ALUMNI 2020
EOLI Alumni bring new competencies, creativity and credentials to a diverse range of organisations across the spheres of Jewish community
Ariel Sumeruk
Benjy Blumenthal
Cindy Bacher
Dana Tadmor
Danielle Daitz
David Epstein
Glen Heinrich
Howard Richman
Janine Davimes
Janine Rodgers
Jonathan Hoffenberg
Karen Kallmann
Karen Schwartz
Karen Tollman
Laila Saven
Lara Utian
Lauren Cohn
Lee-Anne Singer
Melanie Levy
Melissa Zolty
Nicola Harris
Rivkah Myburgh
Sasha Sanders
Shana Isserow
Shimpa Moch
Tammi Glick
Ariel Sumeruk
2020 Graduate
“I found the experience to be a very positive one and I have a great appreciation for the communal structures and the extent of work done for our community and the various organisations. The best part of the course was the opportunity to work with fellow participants and to be inspired by their experience and commitment. I believe the relationships that we formed will help us in building bridges in community service roles in the future”.
Benjy Blumenthal
Educator: United Herzlia Schools, CSO
“I have learnt a tremendous amount. I have been exposed to some insightful and incredible speakers. I’ve learnt a lot about leadership and myself. The highlight for me was the Action Learning component, where after several months of planning, we rolled out a wonderful programme at Herzlia that exposed our matric learners to several of the communal organisations. For anyone who’s interested in personal development and developing themselves as leaders, and learning about leadership, I would highly recommend this course.”
Cindy Bacher
2020 Graduate
“It has been a long but wonderful journey but one finally concluding with our group presentation. The highlights for me were coming alone to a group of people I didn’t know before, being me without being judged or previously known and getting to know so many lovely new people. The module on ethical and moral leadership in an unequal society was my highlight. I loved meeting the dynamic ladies running these organisations, seeing what they do and just how capable they are. I enjoyed the leading in crisis, conversational intelligence and coaching modules – aspects I can apply to my everyday life”.
Dana Tadmor
CSO
“The calibre of the lecturers was phenomenal and their knowledge and patience was of a very high standard. I loved interacting with others and learning different aspects of leadership. I learnt to let go of control and allow a process to happen. It’s been an incredible learning and life-changing experience”.
Danielle Daitz
Leadership Development Manager: United Israel Appeal (NSW, Australia)
“I began the EOLI process with a bit of imposter syndrome. I didn’t recognise myself as a leader, although I’ve been responsible for leading many projects throughout my adult life. I always just considered that it was part of my job. I didn’t think that my opinions were valid or valued and through the process of EOLI I’ve definitely grown in confidence. I found learning again to be inspiring from excellent thought leaders and facilitators. I found the learning around ethical leadership the most valuable part of the process. I enjoyed getting to know the Cohort, networking and forming relationships, being able to learn from each other’s experiences. I see EOLI as the starting point of my leadership journey and I look forward to exploring more about myself as a leader in the future”.
David Epstein
2020 Graduate
Glen Heinrich
Investment committee member: Herzlia Foundation Trust,
Mentor: Ort Jet Cape Town
“My learnings and insights were around knowledge accumulation around the community and the structures and it really highlighted what a privilege it is to be part of a community like this and the responsibility that we all have to give back. Working in a team of diverse people and skillsets was both a challenge and an opportunity and we managed to pull together and come through with something we can be proud of”.
Howard Richman
Volunteer: Temple Israel
“…I was compelled to give back and I was interested to see if these community structures could be replicated by and for the benefit of other communities in SA who have a desperate need for such support structures. The course was amazing for many reasons: meeting a whole new network of participants, exposure to and insight into numerous organisations in the community, incredible modules, thought provoking topics and leadership tools to apply. The faculty were top notch. Highlights: the action learning module, self discovery, learning about my strengths and also being able to be liberated from my weaknesses”.
Janine Davimes
Jean’s Kitchen: Kaplan Centre, UCT
“This journey not only explored values and passions but also involves recognising one’s strengths, acknowledging one’s skills, and creating experiences, facing one’s challenges. It was a journey in pursuit of greater understanding and some valuable insights into the CT Jewish community, its leadership and the challenges they face. Of the 5 modules, for me, the Leader as Coach was absolutely fantastic – the “what” instead of the “why” was a game changer and really so useful in the work space and personally. The Action Learning was my highlight – solving real problems while developing leadership skills, building teams, collaborating, partnering, sharing and leading with intent and transforming organisations, and most importantly, building trust within the team. I will be sharing my learnings in the workplace and hope to continue being part of this amazing community in a proactive way”.
Janine Rodgers
Professional: Jacob Gitlin Library, Volunteer: Jewish Literary Festival
“What a privilege it was to be part of such a comprehensive and immersive learning experience. A highlight for me was the opportunity to meet, interact and learn from my fellow Cohort members who are such a diverse and talented group of people. The faculty were all top calibre, the sessions were interesting and relevant to my personal and career development. The section on ethics was really meaningful – it was really good to think about our place in the SA context. The Action Learning module was challenging and really stretched us all I think”.
Jonathan Hoffenberg
Edcation Volunteer, Professional Counselor
“My initial context was one of excitement and feeling humbled by my selection onto the EOLI programme. Re-entering the community I had presumptions around conservatism, and the same stereotypes of the types of people I would meet. I was very surprised by the diversity of the Cohort. I was very impressed by the scope and the depth and the professionalism of the EOLI programme and there were some amazing sections and lessons and topics…”
Karen Kallmann
Chairperson: Union of Jewish Women
“We started by taking a deep look inside
Learn, unlearn, re-learn was our guide’
Who am i? What do I value? What do I choose?
Listening to others, considering their views.
Understanding the historical challenges of our CT Jewish community
Exploring how decisions were made in order to ensure unity and maximise opportunity.
Role playing, arguing, discussing, debating
Hearing the other side of the story, irrespective of how frustrating…”
Karen Schwartz
2020 Graduate
“Connecting with a group of people who I didn’t know before and connecting with them through the modules, through the information and working in small teams and learning a lot about them and the subject matter and missed them when we went online My highlights include Marianne’s course on ethics and going out to the NGO’s. I went to the Counselling Hub and it was really inspirational. The learning for me was around working in a team. I’m used to working alone and it was real growth for me to work with other people with very different ideas and different ways of managing, leading, thinking”.
Karen Tollman
Fundraiser
“For me the key highlights were the AL components, the immersion into the incredible Mensch network and going to Ort SA Cape, looking at the work they do in Khayletisha. In terms of key leadership skills what stood out for me were deep active listening in order to become a more effective leader and a better communicator; and coaching as a leadership skill. Thank you to EOLI for everything that you have inspired me to become – a better leader, both in the CTJC and beyond”.
Laila Saven
2020 Graduate
“The highlight for me has been interacting with all the people and faculty members that I’ve met. The biggest learning for me has been to listen more quietly. It’s been a very challenging year with Covid and with that there’s never been a time with a greater need for a strong community so I’m very grateful and appreciative of the community and everything that it has provided and to be aware of all aspects of community and be a part of something”.
Lara Utian
2020 Graduate
“Highlights included meeting a diverse group with diverse interests as well as learning about the history of the community and having to put ourselves in those positions and understand how difficult it is to make the right choice; as well as the sessions on ethical leadership and coaching. I’m proud to have been a part of this Cohort and to have met the most amazing people and hopefully to continue those relationships”.
Lauren Cohn
Chair: Jewish Community Services/Tikvah Foodbank
“It’s been a privilege and a wonderful learning experience to be back in a learning platform after so many years and discovering things about myself that I never knew, never thought I could do and putting our learnings into practice in the working environment of JCS. I’ve loved meeting people I probably wouldn’t have come into contact with otherwise and who’ve enriched my thinking, changed my outlook and I feel privileged to be a part of this Cohort. Highlights include the final presentations where we could see the outcomes of our Action learning projects come to fruition and to be able to proudly present to our community an amazing achievement of raising R185K for the JCS Tikvah Foodbank”.
Lee-Anne Singer
Board Member: Glendale Home
Melanie Levy
Member: Board of Governors: United Herzlia Schools, Committee Member: Oranjia
Melissa Zolty
Project Manager & specific focus on school’s community curriculum, Committee member: Staffwise
Nicola Harris
2020 Graduate
“What I learnt in this past year is that the first step in leadership is to step up and I developed a newfound respect and was humbled by the number of people I was exposed to who have done that both professionally and as volunteers and how generous they have been with both their passion and their time. It made me look around and see those in my community and beyond in a different light. I thoroughly enjoyed and grew from every module and I will take with me a newfound confidence in myself that I now have skills that can indeed make a difference”.
Rivkah Myburgh
Manager of Philanthropic Foundation, Committee Member: Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape Council)
“The EOLI gave me the necessary tools to motivate and inspire in hard times. Throughout our learning and throughout our journey over the past year, and especially with regards to our AL topic, People Development Strategy in community organisations, I got to learn about what’s happening internally within our organisations. I’m very much looking forward to playing my part and getting involved in our community on a different level and hopefully to help make a change and future-proof our community going forward”.
Sasha Sanders
2020 Graduate
“The calibre of speakers in the theory modules were super knowledgeable, informed and stimulating. The scale or breadth of work this community does – I had no idea. The work the groups did was not just an academic exercise. Really valuable and usable stuff came out that can have practical application.”
Shana Isserow
Lay Counselor & Administration: Nechama Bereavement Organisation
“Not only has the course given me the skills to further my leadership skills, but also given me the tools to encourage me to be more involved in my current position and given me much more confidence. One of the greatest insights I have learnt is the power of words and how the role of leaders in today’s times are ever changing, how important it is to get buy in from the people around you and to make others feel important and valued”.
Shimpa Moch
Educator: United Herzlia Schools
“EOLI has gotten me into the mindset of leadership not just in the school where I work, although it has had significant impact on my thinking there, but also on how I think about leadership in the community. I’ve learnt that leadership has 2 components – it’s about animating the people that you have, developing their talents so that everyone benefits, but it’s also about vision and building a space and a culture within that space. I learnt from the group dynamics that this is something that has to be consciously planned, worked around and dealt with appropriately otherwise you can run into issues down the line”.
Tammi Glick
2020 Graduate
“My highlight was Helen Lieberman’s talk as well as the session with Gideon which I found interactive, engaging and thought provoking. I appreciate that I got to meet a variety of people that I would likely never have come across or had the opportunity to connect with and am grateful for that. I hope and have no doubt that we will come across one another many times in our Jewish community over the next couple of decades”.