Presenters: B

Charley Baginsky

Charley Baginsky is co-lead of Progressive Judaism in the UK and Ireland, recognised for her commitment to inclusion, interfaith work, and as a leading voice on Progressive Zionism. Formerly a congregational rabbi and national Liberal Judaism leader, she helped unite Liberal and Reform Judaism, strengthening its national voice and future growth.

Avielah Barclay

Avielah is the first woman certified as a Soferet STaM (Torah scribe) in modern times. She has taught at venues including the Conservative Yeshiva and Machon Pardes. Her areas of research include religious feminism, Kabbalah of Hebrew letters and history of making traditional materials such as papyrus, ink, and parchment.

Isabel Bard

Isabel is a fool who is, luckily, watched over by God. She is a software engineer who enjoys the Ladies' Pond and Seder Nashim (for different reasons). She logs every book she reads, is a vegan of ten years, and likes mincha best. Talk to her about Ohel Mo'ed (the minyan she co-chairs), Shabbat hosting strategies, and strange ways to relate to God.

Lisa Barrett

Lisa has been active in HaMakom, the UK’s Jewish Mindfulness network, since its beginnings over 15 years ago, leading mindful prayer on retreat. She is a trained and experienced Spiritual Director, Hospital and Prison Chaplain, and currently serves the Birmingham Progressive community as their part-time rabbi.

Eddie Bass

Eddie has had an eclectic education. Now in his 91st year, he uses his interest in drama, comedy and funny stories, which he writes himself. He digs deep from the legends of Chelm - the historic 'Village of Idiots', now a popular holiday destination in Poland. He makes up humorous stories about the Jews in both the historic, and modern Chelm!

Sophie Bellamy

Sophie Bellamy is a PhD candidate at Durham University researching modern provincial Jewish networks in the North East of England in collaboration with the Tyne and Wear Archives. She holds an MA in Jewish Studies from UCL and a BA in Fashion History and Theory from Central Saint Martins.

Edward Ben-Nathan

Edward spent his career at IBM, then helped run his tennis club. He has had an abiding interest in history and politics for decades and has presented previously at Limmud on the 'Glorious Revolution'.

Geoffrey Ben-Nathan

Geoffrey was born in London in 1944. He studied tribal cultures at university and none was more fascinating to him than his own Jewish tribal culture. Equally fascinating are peoples close to Judaism: the Samaritans and Ethiopian Christians. First and foremost though, antisemitism and anti-Zionism. They have an identifiable cause. Jews must know.

David Benkof

David Benkof (TheBroadwayMaven.com) brings deep insight into musical theatre to Jewish and general audiences. He cultivates Broadway appreciation through his online classes, YouTube channel, and Substack MARQUEE, unpacking emotional and cultural layers in Broadway’s great stories. This is his 9th Limmud UK and 45th worldwide. He lives in Jerusalem.

Rossi Bennett

Rossi spent over a decade volunteering with CST, including six years as a senior team leader. A graduate of the Adam Science Leadership Programme, he built a career in sales and is known as a relationship-builder. Today he runs his own coaching business and, with his family, helps grow Jewish life in Hatfield.

Yonatan Berg

Yonatan Berg is a poet and author. He is the youngest recipient of the Yehuda Amichai Prize and a number of other national awards He has published seven books of poetry and five books of prose. His English language debut collection Frayed Light was published by Wesleyan University Press in 2019 and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award.

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.

Dovid Berisch

Dovid Berisch is a psychodrama psychotherapist and arts therapist. He works for North London NHS Foundation Trust as psychology lead and clinical lead for group psychotherapy in Haringey and runs a private psychotherapy practice. He is conducting PhD research at UCL on Jewish mysticism and psychotherapy, focussing on the works of JL Moreno.

