Honorary Officers

Sam Franklin

Sam Franklin

Chairman

Since moving to the area in 2013 I’ve played a strong and active role in shaping our community. After attending the range of excellent services at Croxdale Road, I identified an opportunity to involve more people in the Shul, and co-founded the Nitzan Minyan. Since its inception, the Minyan has grown to more than just a shabbat morning service; organising excellent events, Yom Tov services and providing a foundation for new couples to engage with BES. I am proud that through this, new members of the Shul have integrated themselves into the fabric of our community and I have supported them to be involved with volunteer roles, new projects and as members of the Synagogue Council. Professionally, I am a Management Consultant at Atos Consulting, leading their Digital Workplace practice. I’ve an excellent track record of project and programme management, working on complex and diverse projects across sectors. This ranges from working with the International Olympic Committee to leading the team to build the replacement system for matching and allocating hearts and lungs for NHS Blood and Transplant! I believe that our Shul is entering a really exciting period and I am confident I bring the professional experience and the passion to help lead us during this time. I have already been part of innovative thinking around expanding the Shabbat offer at Croxdale Road and I would relish the opportunity to develop further inspiring and engaging services and activities. We are currently growing the Rabbinic Team, aiming to employee the first Female Community Educator and look to progress the plans to turn the Croxdale Road site into a Community Hub for all of BES. There has been a massive growth in the Jewish population in Borehamwood over the last few years, and I am ready to strengthen the great work and bring new initiatives to develop the community.

Tanya Charlton

Tanya Charlton

Deputy Chair (BES-wide)

What I hope to achieve: greater community cohesion, bringing people back to Shul post COVID 19, a reaffirmed pride in our community, a greater drive for social cohesion.

Lisbeth Gilmore

Lisbeth Gilmore

Vice-Chair (BES-wide)

It is now over thirty years since I stood under the chuppah in Shul at Croxdale Road with my husband Jeremy. Since then we have experienced all that BES has to offer, living on both the North side and now the South side with our two grown up sons. We have, like many people, experienced a very stressful couple of years and have certainly seen how BES comes together as a community in times of need. With my kids off my hands I felt the time was right to step up to the job and look forward to working with you in any way that I can.  In my day job I work in a West End Law Firm as an office manager and I have also been Chair of a UJIA committee and also heavily involved in Zichron Menachem and Israeli War Disabled.  This experience stands me in a good position for my role as Vice Chair of BES-Wide.

Joshua Schwartz

Joshua Schwartz

Financial Representative

I have lived in Borehamwood for 9 years with my wife Katie. We originally moved to the area to take the youth director role when we got married. After we finished working for the Shul we loved the community and saw no reason to leave. 7 years, and the addition of our 2-year-old daughter, Ariella – here we are. I am a Chartered Accountant currently working for Peloton Interactive. I am also the Finance Governor for Lonsdale School, a special needs school in Stevenage. This experience should put me in good stead to be FR. Outside of work I enjoy running and all things fitness and ran the London Marathon in 2018. I am a big believer in the importance of choice, and the variety and diversity of services and programming is BES's biggest strength. I was a founding member of Nitzan and am currently one of the children's service leaders. I know how valuable services like this are to our community. 

Benjamin Arnold

Benjamin Arnold

Vice-Chair (Croxdale), Warden (Croxdale)

I’ve lived in the community for most of my life (having my Bar Mitzvah, my Auf Ruf and my son’s Bar Mitzvah all in our Shul) and was previously on the Board of Management followed by 4 years as warden from 2013 to 2017. I then decided to return to the HO team to continue to develop the community, especially as we adapt to the “new normal” of the ongoing COVID situation.

Dan Miller

Dan Miller

Vice-Chair (Yavneh)

I’ve been living in Borehamwood for almost 15 years and this year celebrated my 10 year anniversary with my wife, Sara. We have two children. Yanina, five, and Ilan, almost three. We are passionate about the southside community. I’ve been leading children's services for three years and over the past two years run the baby/toddler and nursery/reception rotas, and more recently sat on the southside committee serving as Children's Services Executive. I feel this is a good time to offer my professional expertise as a Product Manager in Cloud Communications . I have a strategy and roadmap to bring the community back to its thriving weekly attendance that includes communal events, enhanced kiddushim, inclusive and engaging initiatives tailored to the southside community, as well as a host of programmes and childrens activities for all the Chaggim. I appreciate that COVID has hit us hard, and I look forward to the challenge of ‘bringing us together’ by introducing in-person communal activity, programmes and events in an engaging new way.

Caroline Levison

Caroline Levison

Vice-Chair (BES Women)

My aim is to engage women of all ages in the community through religious services, practices, education and socially. I am here to ensure that women are considered in all Synagogue Council decisions and endeavours, are provided with opportunities to grow spiritually, and feel welcome and supported in typically male-dominated spaces. 

David Nathan

Warden (Yavneh)