Presenters: S

Jeffrey Saks

Jeffrey Saks is the founder of ATID Academy for Torah Initiatives and Directions in Jewish Education and its WebYeshiva.org program. He is also: editor of the journal Tradition; series editor of the S.Y. Agnon Library; director of research at Agnon House in Jerusalem; faculty at Midreshet Amudim.

Yael Sapir

Establishing principal of the KAN Pluralistic High School of Kfar Adumim, Alon and Nofei Prat, Israel. A graduate of the Hebrew University's Revivim Program for outstanding Jewish educators, and holds a B.A. in Biblical and Jewish Studies and M.A. in Jewish Philosophy and Literature.

Sonia Sassoon

Sonia Sassoon is a retired GP, living in Wembley. She facilitates a lively and enthusiastic monthly discussion group titled " Healthy Living" for her local Kenton and District U3A. She is a regular attender at Limmud in her own capacity and not just as Sassy's grandma.

Sassy

Sassy is the Accommodation Chair and pub quiz master for Limmud Festival. He is also a National Tournament Director for the card game bridge, and in his spare time works in the Medical School at King’s College London doing something-or-other, having previously been a University Admissions Officer.

Olga Savchuk

Olga is a Lisbon-based PhD candidate working with intelligent control of buildings using machine learning. Passionately curious about Jewish genealogy and history, Olga supported tracing ancestry in the Beilis case, resulting in a book by E.Levin: ‘A Child of Christian Blood’.

Marco Schneebalg

Marco grew up in Brussels and moved to the UK 10 years ago. He has been active in the Jewish community, most recently organising with Na'amod, a new movement to end British Jewish support for the occupation. He just returned from a year in the U.S. where he organised with IfNotNow.

Aviva Schneider

An orientalist from Russia with passion for Israeli dances. For almost 10 years Aviva has been working on developing the Jewish community in Moscow by teaching history and tradition, leading dance classes and organising events for Jewish holidays.

Amos Schonfield

Amos is the founder and director of Our Second Home, a youth movement for refugees and migrants. He is a board member of Yachad and chair of Noam. Amos recently completed an MSc in Migration Studies, focusing on ideas of diaspora and transnationalism in the Jewish community.

Michael Schraer

Since retiring from a successful corporate career, Mike devotes himself to the study of medieval Spanish history. He holds a PhD from Cambridge and recently published ‘A Stake in the Ground – Jews and Real Estate in the Medieval Crown of Aragon’. He teaches Spanish history at the City Lit in London.

Jan Schwarz

Jan is a Yiddish teacher and scholar at Lund University, Sweden. Currently, he is working on a book funded by the Swedish Research Council, "The Life and Work of I. B. Singer" and also editing "I. B. Singer, In the World of Chaos: Early Writings 1925-1936."

Mike Segall

Mike has had a long career in finance. Undiagnosed for nine years, and experiencing depressive and manic episodes, he was finally diagnosed with Bipolar1 disorder in 2000. Mike is a trustee of The International Stress Management Association and an advocate for mental health and homelessness.

Eleanor Segall Mandelstam.

Eleanor Segall Mandelstam MA is an author, journalist, mental health blogger and advocate. Her mission is to write to increase understanding and end stigma that mental illness has. She has lived with bipolar since diagnosis in 2004. Her debut book 'Bring me to Light' was published in November 2019.

Nathan Servi

Nathan has been involved in Jewish Education for over 20 years. He is head of education at Maccabi GB and heads up Streetwise and Stand Up!, which provide PSHE, RSE & anti-discrimination education to over 35,000 young people annually. Nathan is Welfare officer for the Families team at Limmud Festival.

Bill Shackman

Bill Shackman serves as chaplain to the Jewish Student Society at the University of St Andrews. He has taught Torah in synagogues, schools, and universities in Chicago, New York, Jerusalem, Florence and Salt Lake City. He plays guitar and bouzouki and is also an avid paddleboard surfer.

Yael Shafritz

Yael is a DC based campaigner, originally from London. Since moving to the US Yael has worked as a community organiser in NYC. Now they organise Jews to fight the rise in antisemitism and white nationalism, and is a volunteer with IfNotNow (a group fighting to end US Jewish support for the occupation)

Lihi Shapira

Lihi is marketing and MarCom manager of the yiddishpiel theatre.

