Presenters: B

Jessica Baker

Outside of a 9-5 working in International Development, Jess Baker is a Liberal Jew, Moishe House Clapham resident, and your Programme Co-Chair for Limmud this year!

Rina Barbut

Rina Barbut is a seasoned global business and tech leader with over 15 years of experience. Her background is in computer engineering. Rina has an MBA and is the digital sales manager at Microsoft. She is the founder of JConnect Forum, uniting young Jewish professionals from Israel and Europe, mentoring start-ups, conducting workshops and providing career guidance for new immigrants.

Allison Barclay

Avielah is the first woman certified as a Soferet STaM (Torah scribe) in 2003 and has been a judaica artist since 1994. She has taught Hebrew calligraphy, sofrut, religious feminism and midrash on the alefbet at venues such as the Conservative Yeshiva and Machon Pardes. Her areas of scholarship include the halakhah of scribal materials.

Eddie Bass

Eddie has an eclectic education, he is nearly in his 90th year and has become very interested in drama, comedy and especially the funny stories, which he writes himself. He digs deep from the legends of Chelm - the historic 'Village of Idiots'. He makes up stories about the Jews in modern Chelm - there's tales to get you laughing (or weeping)!

Tal Bassali

Tal lives in Venice, Italy and is founder of Zehud Jewish Online School, providing a high-quality Hebrew and Judaic education to children across Europe. Her story can be seen on www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRthPonOw6M and her blog is at blogs.timesofisrael.com/author/tal-bassali/

Michelle Bauernfreund

Michelle is the director of operations at the Office of the Chief Rabbi, where her remit includes initiatives relating to women’s involvement in the community. Previously, Michelle worked at Mitzvah Day and the Board of Deputies. Michelle is trustee of Mizrachi UK and a graduate of the Dangoor Senior Leadership Programme.

Sarit Baum

Sarit was born in London and made aliyah 3 years ago, following her studies at the University of London. After partaking in the Ben Azzai programme, she interned at OLAM and then began working at NALA. In her role as Head of Partnerships and Communications she looks to connect with like-minded people and create partnerships of impact!

The Ben Azzai Participants

Members of the 2023-24 cohort of the Chief Rabbi’s Ben Azzai Programme. The university students on the programme have been studying global issues and learning about why, as Jewish people, we have a responsibility to tackle them.

Jacqui Benson-Mabombo

Jacqui (they/them) is a life coach who considers their greatest strength to be a conversational disruptor – interrupting ordinary conversations/paradigms to give people space to access their superpower(s). Co-founder of Shemah Koleinu, they are married to Xoli Mabombo-Benson and live in Cape Town, South Africa.

Jeff Berger

Jeff is a trustee of EcoJudaism, is the rabbi of Wembley Sephardi Synagogue and volunteers as a chaplain for Hertfordshire Constabulary. He is a passionate advocate of interfaith dialogue and conflict resolution. Jeff has lived in the USA, Israel, Japan and the UK. He's married to the magnificent Michie and they have two grown children.

Jonathan Bergwerk

Jonathan is an occupational psychologist who talks and publishes widely on the lives of eminent Jews, both ancient and modern. His books, ‘Audacious Jewish Lives’ deal with individuals, their contributions to society and their wider impact on Jewish life.

David Berkley

David was born in Israel, grew up in Manchester and studied in Gateshead Yeshiva. He is a barrister and an amateur Talmudist.

Uri Berkowitz

Uri is a graphic designer with an unhealthy interest in Israel's Eurovision performances. He has been a Limmud volunteer in the UK and internationally for 20+ years, doing roles of various sizes.

Mihails Beškins

A native of Latvia, Misha pursued studies in humanities before relocating to Tallinn, Estonia. He is a proud husband, father of three and devoted dog owner. He excels as a software engineer, contributing as a board member and organiser at Limmud Baltics. Additionally, Misha is the visionary founder behind the 'Is it kosher?' project.

David Bilchitz

David is a professor of law at the University of Johannesburg and the University of Reading. He was a founder of Limmud SA, chair of Limmud International and a Limmud trustee. In 2005 he helped found a Jewish LGBT+ organisation in South Africa and, as legal advisor, helped bring marriage equality to South Africa.

Aimee Birnbaum

Aimee a figurative artist, depicting inter-war Jewish cultural life. Last year her exhibition based on inter-war Jewish culture in Kaunas toured Lithuania and was exhibited at the "European City of Culture 2022 Kaunas", in the National Gallery of Art and the Vilna Gaon Museum. She is a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour and elected member of its Council.

