Presenters: S

Sarah Sackman

Sarah is a barrister and social activist. She was a Labour Parliamentary candidate in the 2015 General Election and now serves as vice-chair of the Jewish Labour Movement and on the board of The Abraham Fund UK.

Jessica Sacks

Jessica is the in-house translator at Koren, now working on the new Koren Tanach. With a Cambridge MA in English, and most of a Hebrew University MA in Midrash, she has translated the central liturgy for the Koren macḥzorim, the haggadah and megillot, and published articles on consumer ethics and midrash.

Joanna Sacks

Joanna Sacks works as an adviser for practical science in schools. She is the daughter of a rabbi. Joanna helped start a support group for bereaved Jewish parents. She runs a group with other bereaved parents who learn together in memory of children they have lost.

Shaun Sacks

Shaun Sacks is Europe Desk coordinator at NGO Monitor, specialising in monitoring European government funding for NGOs, BDS and Government transparency. He has written articles and op-eds for the Jerusalem Post and JTA, and has appeared on Israeli channels Ynet TV News, i24, ChaiFM and Channel 20.

Tom Sadan

Tom is a movement worker for RSY-Netzer, having studied History and Music at Cardiff University. He recently spent time in Israel on Kibbutz Lotan to take part in the Green Apprenticeship, receiving a qualification in Permaculture and Sustainable Design.

Lisa Saffron

Lisa Saffron is a poet and author of "Checkpoint", a novel set in Israel. She's a Ba'alat Tefillah at a liberal synagogue, a student of Rabbi Shefa Gold and in Jews for Justice for Palestinians. Trips to Israel/Occupied Territories have deepened her commitment to living a whole-hearted Judaism.

Joel Salmon

Joel Salmon is the parliamentary officer for the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He studied International Relations at St Andrews, where he was Jewish Society president. He founded the Coexistence Initiative and came a close second when he ran for UJS President in 2015.

Mich Sampson

Mich Sampson is director of music at Finchley Reform Synagogue. An experienced and lively choir conductor and singer, she has also worked with various other communities such as Woodford Liberal Synagogue, Edinburgh Liberal Synagogue, Beit Klal Yisrael and most recently St Albans Masorti.

Doreen Samuels

Doreen was elected as a trustee of the United Synagogue in July 2014. She is involved in many initiatives around challenges and opportunities for women, and is keen to work with all in the United Synagogue to find viable, halachically acceptable responses to enhance women’s full participation.

Marc Saperstein

After teaching at American universities for 29 years, Marc Saperstein relocated to UK in 2006 for a five-year term as Principal of Leo Baeck College, where he now teaches Jewish history. He has just completed a long book on Jewish Preaching in Response to Nazi Persecution and Mass Murder.

Ran Sasson

Ran is an entrepreneur, systems architect and community-arts projects manager with 17 years' experience of initiating, planning and executing projects. He is co-founder and treasurer of LimmudTLV where he implements art in the community projects. Ran is a man who seeks life in people and arts.

Sassy

"Sassy" is a veteran Limmudnik whose current role for Limmud is to be its representative on the Board of Deputies of British Jews. A veteran of four Conference Steering Groups, in his spare time he is a university admissions officer for King's College London, and also runs bridge tournaments.

Leonard Saxe

Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies, Brandeis U and dir. Cohen Ctr/Steinhardt Inst, his research is on Jewish identity, education and demography. He has been a Fulbright Professor at the University of Haifa and, in 2012, received the Sklare award for contributions to the social scientific study of Jewry.

Miriam Schacter

Miriam Schacter, RCSW, practices psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Manhattan. She is on the faculty of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, a Rabbinical School in New York.

Nic Schlagman

Nic Schlagman has been working with refugees for 10 years. He is community projects manager at the West London Synagogue of British Jews, where he oversees their Drop-In for destitute asylum seekers, refugee employment resource centre and language classes for refugees and asylum seekers.