Adam Berlin

Adam is a regular provider of divrei torah at Golders Green United Synagogue, where he was also Treasurer. Adam has been coming to Limmud for years, along with his wife, Andrea, and 3 children. Adam leads the European media research team at UBS. As a student, Adam led the JSocs at Oxford and at Harvard Business School; and is an alumnus of Darche Noam yeshiva.

Natasha Jules Bernard

Trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Natasha is currently playing Tzeitel in the touring production of Fiddler on the Roof. Theatre credits include: Mirila in Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Standby Mary Shelley in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (UK Tour) and many more.

Elaine Bernstein

Elaine Bernstein lives in Highgate, London and runs her own clothing brand. She’s a qualified yoga teacher, speaks French and German and kzat Ivrit (a small amount of Hebrew!). Since October 7th, Elaine has felt, like so many others, a greater pull towards her Judaism. She started going to shul more often and made various trips to Israel. Elaine had her bat mitzvah in September 2025.

Naomi Bernstein

Naomi Bernstein is the Campaigns and Jewish Enrichment Sabbatical officer at the Union of Jewish Students. She discovered the joys of Jewish student life during her time at Cambridge. Currently, she is hyper-fixated on solving cross-communalism and perfecting her brownie recipe and will gladly answer questions on either topic!

David Bilchitz

David Bilchitz is Professor of Fundamental Rights Law at the Universities of Johannesburg and Reading. He has served as an Acting Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He was a founder of Limmud SA, chair of Limmud International, and is a well-known Jewish educator. He is a proud member of the LGBT community and married to Reuven Ziegler.

Aimee Birnbaum

Aimee Birnbaum, an artist based in London, graduated the Museum School in Boston. A member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, she exhibited at Vilna Gaon Museum and Ciurlionis Art Museum. She presented at Limmud in 2023 and in 2025 at University College London for the Jewish Institute.

Sharyn Bistre Dabbah

Sharyn Bistre, a Mexican veterinarian and dog behaviour specialist, holds a PhD from the University of Bristol and is a Veterinary Researcher at the University of Lincoln. Beyond animals, she explores Jewish studies, history, arts, and theatre, and has taken roles in the Jewish community, volunteering with Limmud in Mexico and the UK.

Nicholas Blain

By day, Nicholas Blain is an educator, running his firm Quartic Training: he helps candidates and clients through financial exams (CFA, IMC, etc) and sustainable investing topics (climate, impact, ESG). By night he runs a private foundation that supports many charities – environmental, educational, social and medical.

Dalia Blass

Dalia is Yachad's Youth and Student Worker. She's been involved in the Jewish community from an early age, including over a decade in Noam. She's led youth programming in both Jewish and 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

Executive director and the head of The Jewish Agency’s delegation to the UK & Western Europe. A rabbi, an award-winning author of an Israeli bestseller, one of Israel’s ‘Top 30 Executives’, “Person of Year 2024”. He made aliyah from Dnipro, Ukraine, and currently resides in London, UK, whilst on shlichut with his family.

Carolyn Bogush

Carolyn has been a Limmud volunteer for more than 30 years, encouraging the rest of her family to be involved too. She is Chair of Limmud's trustees and Vice-Chair of UJS. She believes passionately in cross-communalism, the power of volunteering and inspiring the next generation of leaders. Professionally she is an Organisational Psychologist.

Gabriel Botnick

Based in London, Gabriel is the rabbi of Belsize Square Synagogue, which was founded in 1939 by German refugees and continues to lovingly preserve the unique German Liberale tradition to this day. Previously of Venice Beach, California, Gabriel is passionate about music and helping others find meaningful ways to engage with their Judaism.

John Bowers

John Bowers is principal of Brasenose College, Oxford and a barrister of 45 years' standing specialising in employment law. He has written 14 books on employment law and more recently a book on declining standards of ethics in government entitled 'Downward Spiral'.

