal, and Sephardi traditions. For families arranging a Jewish funeral, the Board of Deputies is not the operational contact, that is the local synagogue or burial society, but it is the body that liaises with government, coroners' services, registrars, and other public authorities on behalf of the community on issues like religious-priority registration and post-mortem examinations. [source: bod/home-2026-05-02.html]

Where a family runs into a registrar or coroner who has not previously dealt with a Jewish funeral, or where there is a dispute about the timing of post-mortem examination, the Board of Deputies can sometimes provide written guidance or escalation that helps unstick the case.

→ Jewish funeral customs in the UK · Faith-specific funerals

Last verified: 2 May 2026 against bod.org.uk.

AfterLoss

For where the Board of Deputies sits in the wider UK Jewish community infrastructure, see our Jewish funeral customs in the UK guide. Funeral Wishes records the synagogue and burial society the deceased wanted involved, so the practical contacts are already in place when the family needs them.