Chair Madeleine Abramson Expand Madeleine Abramson became Chair of the Board of Trustees in September 2019. She joined the Board after having been an education volunteer for many years. Her background is in teaching in secondary schools, which has given her a full understanding of the importance of relationships education in preventing domestic abuse. Madeleine started her working career in telecommunications and software and moved into teaching Physics. She was part of the Senior Management Team of an independent school for many years but now just tutors privately. Madeleine is currently also Chair of a synagogue, and has been involved in synagogue management for many years. Madeleine is also a magistrate, and sees the effects of domestic abuse in the courts all-too regularly.
Vice-Chair Caroline Ratner Expand Caroline Ratner has been volunteering at JWA for two years and recently joined the board of Trustees. Caroline runs a PR consultancy which she set up in 2007. She helps JWA raise awareness of domestic abuse and believes that getting the message out through all forms of press and social media is essential for reaching the different parts of the community. Caroline says: "Domestic abuse affects all women from the very young to the very old, whether religious or secular. It is very fortunate that we now have so many different ways of spreading the word about our work, and can educate and connect with a wide audience, and hopefully help the women that need us to learn about domestic abuse and get the support they need".
Treasurer Jo Rosenthal Expand Jo was recruited in November 2017 for her role as Treasurer of JWA's Board of trustees. Jo is a Chartered Accountant by profession, having trained at PriceWaterhouseCoopers where she worked in their Audit & Accounting Technical departments. She specialised in Entertainment, Media & Telecommunication clients and International Financial Reporting Standards. Since leaving practice she has been running a Property Investment company. She volunteered for Jewish Care for several years undertaking financial control review projects and assisting with internal audit. For the last 10 years Jo has also been involved with Norwood Women's Lunch including being co-chair.
Joanne Black Expand Joanne Black became a Trustee in 2016. She has been working in business as a board director and managing director for over 25 years. She has always been particularly interested in women's issues. She opened a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh 10 years ago, with particular attention on girls' education. She has just started an impressive program about women's health issues also in Bangladesh. Together with her family Joanne feels fortunate to be able to support many key community charities. She is particularly interested in what she sees as the vital work that JWA does in the community. She is working with membership, fundraising and the finance team. She has a B.Com(Hons) from Birmingham University and several textile diplomas.
Judith Flacks-Leigh Expand Judith Flacks-Leigh joined JWA's Board in 2017, and since that time she has also become a deputy on the Board of Deputies and sits on their Defense Division. She is Head of Communications & Campaigns at the Jewish Leadership Council. Prior to this, she had been working in Parliament as a Researcher for an MP. Judith has also previously served on the Union of Jewish Students (UJS) as Development Fieldworker and then as Campaigns Director, particularly working on strengthening the voices of young women and making the organisation more inclusive for disabled and LGBT students. Her Jewish communal work continued in America, and on returning to the UK worked as Press Officer at BICOM. She currently sits on the board of Nisa Nashim. Judith has also previously volunteered for a number of other organisations including the American Jewish Committee, European Union of Jewish Students, World Jewish Relief and March of the Living UK.
Laura Lehmann Expand Laura Lehmann has been a JWA volunteer working with the education and awareness raising department since 2010, and has been involved the planning of the annual Lunch for a number of years. Laura became a trustee in 2014, and at the same time joined the Fundraising sub-committee. She is a member of JWA's Education Steering Group. Laura has also worked in the JWA office for 10 months as maternity cover for the Education Co-ordinator. She has a BSc in Pharmacy and a PGDip in Health Psychology.
Rebecca Simon Expand Rebecca Simon joined the board of Trustees in 2019. Rebecca heads up the marketing team at the British Business Bank, the UK's national economic development bank, which provides finance and information support to the UK's small businesses. She was formerly the Marketing and Communications Director. Prior to the BBB, Rebecca was the Strategic Marketing lead for GE Capital. Rebecca has been involved with community and voluntary positions for many years. She is an alumni of the Lead Gamechangers programme and sat on the Si3 Investment Committee for the UJIA. Rebecca started her career working in Parliament for Labour Friends of Israel, and is currently Vice Chair of the Board of LFI. She was formerly an activist in the Labour party, sitting on the National Womens' Development Board and co-founding Labour Women in Business.
Hon. President Judith Usiskin MBE Expand Judith Usiskin MBE is JWA's Hon. President. She was one of the founders of JWA in the 1980s, and has been a driving force behind the development of the charity over the last 30 years. She is a professional social worker. It was while she was working as Training Officer for Jewish Care and other communal organisations that with colleagues there they began to recognise the issue and realised that there were many Jewish women who were experiencing domestic abuse and who had nowhere to go for help. Together with other friends - all of them working women - they managed to establish the organisation in London, to become a national charity together with the helpline established in Leeds. Judith's enormous contribution to JWA was nationally recognised in 2004 when she was awarded the MBE.
Hon. Vice-President Elaine Grazin Expand Elaine Grazin was one of the founder members of Jewish Women’s Aid in Leeds in the 1980s, and has been a volunteer since then, supporting the Helpline, as well as raising awareness. She has spoken about JWA at communal events including Limmud, at synagogues, IDEVAW panels and at Women’s Aid national conference. Elaine served as a JWA Trustee for a number of years. In her professional career, Elaine was Public Relations Manager for public sector and charitable organisations, and was a domestic violence trainer for West Yorkshire Probation Service. While living in Leeds, Elaine was a Trustee of the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board, appointed Honorary Vice President in 2004, and served on the Board of Management of Leeds Jewish Housing Association. Here she first became aware of the need for a specialist organisation to help women in the Jewish community experiencing domestic violence, and worked with the inspired Welfare Board and Housing Association CEO Sheila Saunders z”l to set up JWA. Elaine has been a Trustee of the Together Women charity working with women offenders, and was a member of the Leeds task group for Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ 1990s Review of Women in the Community.
Hon. Vice-President Mildred Levison Expand Mildred Levison is one of our Honorary Vice Presidents. Her professional background is in social housing, public administration and organisational development. Mildred chaired the JWA Board of Trustees for several years and led the strategic development and implentation of JWA's range of professional services for women in the community experiencing domestic violence.
Hon. Vice-President (Counselling) Sheila Miller Expand Sheila Miller became Vice-President (Counselling) in 2018. She was honoured by JWA for her incredible contribution to the charity for over 20 years. She set up JWA's face-to-face counselling service, running the service for many years in a voluntary capacity, and she worked as a JWA counsellor herself for most of that time.