Jane Shapiro

Jane loves to teach and think about adult Jewish learning. Her talk "The Torah of Bubbiehood” seems to make people cry. Jane lives in Skokie, Illinois with her husband David and is the proud mother of four sons, mother-in- law to three daughters and a bubbie to four grandsons. Jane's participation at Limmud Festival is generously funded by the Covenant Foundation.

Daniel Shaul

Daniel was born in Helsinki, Finland. He now works at the Jewish School of Helsinki as a part-time Jewish studies and history teacher. A child of musicians, he is a keen piano player and actively performs in the Klezmer scene. He has been a Limmud Helsinki organiser and has worked in Yiddish theatre

Marvin Shaw

Marvin has just written his 6th book entitled Creative Starts, Creative Sparks - How to Liberate your Creativity and bring Joy to the World. He fervently believes that creativity is a wonderful tool to boost our Mental Health. Marvin's passion is to make his Creativity Course available to all.

Sybil Sheridan

Sybil Sheridan is a rabbi at the West London Synagogue and the Newcastle Reform Synagogue. Founder of the charity Meketa, which supports the Beta Israel Jews who still remain in Ethiopia, Sybil is keen to share her knowledge on this, and her other passions with anyone who will listen.

Rami Sherman

Rami was born Israeli and grew up as Sabra. On the 27th June 1976, an Air France airliner was hijacked to Entebbe, Uganda. At that time Rami was the Operations Officer of the "elite unit". Rami landed in the first Hercules and in 52 minutes, they rounded up all the hostages back to Israel.

Avi Shilon

Avi Shilon's main field of expertise is Israeli politics and society. He wrote Menachem Begin's biography and a monograph about David Ben Gurion. Avi's new book deals with the decline of the left-wing in Israel and the politics of the peace process. He also writes for Haaretz.

Uri Shine

Uri Shine is currently reading Experimental Psychology and Philosophy at Oxford. He is grade 8 piano and when not fighting with him, he often accompanies his brother Yoni at concerts and competitions!

Yoni Shine

Yoni Shine is 13 years old and has been singing since he can remember! He loves to sing soul, R&B and gospel. He regularly sings at weddings and barmitzvas with his father's band Neshama, as well as at jazz clubs. He can be heard every Monday night with top singers at Cirro's in Knightsbridge.

Michael Shire

Michael is dean of the Shoolman Graduate School of Education at Hebrew College in Boston. Having spent 38 years working in professional Jewish education, he is finally able to articulate a vision of the purpose of Jewish education which he is eager to share with Limmud.

Anya Shire-Plumb

Born and raised in London, 20 year old Anya Shire-Plumb is now a student studying fine art and psychology at Brandeis University in Boston, USA. After studying abroad in Florence and Siena, Anya is back this year to share her love for Italian Renaissance art.

Micah Shire-Plumb

Micah Shire-Plumb is a student at Gann Academy in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born and raised in London, and has attended Limmud since before he was born. He loves beadweaving, reading and STEM!

Noam Shuster

Noam is a comedian, performer, peacebuilder and activist. She grew up in Neve Shalom Wahat Al Salam. In 2018, she was named “New Jewish Comedian of the Year” in London. And was also the first Jewish performer in the Palestine Comedy Festival. Now Noam is at Harvard developing her one woman show.

Julie Siddiqi

Julie is co-founder of Nisa-Nashim, the Jewish and Muslim Women's Network. She has a career in grassroots community organising spanning more than 20 years and has a passion for issues around gender and faith. Julie is a regular contributor to Radio 4's Thought For The Day.

Judy Silkoff

Judy Silkoff is a community professional and occasional writer. One of the co-chairs of her local Nisa-Nashim group, Judy is passionate about interfaith work. She has also spoken publicly and written on the subject of adolescent mental health.

Esther Sills

Esther is a programme manager at the Council of Christians and Jews where she leads Jewish educational programmes, social action projects and schemes to connect rabbis and clergy. Esther recently graduated with a BA in Social Policy and Law and has experience coordinating refugee support projects.

