Dr Aviva Dautch
Executive Director
Aviva leads JR’s strategic direction and oversees its operational management. She also lectures in Modern Jewish Culture and contributes to programmes for the British Library, British Museum and BBC Radio 4.
Rebecca Taylor
Editor
Rebecca is the driver of JR’s innovation, creativity and high standards of research and writing. Before JR, she was Time Out London’s news editor and has also worked for the Guardian and BBC World Service.
Danielle Goldstein
Deputy Editor
Danielle is the supremo behind the music and listings sections, as well as editing the website and social. Before JR, she was a staff writer at Time Out London and freelanced for the Guardian. She is also in a band called Punching.
Becky Redman
Art Director
Becky is our one-woman design powerhouse. She was Time Out London's senior designer and is now the art director at National Geographic Traveller and APL Media. She freelances for You're Going to Die.
Judi Herman
Arts & OutLoud Editor
Judi consistently has her finger on the cultural pulse. At JR she contributes to the arts sections and creates the JR OutLoud podcasts. She also works for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, among others.
Daniella Silver
Editorial Manager
Dani compiles and writes our event listings and manages the editorial administration. She also has a strong background in creative writing and regularly contributes to the JR blog and magazine.
Lorraine Sheridan
Accounts & Finance Manager
Lorraine looks after the financial and operational management of Jewish Renaissance, and handles our advertising. She provides the back-up that any creative team needs in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.
Ruth Bankover
Operations Manager
Ruth is the organisational guru behind subscriptions and tours, and is your first point of contact. She has a flare for project management and gets creative when it comes to delivering robust solutions.
Emma Brand
Producer
Emma joins the team from the Lyons Learning Project and will be producing this year's courses and one-off events as part of the merging of JR with LLP. Alongside her work for JR, Emma is a theatre-maker and performer.
Janet Levin
Founder
Janet founded Jewish Renaissance in 2001 and retired as CEO early in 2019. She is delighted that Aviva Dautch is carrying JR forward and continues to be involved wherever her experience can be utilised.
David Dangoor CBE
President
David has long been involved in numerous Jewish cultural activities. Once editor of the Jewish youth magazine Mosaic and former President of the S&P Sephardi Community, David’s passions include widening access to education, science research and medical innovation under the Dangoor Education umbrella. He is also a member of the International Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. David is the main sponsor of Jewish Renaissance and consistently provides creative ideas about JR's evolution.
Production Team
Editor Rebecca Taylor | Deputy Editor Danielle Goldstein | Art Director Becky Redman | Editorial Manager Dani Silver | Online Editor Danielle Goldstein | Arts & Podcast Editor Judi Herman | Operations Manager Ruth Bankover | Advertising & Finance Manager Lorraine Sheridan | Sub Editors Judi Herman, Norm Guthartz, Janet Levin, Judith Mirzoeff | Illustrations Thomas Fournier | Photography Rob Greig, Richard Schofield, Celia Topping | Programme Producer Emma Brand | Website Designer Becky Redman | Institutional Subscriptions Caroline Butten | Honorary Legal Advisor Jane Phillips
Editorial Committee
Monica Bohm-Duchen | Deborah Brooks | David Conway | Raphael Gee | Shoshi Ish-Horowicz | Liz Ison | Bea Lewkowicz | Michael Mail | Judith Mirzoeff
Board of Trustees
Andrew Gordon (Chair)
Andrew joined the board of trustees in 2021, having moved back to London after many years living and working in Hong Kong and Japan. In August 2023, he took on the chairmanship of JR’s trustees, a position previously held by Ian Lancaster. Andrew is married, with two daughters. He and his family were active members of the United Jewish Congregation of Hong Kong and Andrew was a director and treasurer there for well over a decade. Back in London, the family are members of both Wimbledon Synagogue and North West Surrey Synagogue (where Andrew grew up). His career involved managing businesses for the Bank of New York Mellon and Royal Bank of Canada in Asia.
David Benmayer
David Benmayer is a trustee and former chief executive of Jewish Renaissance. He studied history at the London School of Economics, focusing on the British Empire in the late-Victorian and Edwardian eras as well as the Jewish experience during these periods. He is co-editor, with Rebecca Taylor, of Age of Confidence: The New Jewish Culture Wave (The History Press, 2021). Prior to JR, David was a public sector strategy consultant. He now works in his family’s textile business, situated in the heart of London’s East End. David also sits on the board of Finchley Central Synagogue and is leading the community’s development of their locally listed building.
Lady Patti Collins
Patti joined Jewish Renaissance as a Trustee in 2017. She is a social anthropologist and award-winning documentary producer who previously worked at the BBC. She subsequently trained as a person-centered therapist and worked at University College London as a student counsellor. Her work is now based at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford, where she documents ethnographic photographs. Patti is a member of South Hampstead Synagogue and their Board of Management, and previously represented the Oxford Synagogue on the Board of Deputies. She also currently reviews films for the UK Jewish Film Festival.
Spencer Debson
Spencer became a trustee of Jewish Renaissance in September 2023 and joined the board as Treasurer. He is a chartered accountant. After 10 years with PwC, he joined the world of entrepreneurial business and has extensive experience in operational roles building businesses from the ground up; and over recent years as an angel investor, consulting and mentoring small business owners. Spencer is also a trustee of the Union of Jewish Students and, although a long-time member of Hampstead Garden Suburb Synagogue, his heart remains in his home city of Manchester.
Ian Lancaster
Ian joined Renaissance Publishing's Management Committee in 2005 and took on the chairmanship of the trustees 10 years later, a position he held until 2023. He was previously co-founder and managing director of a specialist newsletter and conference company, which now has 20 staff and publishes five b2b newsletters with a global readership. He has also been a member of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and Chairman of North West Surrey Synagogue. He lives in a floating home on the Thames, which he and his wife designed.
Martin Motz
Dr Motz has been a member of Renaissance Publishing's Management Committee since 2002 and is now a Trustee. He is a former treasurer and co-chair of his synagogue, which he now represents at the Board of Deputies of British Jews. He is an active member of its Defence and Interfaith Relations Division, where he is leading on improving links with Hindu and Sikh communities. Martin also works as a volunteer advisor for Hounslow Citizens Advice and is a part-time tour manager for Great Rail Journeys. His career was at IBM where he was responsible for long-term relationships with major clients.
Donors
(Click here to view the full list)
Editorial Advisory Board
Geraldine Auerbach MBE | Alex Brummer City Editor, Daily Mail | Monica Bohm-Duchen Art historian | David Glasser Chair, Ben Uri Art Gallery | Judy Ironside MBE Founder & President, UK Jewish Film | Jennifer Jankel Chair, Jewish Music Institute | Clive Lawton OBE Senior Consultant, Limmud | Maureen Lipman Writer and actor | Claudia Rubenstein, Director Jewish Book Week | Raymond Simonson CEO, JW3 | Nitza Spiro Director, Spiro Ark | Lena Stanley-Clamp Director, European Association for Jewish Culture | Connie Webber Managing Editor, Littman Library | Prof Jonathan Webber Jagiellonian University