Marc Sugarman
CEO
Marc worked on the stock market for 17 years, and then helped run a consultancy and family office. He is a Non-Executive Director of Brighton and Hove Albion FC, and a Trustee of Albion in the Community, Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) and the Bloom Foundation. Brighton is a special place for Marc, and he felt that the Jewish Community deserved an outstanding facility in the city. Marc saw a chance to deliver just that at New Church Road.
Matt Marks
Head of Community Engagement
Matt has spent the last few years at the Kollel Halacha in Yeshivat Har Etzion, as well as teaching at Yeshiva programmes across Jerusalem. He has recently completed his Rabbinic studies and a Masters degree, as well as fellowships through Mizrachi UK, LSJS and OUJLIC. He is passionate about education for all ages, and has taught in schools across the UK. He is thrilled to be moving to Brighton with his young family this summer.
Sarah Rose
Head of People & Operations
Sarah’s background is in HR and operations, and she specialises in supporting non-profits build the best foundation for their teams to thrive. She is a member of JW3’s Young Advisory Board and has voluntary experience supporting Jewish charities around the UK and beyond. After recently completing her Masters in HR, Sarah is excited to bring her expertise into practice at BNJC.
Jasmin Aziz
Head of Marketing & Communications
Jasmin’s background is in marketing, events and fundraising for charities and has extensive experience of working with Jewish organisations around the world. She is excited about how facilities at BNJC will bring communities together, and the opportunities it will create for young Jewish people around the UK to call Brighton their home.
Ralph Baker
Head of Finance
Ralph has recently moved over to the UK from Cape Town. He spent 12 years in Banking, followed by 26 years as the accountant for two businesses in the retail sector. Since 2020 Ralph has been actively involved in the Cape Town Jewish Community as a financial consultant, and is thrilled to be able to offer his services to BNJC in Brighton.
Ashley Woolfe
Membership & Partnerships Executive
Born and raised in Brighton, Ash has been working at BNJC since the start. Having run his own sports management and events company for over 25 years, you will now find Ash working out on the seafront early in the morning come rain or shine. He enjoys watching Brighton & Hove Albion FC and is very excited about developing the events programme for BNJC.
Lindy Diamond
Events and Accommodation Manager
Lindy brings a decade-and-a-half of experience in Jewish communal spaces to her new role at BNJC. She has worked and volunteered in numerous Jewish organisations, in Cape Town and more recently in London. She plans to bring her full professional palette with her every day, to play her part in delivering a unique and inspirational experience to all who visit BNJC.
Sheerelle Marks
Families and Education Manager
Born and raised in London, Sheerelle has recently moved to Brighton from Israel with her husband Matt and four wonderful daughters, to support Jewish Education at BNJC. A lifelong educator, Sheerelle is passionate about supporting Early Years development and imbuing our community centre with lifelong Jewish learning for all ages.
Ally Goldberg
Marketing & Events Officer
Ally comes from a background in events & business development, and is a passionate advocate for the Jewish community. She is excited to help BNJC to develop a diverse and accessible programme of events for the community. She’s also a freelance writer, with a focus on life as a Jewish person, and how Judaism can intersect with other areas of people’s lives and identities.
Ori Selkirk
Site Caretaker
Originally from Staffordshire, Ori spent 12 years in Israel from the age of 7. When Ori moved to Sussex in 2020, he felt a distinct lack of all the Jewish culture and community he had been taking for granted for most of his life. Naturally, he resonated with BNJC’s vision and takes pride in being a part of the team and looking after the site where it all happens.
Liz Brown
Shoresh Nursery Headteacher
Liz has been in the teaching profession for nearly 20 years and is thrilled to put her passion and expertise in BNJC’s new nursery. After gaining qualified teaching status at Sussex University, she started her career as a secondary school Music teacher, but has spent most of her time working with primary and early years. She has spent the last 9 years as an Independent Prep and Early Years Headteacher and Principal working in London, Sussex, and Exeter.
Stephanie Anderson
Assistant Nursery Headteacher
Stephanie’s background is in education and psychotherapy. She is qualified as an Early Years Practitioner, Integrative Humanistic Psychotherapist and Children’s Creative Arts and Play Therapist. She’s genuinely excited to join the Shoresh Nursery team and blend her love of Humanistic counselling theory, with her passion for child development and education.
Meet our trustees
Our board of trustees volunteer their time and expertise for BNJC, united in a shared vision to help us build a vibrant Jewish community for Brighton & Hove.
Natasha Isaac
Trustee
Natasha is a Brighton-based barrister working primarily in family law. Aside from her current role as trustee for the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, she has also been involved in the Jewish Museum, Tzedek and Jewish Women’s Aid as well as sitting on her synagogue board. Natasha and her husband have recently moved to Brighton to be nearer their jobs and close family and have enjoyed becoming a part of the local community
Michael Davids
Trustee
Michael has over 30 years’ experience in financial services and equity markets. He is Chair of Brighton & Hove Jewish Housing Association, trustee of Helping Hands and a member of the Brighton & Hove Holocaust Education Project. Michael was born and raised in Brighton and has a long involvement in the Jewish community. His late father was Chairman of Brighton and Hove Hebrew Congregation (BHHC), and he has served many terms on their board himself.
Ellisa Estrin
Trustee
Ellisa has dedicated her career to the fields of fundraising, marketing, and communications. With a background in advertising and a decade-long tenure at Jewish Care, she is passionate about serving the community through strategic campaigns and brand development. As the current Director of Fundraising & Marketing for Jewish Care and Trustee for Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, Ellisa brings a wealth of expertise to her role at BNJC and is excited to support our organisation thrive.
Robert Comer
Trustee
Robert started his professional life working for HMRC as a tax inspector before joining a local accountant firm. He has since set up his own private practice in Brighton (CCI Chartered Accountants) where he heads up the tax department. Robert is proud to live in Brighton & Hove and champions the city as a wonderfully eclectic place to live. He hopes that BNJC will regenerate the local Jewish community and create an environment where the Brighton & Hove community, irrespective of faith, can meet and learn from each other.
Yael Breuer
Trustee
Originally from Rehovot, Israel, Yael has lived in Brighton for over 30 years. With a background in journalism, she has contributed articles to publications across the UK and beyond and exercises her interviewing skills on Brighton’s TV channel, Latest TV. Alongside journalism, Yael is also a Hebrew teacher & translator, and is particularly proud of the best-selling book she co-authored, ‘Hilarious Hebrew: The Fun and Fast Way to Learn the Language’. Yael is enthusiastic about supporting BNJC in realising its vision to enrich the local cultural landscape through its diverse programme of events.
Justin Bohm
Trustee
Justin qualified as a chartered accountant with Andersen. He is currently the CFO of a consultancy business, having worked for a number of listed, PE-backed and private companies in the marketing, telco and recruitment sectors as well as acting as a governor and subsequently trustee of his children’s primary school. Justin brings a deep understanding to the role, having been an advisor to the project to regenerate the Brighton and Hove community for a number of years and is excited to help BNJC realise its vision.