Prof. Saul Berman,Professor of Jewish Studies, Stern College of Yeshiva University, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University School of Law, USA

Ann Harris was educated in England, before moving to South Africa in 1988 with her husband, the late Chief Rabbi Harris. She is a solicitor now retired, having practiced in England for nearly 30 years. In Johannesburg she worked as a member of the legal team running the Wits Law Clinic and directed the Practical Legal Studies course. Her current communal involvements include: Founder Board Member Afrika Tikkun; Chair of Trustees Chief Rabbi CK Harris Memorial Foundation; President African Jewish Congress; Regional Chair Commonwealth Jewish Council; and Trustee Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Foundation.

David Saks joined the SA Jewish Board of Deputies as Senior Researcher in April 1997 and was appointed Associate Director in 2005. He has been editor of the Board’s journal, Jewish Affairs, since 1999, and is also a regular contributor to the SA Jewish Report and other Jewish publications. David has also authored a number of books. Prior to joining the SAJBD, David was Curator of History at Museum Africa. He holds an M.A. in History from Rhodes University.

Ilana Stein has degrees in Nature Conservation and English. Ilana combines both in her work as a writer, editor and content manager for Africa’s foremost ecotourism company, Wilderness Safaris. She is inspired by Wilderness’ vision of making a difference in Africa through sharing the benefits of ecotourism with local communities and protecting wildlife in the long term. When not in the office or out in the bush, she lectures on Tanach (bible) and Jewish environmental topics at the Academy of Jewish Thought and Learning as well as at the Emunah Beit Midrash of Johannesburg. Ilana has a fondness for climbing sand dunes and hugging trees.

Prof. Adam D. Mendelsohn is Director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies & Research and Associate Professor of History at the University of Cape Town. He was Curator and Chief Historian of the recent exhibition The First Jewish Americans at the New-York Historical Society, and co-curator of By Dawn’s Early Light at the Princeton University Museum of Art.

David Gidron, a social psychologist and expert in community resilience, David is a Lt. Colonel (res) in the IDF, head of the Civil Emergency Behavior Branch in the Home Front Command. David worked as an expert consultant and researcher for public and private organizations in Israel and abroad developing doctrines, models and policies for community resilience and response in crisis. David has done training for organizations such as: FEMA, JFK Airport, Mumbai Municipality and others. In Israel, he was the professional director for the five ITC resilience centers in western Negev including Sderot.

David is the lead professional for the JDC resilience team, developing and implementing a unique model for community resilience among Jewish communities in Europe and with specific target groups including young adults, Rabbi’s, and social workers.

Prof. Deborah Posel is a professor of sociology at the University of Cape Town, and the founding director of The Institute for Humanities in Africa (HUMA). Prior to that, she spent many years at the University of Witwatersrand as a professor of sociology and director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WISER), which she founded in 2000. She has written and published widely on aspects of South African politics and society during and beyond the apartheid years.