LIZA ESSERS initially rose to prominence in the commercial and financial sector in South Africa receiving a Bachelor of Commerce in Economics and working as a strategic consultant for the leading global professional services company Accenture, as well as in private equity. In the seven years prior to becoming the owner and director of Goodman Gallery in 2008, she was an independent art advisor and curator specializing in the conceptualization, development and production of visual art and film projects. She was the Executive Producer of the Oscar-award winning South African film 'Tsotsi'. Since taking over the Goodman Gallery, she has built on the tradition of shaping contemporary SA art by extending beyond local borders and establishing its status as a leading international gallery. She was elected onto the SAJBD Gauteng Council in 2018.
REEVA FORMAN is Managing Director of REEVA Beauty & Health - a household name in the field of cosmetics. In 1983, she was named as SA Businesswoman of the Year. She is a long-serving member of the SAJBD Gauteng Council and National Executive Committees, Honorary Life Vice President of the SAZF and Founder / Chairperson of the 'Israel Now Tour' since 2002. Reeva received the SAZF Abe Abrahamson Volunteer Award in 2004, and a 13th “Barmitzvah Tour” Award from the World Zionist Organisation in 2008. She is the chairperson of Temple Israel Hillbrow, which was awarded a Heritage Site Plaque (City of Joburg 2014) and of the Temple Israel Heritage Centre (2016) - an NGO dedicated to fighting “hatred of the other”. In recognition of her many achievements, the SAJBD Gauteng Council bestowed upon her the inaugural Bertie Lubner Leadership Award in 2016. At the 48th Zionist Council of the World Zionist Organization in November 2019, Reeva was made Honorary Life Member, receiving the coveted Amit Kavod Award.
LESLEY-ANNE GATTER is Head of People Investec Ltd, Global Head of Learning for the Investec Group. She holds a master’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand and worked in NGOs and in various academic settings before joining the corporate world. She joined Investec to become the Head of Learning & Development. In 2016, she was appointed as Head of Human Resources | People leading Investec’s people practices as well as transformation initiatives. Lesley-Anne was involved in helping set up the CEO initiative’s YES (youth employment services) platform. She sits on various community forums including the SA Friends of the Hebrew University, the SABJE’s HR committee & was co-opted onto the SABJD Gauteng Council in 2019. She has also worked alongside the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre and is a Melton alumni.
SHERI HANSON is a social worker in private practice and has worked in NGOs both within the Jewish and the broader community. She obtained her undergraduate degree at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed a master’s degree in Play Therapy at the University of Pretoria. She obtained her PhD in the co-occurrence of woman and child abuse from the University of Johannesburg, after which she completed a post-doctoral position at the Centre for Research and Development in Africa and has published academically both locally and internationally. She has a special interest in working with children, adolescents and adults who suffer from anxiety. Currently, she serves as co-chairperson of the Ethics Advisory Committee for the SAPC. Committed to working for the Jewish Community, she has served on the Executive Committee for the Jewish Women's Benevolent Society and currently volunteers for Hatzolah on their Crisis Response Unit.
RABBI DOVID HAZDAN was born in 1958 in Warmbaths (Bella Bella), South Africa where his father served as Rabbi. He studied in Yeshivas in Kfar Chabad Israel, and in New Haven Connecticut and received Smicha at Central Lubavitch Yeshivas, New York. In 1982 he married Feige Slavin in New York. In 1983, Rabbi Hazdan was appointed principal of the Torah Academy Boys’ High, Johannesburg and is presently Dean of the Torah Academy. In 1989 he assumed the additional position of Rabbi of the Great Synagogue – now Great Park Synagogue. Rabbi Hazdan is a Board Member of Afrika Tikkun. In 2014 he was awarded the KIA Community Service Award and in 2018, Cycalive – an event that he founded and heads – won the Gauteng Award for Social Transformation Through Sport. Rabbi Hazdan has four children and 12 grandchildren.
HAROLD JACOBS was admitted as an attorney and practiced for his own account in Pretoria under the name and style of Goodman & Jacobs for almost 12 years. During that period, he served on the Pretoria Hebrew Congregation and JAFFA in the capacity as Vice-President. Since 2002, he has been a Director of Werksmans Attorneys in Sandton. During 2016/2017 he also served on the Law Society Northern Province. Harold has served for a period of 4 years from 2015 as Vice-President of the South African Zionist Federation. He was co-opted onto the Gauteng Council of the SAJBD at the end of 2017 and subsequently served as one of the Vice-Chairpersons after being elected as a member in 2018. He is married to Nadia and they have two children.
DAVID KUMING: After matriculating at King David High School Victory Park in 1983, David obtained his B com, Bachelor of Accounting and PGD, PDM at Wits University. He completed his CA SA and articles at Fisher Hoffman Stride and went on to join Investec Bank, where he is currently a member of the Investment Banking Origination division. His communal work includes serving on the Pine Street Shul committee, the CSO and the South African Board of Jewish Education. He was elected to the Gauteng Council of the SAJBD in 2016 and in 2018, he took up the position of National Treasurer of the SAJBD. He is married and has three children.
SHAUN MATISONN is the Head of International Markets for the Vitality Group, a division of Discovery Limited, a leading international financial services institution founded on the principles of consumer engagement and wellness. He also serves on the executive committee of Discovery Limited and has been with the company since 1994. Previously, Shaun served as the CEO of PruProtection, where he created and grew the PruHealth and PruProtect businesses. He has published papers on health care reform and the use of medical savings accounts in various healthcare systems. He has also participated in consumer driven healthcare projects for the Harvard Business School. Shaun holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematical statistics and actuarial science from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries (UK), a Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa, an Associate of the Society of Actuaries (US) and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. He serves as the Charmain of Academy of Jewish thought and learning, is a trustee of Aish Hatorah and serves on the board of the SA Jewish report and the SA Jewish board of education.
