THE RABBINIC TEAM
Rabbi Mendel & Rebbetzen Chai Cohen
Rabbi Mendel Cohen and his wife Rebbetzen Chai joined the Rabbinic team as Rabbi at St John’s Wood Synagogue in 2018, after eight successful years as the Rabbi and Rebetzen of The Saatchi Synagogue, located on the SJW Synagogue site, together they oversaw its growth in membership and programmes.
Rabbi Mendel grew up in Leeds and received his Rabbinic ordination from the Machon Semicha Lerabanut. He has a Masters degree in Jewish Education and Leadership, and currently training as a Dayan with the Montefiore Endowment, under the auspices of Eretz Chemdah for advance Judaic Studies. Rabbi Mendel leads the Saatchi Minyan and is active throughout the many areas of communal and pastoral life, his office also organises the Saatchi Purim and Simchat Torah parties which take place annually as well as leading other events throughout the Jewish year.
Rebetzen Chai grew up in Seattle and is an active member of our Rabbinic, leading women’s classes and Young Families. Rebetzen Chai is also the Director of the St John’s Wood Kindergarten, and the Mimi Dwek Hebrew School, and amongst many other activities runs the Mummy and Me group on Wednesdays and our new Bar and Bat Mitzvah Programme.
Rabbi Mendel can be contacted by email at rmc@shulinthewood.com
Cantor Avraham Kirshenbaum
Cantor Avraham Kirshenbaum studied at the Central Cantorial School in Tel Aviv and in Petach-Tikva. He brings a wealth of experience with him having served as Chazan in numerous synagogues including Palm Beach – Florida, The Great Synagogue of Zichron Yaakov, Heichal Shlomo, The Great Synagogue of Tel-Aviv and performed in renowned concerts in Israel and worldwide. He has served as Cantor of the prestigious Jerusalem Great Synagogue and for the last three years has led choral festival and shabbat services at St John’s Wood.
Rabbi Yossi Binstock
Rabbi Yossi Binstock is our Chazan. Having grown up in our community he went on to study at Yeshivas Bais Yisroel for four years and Received Rabbinic Ordination. Rabbi Yossi Has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Hult International Business School and has formally been a part of the team since 2014.
He leads highly acclaimed participatory Shabbat and Festival services and is involved with a wide range of teaching within the community.
Rabbi Yossi can be contacted by email at yossi@shulinthewood.com
Shifra & Nadav Hacham
Nadav and Shifra Hacham, originally from Jerusalem, have joined St John’s Wood Shul as Community engagement and outreach directors, working with Young Professionals and Young Families. Nadav is a strategic consultant, Shifra is a pediatric Occupational Therapist. In their spare time, they enjoy traveling, exploring new cuisines, hosting and spending time with friends, watching shows and movies, or speaking passionately about Jewish philosophy or public policy issues.
Honorary Officers, Warden & Council
| Michael Abraham | Chairman |
|---|---|
| Rosanna Burr | Vice-Chair |
| Michel Sznajer | Financial Representative |
| Aviv Handler | Warden/Honorary Officer |
| Jourdan Rajwan | Warden/Honorary Officer |
| Pamela Crystal | Honorary Officer |
| Aliza Weinstein | Honorary Officer |
| Harlan Zimmerman | Honorary Officer |
Council
Michael Beagelman, Richard Braham, Lucy Collins, Caroline Gillis, Simone Klass, Andrew Mainz, David Marks, Sacha Nasan, Janet Weisz
Board of Deputies Representatives
Janet Weisz
To contact the Honorary Officers, please email hos@shulinthewood.com