Sarah Biskowitz

Sarah manages the feminist youth writing fellowship at the Jewish Women's Archive in Boston. Previously, she studied at Pardes and served as a fellow at the Yiddish Book Center. She has spoken about Yiddish culture at the Maine Conference for Jewish Life, the Association for Jewish Studies conference, and synagogue/Moishe House events.

Stephen Black

Stephen is a father of three children and now helps a friend selling antiques after running a textile store for 30 years. At 18 he spent a year in Israel, which he loved, then went on to Leeds Polytechnic where he gained a business degree. He enjoys swimming and jacuzzis, and has a deep appreciation of Jewish culture.

Dalia Blass

Dalia is Yachad's Youth & Student Worker. She's been involved in the Jewish community from an early age, including over a decade in Noam Masorti Youth. She's led youth programmes in both Jewish & non-Jewish spaces. She's passionate about social justice issues outside of the Jewish community, having volunteered abroad for NGOs that support refugees.

Vadim Blumin

Vadim is the head of the Jewish Agency for Israel's delegation to the UK and Western Europe. He is the co-author of 'Commonwealth of Tastes', an Israeli bestseller, and was named one of the Top 30 Executives of Israel by LGBTech and The Marker. He is a rabbinical student at the Hartman Institute. Vadim lives in London with husband Roman and daughter Danielle.

Carolyn Bogush

Carolyn has been an active Limmudnik for almost 30 years and is currently Chair of Trustees as well as Vice-Chair of UJS. She believes passionately in cross-communalism, the power of volunteering and developing and inspiring the next generation of future leaders. Professionally she is an Organisational Psychologist.

Harris Bor

Dr Harris Bor is a commercial barrister, research fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies, rabbi and author of 'Staying Human - a Jewish Theology for the Age of Artificial Intelligence'. He is also advisor to the US network, AI & Faith, and participant in the AI Faith & Civil Society Commission, which met ahead of the recent AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park.

Ariella Boyd

Ariella is a sixth-form student at JCoSS. She is experienced in teaching groups (including parents, teachers, youth movements and autistic individuals) about autism, based on her own lived experience of being diagnosed at the age of 12. She has also tutored and mentored numerous young people with autism and other neurodiversities.

Amy Braier

Amy Braier is Director of the Pears Foundation, leading the Foundation’s operations and professional team and overseeing £20m of funding annually. In 2018 she received the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award for leadership in Jewish philanthropy. She is Chair of The Miscarriage Association and a former trustee of Limmud and Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Jason Braier

Jason is a barrister specialising in employment and discrimination law and a Twitter/X addict who tweets mainly on employment law and whose summaries are relied on by lawyers and judges alike. Described in a recent directory entry as ‘A bit of an Employment Bar Hero’.

Robert Brody

Robert is a tenor soloist with the Zemel and other choirs, presenting both secular and cantorial music. He has recorded with the BBC Singers for BBC radio and television, and has acted as chazan in many countries. Earlier this year Robert was accompanied by the massed choirs at the European Jewish Choirs Festival in Vienna's Town Hall.

Sarah Bronzite

Sarah is Head of Education at KeshetUK. Outside of KeshetUK she is a primary school teacher and is conducting academic research about school-based sex education. In her ‘spare time’ she writes about gender-based violence, is a Trustee for Migdal Emunah and is learning to make focaccia. She has two religions: Judaism and choral singing.

Pini Brown

Ex-Hasidic Yiddish & blues singer, cantor, Pini takes you on nostalgic journey from the Hasidic Shtetl to the late night blues clubs of London.

Rich Brownstein

After a career in Hollywood, Rich Brownstein moved to Israel in 2003. He lectured for for six years at Yad Vashem about Holocaust films and their use in the classroom. In 2021 his book was published, "Holocaust Cinema Complete: A History and Analysis of 400 Films, with a Teaching Guide".

Tamas Buchler

Tamas is the Europe Programmes Coordinator at Minority Rights Group. Previously he worked for CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe, the Israeli Cultural Institute in Budapest and the Jewish Agency. He holds an M.A. in Law and completed programs in Peace and Conflict Studies and Social Impact Strategies.

Felipe Burman

Felipe is the Founder of GLR Tech, a start-up with a solution to mitigate the climate crisis, and prized by The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN Global) as one of the Entrepreneurship World Cup Top 100. He was an advisor for the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection during Rio+20. Felipe holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Sciences from Tel Aviv University and is the president of sustainability at IBREI.

Alan Byers

Alan is the choirleader at Radlett Reform Synagogue since 1980 (in partnership with Andrew Blankfield since 2006), he has arranged about 150 sung prayers, and composed several pieces mainly for his Shul choir. He is a keen brass player on trumpet, trombone and horn, and plays in several bands, and also 2 'occasional' orchestras. He is also a retired GP.