Hannah Brady

Hannah is an acclaimed project manager, having delivered world-class events for Reuters, the Civil Service and the Jewish community that have reached millions of viewers and participants. She has founded multiple inclusion initiatives, including London-based lesbian/bi+ group Sapphic Shabbat. Most importantly, she has two three-legged rescue cats.

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’.

Jessica Brandler

Jess Brandler is Deputy Director of Solutions Not Sides, overseeing all aspects of SNS’ work, working closely with speakers from the Middle East and running the mental health support at SNS. She has spent considerable time in the Middle East and has worked with tens of thousands of British teenagers, teachers, and community members through SNS.

Roland Brandman

Roland is founder of the International Symposium on Jewish Meditation and chairman of HaMakom. His new book, Sapphire Light: Select Germs of Spiritual Wisdom, is an anthology of philosophical-spiritual ideas and sources from across the Jewish tradition. His previous (much larger) book is Sapphire Mind. He is also a lawyer and chazan.

Shelley Braude

Shelley is the Jewish Life Coordinator and Hebrew teacher at Clifton College in Bristol, England. She has been involved with Jewish Education since the age of 13, when she taught at the Masorti Cheder in Edgware. 30 years on, she is now a qualified Teacher and Educational Psychologist... and still enjoys teaching at her local Cheder!

Alex Braver

Alex Braver serves as a rabbi at Tifereth Israel in Columbus, Ohio, and was ordained at JTS in 2016. Previously a Rabbinic Fellow at B'nai Jeshurun in New York, his forthcoming book – The Snail in the Shell - explores surprising and creative metaphors for God and spiritual life in traditional Hasidic texts, with original translations and commentary.

Michael Brochstein

Michael Brochstein is a photojournalist based in Washington, D.C. & New York City. He covers the White House, U.S. Capitol, demonstrations & other events. Michael has also covered the war in Ukraine behind the lines & at the front lines. Michael’s photos have been published in the New York Times, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal & other places.

Sarah Bronzite

Sarah is Head of Education at KeshetUK. She is a qualified primary school teacher and a researcher on the topic of school-based sex education. In her spare time she writes about gender-based violence, is a Trustee for Migdal Emunah JSAS, and is slowly getting better at fancy challah braids. She has two religions: Judaism and choral singing.

Josh Brostoff

Josh is a psychotherapist based in London, with a background as a medical doctor and in medical ethics. He is interested in experiential therapies and in the meeting point between psychotherapy, spirituality, and Jewish life. He is currently exploring how practices of honesty, presence, and consent can deepen both personal growth and community.

Debra Brunner

Debra Brunner, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, is co-founder and CEO of The Together Plan (UK), founder of the Jewish Tapestry Project (USA), and founder of the Polotsk Jewish Cultural Educational Foundation (Belarus). For over 15 years she has championed Jewish heritage, identity, and community empowerment in Eastern Europe.

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik is an American papercut artist who cuts up comic books and reassembles them into bold, intricate works that explore the stories of the Jewish people. With his wife, Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik, he co-created Paper Midrash—bringing art, pop culture, and Torah together in dynamic workshops and residencies.

Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik

Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik is a rabbi and brings Jewish texts to life by connecting Torah with pop culture, making ancient wisdom accessible and relevant. With her husband Isaac, she co-created Paper Midrash—a creative partnership blending scholarship and art into hands-on workshops, residencies, and meaningful learning, where tradition and modern life meet.

Joe Buchanan

Texas-born and river-raised, Joe Buchanan makes country music steeped in Torah and Jewish spirit. Inspired by his wife’s heritage, his journey led to conversion, healing, and song. Blending Texas sound with deep faith, he has toured widely, leads the Small Town Tribe, and just released Heaven & Earth.

Raisel Byrne

Raisel has worked at the mental health charity, Jami, for over 11 years. She is passionate about how people can use both their lived experience and professional knowledge to support others. In her spare time, she manages an Instagram for two cats, which now has over 1,000 followers—documenting their ongoing campaign to take over the household.