Amos Schonfield

Amos is the youth and student outreach worker for Yachad, the UK’s pro-Israel pro-peace movement, and represents it on the Board of Deputies. He was at Noam Masorti Youth (2014-2016) and co-chaired the Zionist Youth Council. He studied International Relations at Leeds University and makes his own hummus.

Ethan Schwartz

Born in New York and brought up in Hackney via Harare, Ethan is the digital campaigner and press officer for Yachad, the UK’s pro-Israel, pro-peace movement. Before joining Yachad, he was Mazkir of Habonim Dror UK. Ethan studied Religion, Philosophy and Ethics at King’s College London.

Oshra Schwartz Reim

Oshra has been active as a filmmaker, writer and teacher for the last 25 years. She teaches film studies at the Israel Open University and in film schools, was a film critic for many years, writes scripts and makes documentaries.

Saleem Seedat

Imam Saleem Seedat is a chaplain at Blackburn College and lecturer of Islamic Studies at a local seminary. He has also just completed his Masters in Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University and his main area of interest and specialism is contemporary Islam.

Isabella Segal

In 2013 Isabella transitioned to live life female. She underwent gender reassignment surgery in May 2015. She embraces change and understands the challenges life can bring. She is a chartered accountant and heads the forensic accounting department at a large London firm of chartered accountants.

Dani Serlin

Director of Yesod, a partnership of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe, and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, investing in key individual Jewish communal professionals, educators and activists to strengthen Jewish life in Europe.

Bill Shackman

Bill Shackman has over twenty years experience in Jewish Education. His graduate work in Jewish Studies focused on the Zohar and medieval Kabbalah. He has a teaching certificate in Ba Gua Zhang,Taoist circle walking. He also plays guitar and bouzouki in the Americana band, Dry Island Buffalo Jump.

Zahavit Shalev

Zehavit Shalev is a third-year rabbinic student at Leo Baeck College and on the rabbinic team at New North London Synagogue. She's quite a fun teacher but she's not going to brag about it in the Limmud handbook.

Fiona Sharpe

Fiona Sharpe is a communities consultant working with local authorities, police and faith groups to represent the Jewish and BME communities. She promotes diversity, tolerance and equality, bringing together different strands of our society. Brought to Limmud by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Miriam Shaviv

Miriam Shaviv was features editor of the Times Higher Education magazine until 2011. Her journalism resume also includes posts at the Jewish Chronicle and Jerusalem Post. She is now director of content for online marketing agency Brainstorm Digital.

Dave Shaw

Dave has been engaged with the Jewish LGBT community from a young age and is currently a founding trustee of Keshet UK and co-chair of Gay Jews In London.

Katie Shaw

Katie Shaw is from the “school of attentiveness”, a wider network of disciplines and collaborators. Through circular discussion (attentive listening, adding diverse views) we discover that which connects us and develop new dimensions of interaction.

Igor Shchupak

Igor Shchupak, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Ph.D is a member of the Ukrainian-Polish and Ukrainian-German Commissions on History, and of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine working group on upgrading of educational programs and history textbooks.

Michael Shire

Dean and Chief Academic Officer at Hebrew College in Boston; founder of Torah Godly Play and Jewish educator specialising in the religious development of young people. Author of four books of creative liturgy and research material on children's spirituality.

Murry Sidlin

Murry Sidlin is the president and creative director of The Defiant Requiem Foundation, creator of Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezín, Hours of Freedom: The Story of the Terezín Composer, and creative producer/music director of the film Defiant Requiem. He is an internationally renowned conductor and educator.

Andrew Silow-Carroll

Andrew Silow-Carroll is editor in chief of JTA, the global Jewish news service. The former CEO of the New Jersey Jewish News and managing editor of the Forward, he is an alum of the Jerusalem Fellows, and author, in 2016, of a Jewish humour curriculum for the Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning.

Judith Silver

Judith is a performer, composer and singing facilitator, working within and outside the Jewish community. She loves working with voices and creating a communal sound, particularly in sacred settings.

Paul Silver-Myer

Paul has been an accountant in private practice for 25 years. He is also an accredited existential therapist, coach and mediator, because he realised that all his training focused on calculating the numbers rather than considering the people behind their numbers and their personal financial outlook.