Alan Silman

Alan is Professor of Medicine at Oxford University. He has written over 500 articles and several textbooks. Previously he was the Medical Director of Arthritis Research UK. He organises Jewish heritage tours in Europe and Asia and in his spare time he is a keen amateur, mainly comic, actor!

Judith Silver

Judith is known throughout the community for her many and varied musical contributions. Her songs are sung and shared internationally. She works extensively within and outside the Jewish community, using song to build confidence, bring comfort and increase wellbeing. Standup comedy is a new avenue…

Paul Silver-Myer

Paul is a practising accountant by day and an existential psychotherapist in the evenings. He has an interest in our relationship with money, a subject that most of us seem to struggle to be completely comfortable with.

Jemma Silvert

Having graduated in psychology and philosophy from the University of Oxford, Jemma spent time studying at Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She is currently the programme development coordinator for JOFA UK, and has a particular love for all things Talmud, poetry and brains.

Raymond Simonson

Raymond is CEO of JW3 (London's JCC); was Limmud’s first full time executive director; is on the Limmud FSU International Steering Committee, the advisory boards of Mitzvah Day and Amal (a Muslim cultural organisation); he has a BA Jewish History, MA Applied Anthropology and Community & Youth Work.

David Singer

David Singer is national director of Limmud North America. Named by The Jewish Daily Forward as one of America’s most inspiring rabbis, David is a graduate of Clal’s Clergy Leadership Incubator and Rabbis Without Borders. David is a graduate of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.

Rena Singer

Rena Singer is the co-founder of Modern Ritual, a Jewish instagram and lifestyle brand that empowers people who feel alienated from Judaism to discover fresh, beautiful, and relevant ways of Jewish life. She is a 5th year rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College and an intern at Central Synagogue.

Etan Smallman

Etan is a London-based freelance journalist, whose work has featured in publications on four continents, including The Times, The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Evening Standard, New Statesman, The Forward, The South China Morning Post and The Australian.

Yiscah Smith

Yiscah is a spiritual activist, Torah educator, mentor and podcaster who teaches the various practices of encountering the Divine Presence within, the foundation of authentic living. As a spiritual trailblazer, while carving her own path, Yiscah encourages, ennobles and empowers others to do the same.

Naomi Soetendorp

A qualified social worker since 2001, Naomi is Practice Education Manager for an inner London children's social work department. Naomi recently completed her MA in Social Work Research and Evaluation. She cofounded Wandering Jews and Grassroots Jews.

Shira Solomons

Community director at the Jewish Community of Berkshire in Reading, Shira organises 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

Zvi is not typical - for instance: he is currently the only Orthodox rabbi in Berkshire. He reaches out to as many children as possible in the region through school visits and is probably the only Jew many will ever meet. Zvi speaks out on racism - particularly antisemitism - on Twitter.

Gary Somers

Gary received semicha from Daniel Landes in Jerusalem. He is a keen researcher of Sephardi Customs. He is married to Debbie Young-Somers (rabbi) and they have two children. Gary has run a matzah bakery in his house for the last two years to enable people to make their own kasher soft matzot.

Daniel Sonabend

Daniel Sonabend is a writer and historian based in London. He is the author of "We Fight Fascists", a new historical account of the 43 Group, a militant anti-fascist organisation formed by Jewish ex-servicemen to fight the followers of Oswald Mosley immediately after the Second World War.

Izchak Sonnenshein

Izchak is the head of the UK delegation of the WZO. Prior to this, he was head of the Programs Division of Israeli TV, head of the Israel Delegation for Eurovision and Ambassador for the Israeli Broadcast Authority. He was also Head of Israel Official Events and Ceremonies at Merkaz Hahasbara.

Vivien Spevock

Vivien is a former primary and special needs teacher. She enjoys handicrafts and sewing.

Dean Staker

Dean had a 20 year career as a musician in Australia and Japan before he ‘fell’ into Jewish music in 2007. These days he is based at Finchley Progressive Synagogue in London where he leads the internationally renowned ‘Shabbat Resouled’ band. He has been a member of the Limmud House Band since 2009.

