Our Team
UJEB Staff
We wouldn’t be able to do the work that we do without our committed and inspiring staff.
Administration
Itzik Sztokman
Executive Principal
Dr Shlomi Hanuka
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning
Nicole Ellis
Deputy Principal - Operations
Amanda Brown
Marketing Manager
Julian Isaacs
Accounts
Rochelle Kotek
Office & Systems Manager and Bat Mitzvah Coordinator
Shimmy Goldberg
Philanthropy Manager
Adam Braitberg
Teen Engagement & Events Manager
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Teaching And Learning – Program Managers & Team Leaders
Bev Brand
Jewish Life Manager
Dana Reef
Hebrew Immersion Program Manager +Jewish Life Curriculum Manager, HIP Team Leader (Gardenvale)
Tal Spinrad
Project Kulanu Manager
Sahar Charit
HIP Team Leader (Caulfield South Primary, Carnegie Primary, Coatesville Primary) + Dovrei Ivrit Curriculum Manager
Anat Khakham
HIP Team Leader (Caulfield Junior College)
Sharni Briner
Israel Program Manager, BBYO Regional Director Australasia
Board of Management
Our Board provides governance, leadership and guidance to UJEB’s management and staff.
The Board meets once every six weeks as a collective, and at various other times on an as-needs basis. It comprises nine members with a range of skills and expertise from the corporate, finance, governance, not-for-profit, legal, Jewish communal, education and small business sectors.
Dr Simone Zmood
President
Simone has experience working in corporate, government, start-up, education, and not-for-profit realms. She is a parent of four young adults, two of whom participated in a range of UJEB programs including Jewish Life at primary school, the Bat Mitzvah program, UJEB camps, BBYO, and the Israel Trip. Simone recognises the important role that UJEB plays in nurturing a Jewish identify, imparting Jewish knowledge, and helping our young people at non-Jewish schools to connect with our vibrant Jewish community. She is passionate about helping young people actualise their abilities and be all that they can be.
Board Tenure: 4 years
Emily Brott
Vice President, Board Member
Emily provides strategic policy and operational advice to the Department of Justice and Community Safety, and is currently working in the community operations and parole space. Prior to working in government, she was a commercial lawyer. Emily is an avid reader, yoga practitioner and mum of two small children, both of whom will attend UJEB programs when they start school. She strongly believes in the importance of giving every Jewish child the opportunity to cultivate their own Jewish identity and connection to the Jewish community, no matter what school they attend.
Board Tenure: 3 years
Deborah Itzkowic
Secretary, Board Member
Deborah is a lawyer, investigator and mediator, who currently works as a workplace dispute resolution consultant. In addition to 15 years in the legal sector, she has 5 years of experience as a not-for-profit board member. She is passionate about ensuring that Jewish education is accessible, engaging and strengthens Jewish identity. Deborah is a mother of three, with two of her children currently attending the Gardenvale HIP program.
Board Tenure: 6 years
Greg Blashki OAM
Treasurer
Professionally, Greg is a forensic accountant carrying out financial investigations for legal disputes and was a senior partner in a mid-tier accounting firm for over 40 years. In the community, he has acted as honorary treasurer, board member or advisor for many Jewish organisations providing financial, strategic, mentoring, managerial and IT associated guidance to his boards and senior staff. He is very keen to help UJEB provide its important Jewish education to the large proportion of Jewish children at non-Jewish schools.
Dr Ann Wollner OAM
Board Member
Ann is a mother, grandmother, practising lawyer and child psychologist with particular interests in education, human rights and family violence. She has a long history of general and Jewish community involvement. Ann believes in the beauty and values of Judaism, and is committed to sharing them with our children.
Board Tenure: 8 years
Dr Jeremy Weinstein
Board Member, Chair – Education Committee
Jeremy is recognised globally as a thought leader and facilitator in helping people think differently about communicating, collaborating and learning. He's collaborated on projects in a range industries, from banking to healthcare to education, and with organisations from Australia’s top 50 ASX listed companies to the local primary school, all of them with communication at the core. He helps communities and organisations find problems worth solving, and helps people work their way through the hurdles of solving them with critical and creative thinking.
He is a trained Engineer, an award winning filmmaker, a Media academic, a UX designer, a healthcare project and relationship manager and a podcaster — showing he can do anything he turns his mind to. Currently, he is focussed on the delivery of improved educational opportunities for young people, through strategies for Government, schools and educators alike.
Board Tenure: 2 years
Leeora Epstein
Board Member
Leeora brings over 15 years corporate leadership experience across Australia and International markets and currently works on driving strategic growth embedded through consumer insight in the consumer goods industry. Raising her two children in her hometown of Melbourne, the elder of which attends the UJEB HIP program, Leeora is passionate in the belief that all children should have access to high quality Jewish education that serves as the foundation for their Jewish identity and place in the world.
Board Tenure: 2 years
Rachel Cohen
Board Member
Rachel is a Chartered Accountant and Assurance Director with over 10 years’ experience in financial governance, risk management and compliance across corporate and not-for-profit organisations. As a parent of a toddler with another child on the way, she feels personally connected to the importance of creating opportunities for all families to stay connected to Jewish life and learning, particularly those navigating life outside the Jewish day school system.
Julie Granek
Board Member
Julie has extensive experience in workforce capability, operational improvement, change management, and strategic enablement across diverse organisational environments. She has led multidisciplinary teams to deliver complex, large-scale initiatives and has worked closely with senior leaders to shape strategy and support values-driven decision-making. Julie is deeply committed to education, community connection, and cultural identity. She is a former UJEB instructor and a parent of two teenage children, one of whom has participated in UJEB programs. This gives her both professional expertise and personal insight into the UJEB community. Julie is passionate about strengthening access to high-quality Jewish education, fostering a strong sense of identity and belonging, and supporting young people to become confident, engaged, and connected members of the community.
Natasha Aaron
Board Member
Natasha brings over 15 years of experience leading marketing teams across US and Australian listed businesses, with deep expertise in food, retail and online delivery. A recent Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, she has a track record of building high-performing teams and brands at scale, with a particular passion for purpose-led businesses at the intersection of food and community. Natasha is a proud UJEB parent, with her son currently participating in the Jewish Life program. She believes deeply that every Jewish child, regardless of the school they attend, deserves access to programs that connect them to Jewish community and identity from a young age. She joins the Board committed to turning that belief into broader reach for families across Melbourne.