Susan Silverman

Susan is a writer, teacher and activist. Author of "Casting Lots: Creating a Family in a Beautiful Broken World", she has appeared in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, on NPR, and ABC's The View, among others. She and her spouse, Yosef Abramowitz, have five children and live in Jerusalem.

Lindsay Simmonds

Lindsay is completing a PhD at the LSE's Gender Institute. She studied at Nishmat, Midreshet Lindenbaum, and is an LSJS Bradfield graduate. She is a member of CCLP, promoting friendship between Abrahamic faith leaders, and is the scholar-in-residence at Hampstead Synagogue, also lecturing at LSJS.

Raymond Simonson

Raymond is CEO of JW3, London's Jewish Community Centre. He is a former executive director of Limmud with over 20 years' experience in informal Jewish education, leadership development and community building. He has a BA in Jewish History and MA in Applied Anthropology and Community and Youth Work.

Julian Sinclair

Julian works in solar energy and teaches Talmud when he can. He is also senior rabbinical scholar for Hazon. His book on Rav Kook's Shabbat Ha'aretz came out in 2014. Previously he was Jewish chaplain at Cambridge. Julian studied at Oxford and Harvard, has Orthodox semicha and lives in Jerusalem.

Malcolm Singer

Composer and conductor, Malcolm Singer, has been Director of Music at The Yehudi Menuhin School for almost two decades. Before that he was Musical Director of the Zemel Choir. His work ‘A Hopeful Place’ was conducted in the Royal Albert Hall by Yehudi Menuhin himself.

Hannah Skolnick

The Limmud Chavruta Project is an international collaboration of Limmud volunteers. Every year the Project produces a book of traditional and modern sources exploring some aspect of Jewish life. This year we celebrate our 20th birthday, and invite you to explore the theme ‘Tzedakah’.

Alexandra Skvortsova

Violinist, puppeteer, teacher and musical therapist from Moscow. Graduated from Moscow State University (Philological Department), and participated in Klezmer workshops as both a student and a teacher. Recently started Ashkenazi dance workshops with live music.

Lara Smallman

Lara is the director of the Jewish Vegetarian Society, a 52-year old charity which takes inspiration from Torah teachings, and promotes a kinder world without killing animals for food. In her spare time, Lara promotes ethical eating and compassionate living via her blog myfairladle.co.uk.

Chani Smith

Chani Smith is a flautist and a lecturer in Torah reading and chanting at Leo Baeck College. Her book “Tuning the Soul: Music as a Spiritual Process in the Teachings of Rabbi Nahman of Bratzlav” is published by Brill, and was recently published in Hebrew as “Shir Shel Hesed”.

David Soetendorp

Now a retired rabbi, after 33 years Bournemouth Reform Synagogue and three at Hatch End Masorti, David Soetendorp currently runs a Pinner-based psychotherapy practice. He also lectures on "second generation" issues, ageing and death in the community.

Ruth Soetendorp

Ruth Soetendorp is a rebbetzin, academic and Limmudnik and previously co-chair of Bournemouth and Harrow Limmuds. She has now retired from Bournemouth and moved to London.

Mor Sofer

Mor grew up in Bet Ezra, and was a member in the Young Journalists Organization. He served as a reporter in the IDF's magazine 'Bamahane' and was the digital and creative director in an advertising company focusing on soldiers. Today he is the Jewish Agency's shaliach to FZY in Manchester.

Penelope Solomon

Penelope is a comedian, actor and broadcaster who created 'Tower of Bagel' (Soho Theatre). Performing credits include ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ (BBC), ‘Fist of Fun’ (BBC), Sony Nominated ‘King of the Road’ and 'Redeeming Brian' by David Nobbs (BBC Radio 2). She is a TV critic for BBC Radio London and Radio 4.

Shira Solomons

Community director at the Jewish Community of Berkshire (Reading), Shira organises the cheder, community events and Judaism talks at schools. She is passionate about practical spirituality and Jewish education that enables children, women, and men to expand their intellectual and spiritual horizons.

Zvi Solomons

Rabbi of the growing young community JCoB in Reading, Zvi is excited to be attending his 20th Limmud Conference. A keen Mason, he earns his daily crust speaking to children at schools all over the Thames Valley. Zvi cares about single malt, pens, stories and (above all) Jews.

James Sorene

CEO of the Britain-Israel communications and research centre, James writes regularly about Israel and Middle East issues and frequently appears on TV and radio. He was deputy director of UK Government communications and official spokesman for then-Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg (2011-15). Prior to that he held senior positions at the Department of Health and the Home Office where he worked on counter-terrorism.

Marlena Spieler

Marlena Spieler broadcasts and writes internationally on food. With over 70 cookbook titles to her credit, Marlena conjures up flavours and dishes from all over the world. She has written a book on classic Jewish food. Marlena is brought to Limmud by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Elkan Spiller

Elkan was born in Germany to Holocaust survivors. He graduated from Berlin University of Arts with a thesis in “Anti-Semitism on German TV”. He has been a journalist in the USA and Israel. His award-winning film "L'Chaim!" was recently released in Germany and Holland and other festivals worldwide.

Benjamin Stanley

Benji is rabbi for Young Adults at Reform Judaism, connecting people to transformative learning and community. He is passionate about close reading, mitzvot, personal reflection and the relationship between them. He lives in London with his wife, Rabbi Leah Jordan.

Elliot Steinberg

Elliot is programme manager at the CCJ. Passionate about interfaith engagement and social action, he has worked at Mitzvah Day and Limmud, and completed a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Interreligious Studies in Geneva. Keen Limmudnik co-chairing Marketing and Communications with Ella Rose.

Deborah Steinmetz

Deborah Steinmetz is the Director, Client Services Librarian of the Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive. She holds a BA in Communications Sciences from Queens College, City University of New York and a degree in Library Sciences from Hebrew University of Jerusalem

David-Yehuda Stern

David-Yehuda is the Head of Youth at New London Synagogue. He has a degree in Film and Television Studies, and is currently pursuing an MA in Jewish Education at the London School of Jewish Studies. He blogs at hereiswonder.com.

Maurice Stone

Maurice is Chairman of the Israeli Dance Institute (IDI) and works for UJIA. He has been teaching dance for many years at Limmud in the UK, Russia & Ukraine. He believes that Israeli dance is a fundamental educational tool promoting Jewish identity and a connection with Israel. So let’s dance!

Robert Stone

Robert Stone is a historian and political economist, currently advising governments on poverty reduction strategies. He has a lifelong interest in cross-cultural influences in religion and philosophy. He is a Trustee of Tzedek and a member of Finchley Reform and Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogues.

Hannah Style

By day, Hannah is a specialist dietitian, and by night, she builds community cohesion projects with Moishe House London. Hannah founded FEAST! to feed the homeless using surplus food in June 2015, and since it has flourished. The project runs every Thursday if you're interested!

Harry Style

The Ashatones originate from the University of Leeds. Having sung at a variety of functions and venues around the country, including the Leeds Town Hall, they perform a varied repertoire including music from Disney, musical theatre, traditional barbershop and popular music.

Rachel Sumekh

Rachel is the founder and CEO of Swipe Out Hunger. The organisation has grown from a college project to serve 1.2 million meals and gain recognition from the White House. She sits on several boards, is a UCLA alumnus and is challenging the status quo of what it means to be a "Typical Persian Girl".

Adam Sutcliffe

Adam Sutcliffe is Reader in European History at King's College London. He is the author of "Judaism and Enlightenment" (2003), co-editor of "Philosemitism in History" (2011), and is now researching the early history of Jews and the Left. He is a member of Beit Klal Yisrael Liberal Synagogue.

Abi Symons

Abi Symons is the strong female lead in her own life, which strongly resembles a sitcom. She is a writer and occasional storyteller, works at JW3 and consults on live comedy shows and scripts, in between volunteering for Limmud and smashing the patriarchy.