Benjamin Stanley

Benji is the rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, an independent shul in the middle of London. He lives in London with his partner, Leah Jordan. He studied English literature for his first degree. Judaism builds on his passion for the written word and inspires him to live meaningfully.

Caroline Stanley

Caroline (sounds like Cara-leen) Stanley is a psychology professor. Her research uses psychology to better understand effective teaching and learning practices at the university level. She is currently exploring the use of experiential techniques for promoting personal change.

David Stav

A leading rabbinic figure in Israel, David Stav is the chief rabbi of Shoham and the chairman of Tzohar, an organisation that fosters vibrant and inspiring Jewish identity in of Israel. Tzohar is a socially conscious movement securing an ethical, inclusive, and united Jewish society.

Irma Stefanov

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, and graduated from the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, as well as from a Kiev dance and music studio. Stephanov has performed in plays at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theatre and has been performing at the Yiddishpiel Theatre since 1999.

Abby Stein

Abby Stein is a rabbi, educator, author, speaker, and activist, born and raised in a Hasidic family of rabbinic descent, now working to raise support and awareness for trans rights and those leaving ultra-orthodoxy. She co-founded Sacred Space, and her book, Becoming Eve, was published in November.

David-Yehuda Stern

David-Yehuda is a rabbinical student at Leo Baeck College. He holds a BA in Film and Television Studies from the University of Nottingham and an MA in Jewish Education from the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS). He leads the cheder team at New London Synagogue and blogs at hereiswonder.com

Karen Stern

Karen uses archaeology to investigate the daily lives of ancient Jews. She is associate professor of History at Brooklyn College of City University of New York and author of Writing on the Wall: Graffiti and the Forgotten Jews of Antiquity (Princeton University Press, 2018).

Maurice Stone

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

Yoni Stone

Yoni is a proud product of the streets of Radlett. Having graduated from Oxford and spent a year studying in Jerusalem at the Conservative Yeshiva, he is now in his second year of movement work for Noam.

Wes Streeting

Wes Streeting was first elected as Labour MP for Ilford North in 2015. A former President of the National Union of Students and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Jews, Wes has been a vocal participant in the debate on antisemitism in Labout and on the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Simon Style

Star of stage, screen, kumzitz and care-homes, Simon has been taking shira sessions for over 100 years and knows the words for about a million songs (not many after 1980 though) and loves people joining in with him.

Richard Sudworth

Richard Sudworth is Secretary for Inter Religious Affairs to the Archbishop of Canterbury and National Inter Religious Affairs Adviser for the Church of England. He is experienced in interfaith matters and has written a number of articles on Christian-Jewish relations, in particular.

Marc Sugarman

Marc Sugarman was born in 1972, is married and has three children. Marc is a director of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club and a Trustee of Albion in the Community, Overcoming MS and the Bloom Foundation. He is spearheading a project to help revive the Jewish community in Brighton by delivering a significant development for the local community in the city.

Tali Swart

Based in Barnet, qualified as a pilates teacher in 2007 and have been teaching ever since, working with people who suffer from lower back pains, bad postures, sports injuries, older population and the Dementia Society as well as with people to improve their strength and mobility.

Sydney Switzer

Sydney is the Youth Programmes Coordinator for the UJIA in Glasgow. She recently spent two years at the JCC in Mumbai serving as a Jewish Service Corps Fellow with the JDC. Originally from Calgary and Vancouver, Canada, Sydney loves to knit, and find intersections between her Judaism and her art.

Alissa Symon

Originally from Jerusalem, Alissa has recently completed her MPhil at Cambridge University and works as the Jewish chaplain there. Her research focuses on transnational progressive Jewish networks, and she is also active politically in Israel and the United States.

Elazar Symon

Elazar Symon, born and raised in Jerusalem. Studied and taught in Otniel Yeshiva, where he completed his Semicha. Married Alissa, and in 2018 they moved to Cambridge where he took a position as University Jewish Chaplain. Elazar is particularly interested in the existential reading of the Talmud .

Abi Symons

Abi is a freelance writer and Jewish youth educator with a background in comedy and theatre. She uses her writing and vocal powers to campaign and educate on feminist and equality issues.