PROF KAREN MILNER was educated at King David Linksfield and Wits University (BA Honours, MA, PhD). She has been an academic at Wits University since 1993, and currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Psychology. Karen is registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa as an Industrial Psychologist. She was elected onto the SAJBD Gauteng Council in 2010, is currently co-vice chair and one of the three vice chairs of the Board’s NEC. Karen is actively involved in combating antisemitism at all levels of South African society, especially university campuses. In August 2018 she completed the ISGAP summer institute in critical antisemitism studies at Oxford University.
DANIELLE (DANNY) MOFSOWITZ completed her schooling at King David Linksfield in 2000. After graduating with a BA in Marketing and Communications from RAU, she moved to New York where she studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. On her return to Johannesburg, she joined Atlas Finance where she started a property finance division dealing with mortgage origination and bridging finance. In 2008, she was appointed to the board of Atlas Finance. She heads up marketing and communications and is involved in strategy and innovation for the group. She also serves on the Social and Ethics Committee and is part of the Staff Wellness team. Danny served on the Chabad Young Drivers Committee from 2011-2014. In 2019 she joined the World Jewish Congress as a member of the JD Corps. Danny is a mom to two boys and a girl.
MARC POZNIAK was born in Houston Texas, immigrating to SA at the age of seven. He was head prefect at King David High School Linksfield in 1999 and went on to obtain his BA (Law and International Relations) and in 2005 his LLB at Wits University. Marc was actively involved in student affairs ultimately serving as National Chair of SAUJS. He was involved in combating antisemitism on campus and further afield, including at the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism in Durban. He is former chairman of the World Jewish Diplomatic Corp and in 2017 was elected to the Executive of the World Jewish Congress a position he still holds. Today Marc is a Director of JCE Industries, a leading accessory supplier in SA and sub-Saharan Africa. Marc has been a member of the SAJBD Gauteng Council since 2009 and was elected as its Chairperson in August 2017.
MENASHE NICHOLAS ‘NICK’ SELAMOLELA is a Director of Selacor Investments (Pty) Ltd, Selamed (Pty) Ltd, Founder Member Lemba Heritage Foundation, Former Right Worshipful Master: Lodge Somah Heber 1485 – 2017/18. Nick is a 47-year-old father of two, who comes from a family of self-starters. As a boy, he watched both his parents establish, grow and build their own diverse enterprises, laying a foundation for him to do the same. Nick grew up in the former homeland of Venda during the difficult times of South Africa, where his parents taught him that doing well takes hard work, a genuine interest in people and an understanding of the world. The family philosophy was to strive for the best and share your gains with others: give to the community and they will, in turn, give back to you. This is what helped him survive the ups and downs of business and, from a young age, he has split his time between work and communal organisations. Nick studied Judaism at the Ohr Torah Stone Yeshiva in Israel (Evrat Gush Etzion) under Rabbi Shlomo Riskin and is a member of the Hyde Park Shul led by Rabbi Mendel Lipskar. He takes pride in his Jewish heritage, welcoming friends of all faiths, and promoting Judaism as a faith of tolerance and understanding.
RABBI DAVID SHAW, a graduate of King David High School, Linksfield, has studied both locally and in Jerusalem with a focus on music and cantorial studies. He served as a chaplain in the SADF and as Head of Jewish Studies at Carmel School while simultaneously serving as the Chazan of the Victory Park Shul. David established a daily learning programme at the Congregation, which inspired many of those who attended to pursue Rabbinical studies themselves, and who now serve congregations around the world. He served on the SA Board of Jewish Education at JSUP where he lectured at the Hebrew Teachers Seminary and Jewish Studies Teachers Course and was the Registrar and senior lecturer at JSUP. He was appointed Director of Studies of the Mount Scopus University Program and then head of the Division of Informal Jewish education and concurrently served as the Menahel of Keter Torah. Rabbi Shaw lived in Sydney for 12 years before returning to the Sandton Shul where he is currently the Head Rabbi. He has served on the Gauteng Council since 2016. He is a member of the executive of the South African Rabbinical Association David is married to Renee, has 2 children and beautiful grandchildren.
BERNARD SHULL is a practicing attorney. He has served in various capacities on committees of Jewish and broader community welfare communal & sporting bodies. A past Grand President Hebrew Order of David International, he has also been a member of its Grand Executive continuously since 1977. He served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Sandton from time to time since 1975 and is a past Gabbai thereof. He is a member of the SAJBD National Executive Council continuously since 1988 and a member of the Gauteng Council since its establishment. He is a past Vice Chairman of the Gauteng Council.
MONICA SOLOMON has been active in communal affairs for over 20 years since she was on the organising committee of the WUPJ Biennial held in South Africa in 1997. She was President of the Sisterhood Movement from 2004 to 2010 and has just ended her 4-year term of office as Chair of the South African Union of Progressive Judaism (2016-2020). She has been a member of the SAJBD Gauteng Board since 2016 and is a member of the NEC. She served as the only non-North American Board Member of Women for Reform Judaism from 2010 - 2014. She has a diploma from PRISA and has Provincial Colours for Motorsport. Her contribution to Motorsport and Communal life have been acknowledged by Motorsport South Africa, The United Sisterhood and Progressive Congregations in South Africa. Together with her husband they own 2 companies wholesaling to the Hardware and Motor Spares industries. They have 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters.