Meet The Team
Our team is the engine room driving stategy, partnerships and curricula.
The Professional Team
Viv Anstey | Director
Nicole Merdjan
Dvorah Stein
Michelle Stein
Abigail Smith
Ashley Hurwitz
Alexi Silverman
THE ADVISORY BOARD
Our Board comprises leading members of the Cape Town Jewish community, bringing a combined 300 years of accumulated leadership, dedication to community, sharing of expertise and heart. Each board member cares deeply about investing in the future of the community, and all are anchored by strong, visionary and values-based leadership.
Ronnie Stein
Chairman
Natalie Barnett
Philip Krawitz
Adam Mendelsohn
Bernard Osrin
Myra Osrin
Viv Anstey (Director)
Viv can be described as a serial social entrepreneur, being the catalyst for numerous start-ups in the SA Jewish scene. She has had a hand in establishing Melton, Limmud SA, Jewish Literary Festival, PJ Library, Tikkun, the SA Jewish Museum and Jewish trauma network. From a Master’s in Social Work to a Master’s in Jewish Community Service and recipient of numerous local and international awards including the Eric Samson Mendel Kaplan Communal Service Award in 2021, Viv sees her role in this new EOLI initiative as an acknowledgement to her mentors as well as her personal investment in Jewish continuity.
Nicole Merdjan – Support Manager
Nicole has experience in project management, marketing and customer relations management, communication, market research, operations and human resources management. Nicole established one of the first retail Rewards/Loyalty programmes in South Africa. Nicole has joined EOLI as Support Manager.

Projects Co-ordinator: Jade Wasserman
Jade is passionate about community and has a long track record of service, starting at The Great Park Synagogue, in Johannesburg, where she ran children services and served on the shul committee. Additional community experience includes her work with the Union for Jewish Women and volunteering for meals on wheels.
Jade’s interest in Jewish education escalated when working for the Division of Informal Jewish Education, and she spent time as a pre-school teacher in the United Herzlia schools. She is especially passionate about empowering women and teachers in the Early Childhood Development sector, with a focus on growth and development of the South African underprivileged community. This drew her to the work of Ikamva Labantu and ORT SA Cape Education, training and developing teachers to become the best and next generation of educational practitioners and leaders in the country.
Jade is proud to be involved professionally with EOLI and playing a vital role as Projects Co-ordinator, ensuring strong leadership succession for the CT Jewish Community.
Chairman: Ronnie Stein
Ronnie Stein held the position of CFO at The Foschini Group for 19 years. He recently retired but remains on the supervisory board and is a member of the Risk, Nomination and Board Audit Committees. Ronnie holds the following positions in the Cape Town Jewish Community: Trustee of the UJC, Member of the Priorities Board, Chairman of the Allocations Committee, Trustee of the UHS (United Herzlia Schools), Trustee of the CSO, Chairman of the Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute, Chairman of the Herzlia Foundation Trust.
Natalie Barnett
Since she left the corporate world over twenty years ago, Natalie has been privileged to be able to contribute her skills in a number of NGO’s and community organisations as a volunteer. She has wide board and advisory committee experience (YAD, Ikamva Labantu, CT Holocaust and Genocide Centre, Midrasha Adult Education, United Herzlia Schools) and has mentored individuals in various roles. She is passionate about EQ, education and community, is able to see the bigger picture and identify how to integrate various aspects for the greater good.
Alison Berk Katzeff
Alison’s involvement with Community began 27 years ago. Her current position as Chairperson of United Jewish Campaign (Cape Town) has increased her involvement both locally and in Israel. Alison is excited about the Community – its challenges, successes, trials and tribulations. She keeps a strategic view with specific focus on the overall future of the community, the changing face of philanthropy and transition to future generations – locally and worldwide. Alison’s leadership roles include UHS, CT Jewish Community Priorities Board, Yeshiva of CT, CT Jewish Board of Deputies and Claremont Wynberg Hebrew Congregation.
Philip Krawitz
As Chairman of Cape Union Mart, Philip understands that the quality of a company can only be equal to the quality of its people. As a Communal Leader he realises that a Community can only be as strong as the quality of its leaders. Philip currently chairs the Boards of Trustees of both Herzlia and The United Jewish Campaign. He also serves as a trustee of many organisations such as the CSO and the Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre. He hopes that graduates of the Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute will succeed him in many of the traditions he holds dear. He is therefore proud to be involved with The Eliot Osrin Leadership Institute aiming to future proof our Community by developing outstanding leaders.
Tamar Lazarus
Tamar Lazarus, born and raised in Israel, came to Durban South Africa after serving in the IDF, married Ronald and raised three children. She relocated to Cape Town in 2002. She is Honorary President of WIZO SA, Vice Chairman South African Zionist Federation and Treasurer of Bnoth Zion WIZO.
Adam Mendelsohn
Adam is an Associate Professor of Historical Studies and the Director of the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at UCT. He holds a PhD in Modern Jewish History from Brandeis University. The Kaplan Centre, the only research institute in Africa focused on Jews, is currently conducting two intensive studies of the Cape Town and South African Jewish communities.
Bernard Osrin
Bernard works in the financial services industry. His community involvement includes Herzlia, Highlands House, United Jewish Campaign, Red Cross Children’s Hospital and the NSRI.
Myra Osrin
Past Chairman Bnoth Zion /Wizo (1980-81); Western Province Zionist Council (1984-1988); Cape Town Holocaust Memorial Council (1989-1999). Founder of Cape Jewish Chronicle (1984); Founder and Honorary Director of Cape Town Holocaust and Genocide Centre (1999).
Abigail Smith – Ethical Leadership
Abigail’s focus on Ethical Leadership includes supporting the recent Ethics Symposium, and the case studies writing programme, designed to transmit institutional memory, with the goal of empowering leaders and refining leadership skills. Highly motivated to see social change, she has worked in the fields of HIV treatment literacy; early childhood development; dementia and other Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) recognition, as well as advocacy for those in need. Abigail brings a wealth of work experience both in Southern Africa and internationally to her position on the EOLI team.
Alexi Silverman – Leadership Succession
In her portfolio on EOLI’s Talent Scouting track, which includes leadership and succession, Alexi will drive EOLI’s Circle – an initiative that aims to ignite authentic connections within our Young Adult community. She will be involved in creating a space to nurture new forms of leadership and community engagement to inspire growth and facilitate positive change. With her extensive experience as an educator, facilitator and learning designer Alexi has crafted immersive learning experiences and fostered meaningful connections with individuals and groups.
Dvorah Stein – People Development Strategy
As a long-standing faculty member of the EOLI team, Dvorah designs, develops and facilitates leadership development and learning programs. She is a People and Culture Strategist and Professional Certified Coach (PCC), founder of The Hive and is on the faculty of Integral+ Africa’s Coaching Centre. Dvorah has a background of 20 years in Industrial Psychology in people development, change management, HR and Learning and Development. Inspired by seeing possibilities become reality, Dvorah finds meaning supporting people to engage whole-heartedly, transform obstacles and find fulfillment.
Ashley Hurwitz – Schools’ Programmes
Supporting EOLI’s vision of “Building tomorrow’s leaders today”, Ashley Hurwitz is involved in developing leadership skills amongst all Jewish youth in Cape Town, across Jewish Day Schools and beyond. An expert in creating impactful learning curriculums and programs, Ashley is the founder and principal consultant of Ashley Hurwitz Consulting, a firm dedicated to driving transformative change in individuals and organisations. She has over 30 years’ experience in the fields of Human Capital Management, Change Management, Organisation Design, Corporate Communications, as well as Learning and Development.
Michelle Stein – Funding & Financial Sustainability
Michelle Stein focuses on fundraising development and sustainability strategy, by upskilling and implementing best practice. Her work will ensure an investment vision for EOLI, as well as span the community to create engaged, philanthropic leaders who actively participate in a culture of meaningful giving. Founder of Handmade Fundraising, Michelle has extensive experience as a fundraising consultant and trainer, specialising in high-value fundraising from major donors, corporates, trusts and foundations. She has worked in both in the UK and South Africa, building relationships with some of the globe’s biggest philanthropic families.