Rabbinic Council
Our work is governed and guided by the halachic authority and religious guidance of Chinuch UK’s Rabbinic Council.
Comprising senior Rabbis from each of the regions where we operate. The council is proactively engaged in and kept fully informed of our advocacy and school improvement activities. Regular and ad hoc meetings take place between the Rabbinic council and our representatives. In particular, strategy and documentation about religiously sensitive topics is discussed with all council members before release to our membership.
Gateshead
Rabbi Avrohom Gurwicz – Rosh Yeshiva (Dean) of Gateshead Talmudical College
Manchester
Rabbi Yisroel Chaim Horowitz – Rabbi of the Satmar Community
Rabbi Gavriel Knopfler – Rosh Yeshiva (Dean) of Yeshivas Sharei Torah
N London
Rabbi Zev Feldman – Member of the UOHC Rabbinate and Rabbi of Torah Etz Chaim (69) Shul
Rabbi Yosef Padwa – Dayan of the UOHC and Rabbi of Cheshev Hoeifod Synagogue
NW London
Rabbi Yisroel Meir Greenberg –Member of the UOHC Rabbinate and Rabbi of the Golders Green Beth Hamedrash
Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman – Rov and Av Beis Din of the Federation of Synagogues
Steering Group
Chinuch UK is led by a Steering Group comprising representatives of Charedi schools in each of the four main UK communities: Gateshead, North London, North West London and Manchester. Steering Group members are drawn from the school community in each locality and include individuals with a wealth of experience in representing our needs to government.
Manchester
Rabbi Aharon Pinczewski
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Yodaiken
Gateshead
Rabbi Godel Heilpern
Rabbi Dov Oppenheimer
N London
Rabbi Yehuda Baumgarten
Rabbi Shmuel Lew
Mrs Chaya Spitz OBE
NW London
Mr Andrew Cohen
Dr David Landau
Rabbi Nessanel Lieberman
Meet the Steering Group
Our steering group members bring a diverse range of expertise to our Organisation. The ten members operate both as individuals and as a unit, sharing a common goal of helping the Charedi Schools succeed in all areas of their needs. Read on to find out more:
Rabbi Godel Heilpern
Rabbi Godel Heilpern has been actively involved in establishing and building The Gateshead Cheder School, in Gateshead. He is their Chair of Governors and has assisted the school through a number of cycles of Ofsted inspections; and he brings first-hand relevant input to the Steering Group.
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Yodaiken
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Yodaiken is the CEO Executive Headteacher of Yesoiday Hatorah Multi Academy Trust, as well as being a sought-after education consultant.
Rabbi Yodaiken has a doctorate in Education and was a member of the Primary Headteachers Reference Group for 8 years; a group of successful headteachers who meet regularly in the DfE, to review and discuss education, legislation, and issues pertaining to schools throughout the country. He is also an Executive member of the Torah Umesorah Teaching Centre in Manchester and has authored two books on parenting “Building Blocks of Chessed” and “Cornerstone of Chinuch”.
Rabbi Shmuel Lev
Rabbi Shmuel Lew is Chair of Governors at the Beis Rochel D’Satmar Girls Primary and Secondary School, which together form the largest Charedi school in Europe.
Rabbi Lew is a highly regarded leader in the Stamford Hill community, as well as serving as Rabbi of his congregation, the Divrei Yoel Synagogue. His extensive community work brings practical experience to the Steering Group.
Mr Andrew Cohen
Mr Andrew Cohen is one of Chinuch UK’s Founding Trustees. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant and brings the wealth of his wide-ranging experience to the Steering Group.
He is the Chair of Governors of Beis Yaakov Primary School in NW London, a position he has held for many years. He is also the President of The Federation of Synagogues, the parent body of over 40 communities in London and Manchester.
Dr David Landau
Dr David Landau is trustee of Chinuch UK and Chairman of the Steering Group. He was a Consultant Clinical Oncologist at Guys and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust.
He serves as chair of governors of Menorah High School for Girls, one of the country’s leading state secondary schools. He is passionate about education and about supporting minority groups’ rights to retain their identity in the UK, particularly through education.
Rabbi Nessanel Lieberman
Rabbi Lieberman is both a member of the Chinuch UK consultancy team as well as a Steering Group member.
He brings a variety of strengths in those two roles. He has both the first-hand perspective as a current Headteacher of Bnos Beis Yaakov Primary school in Kingsbury as well as his view as a consultancy advisor to schools, seeing on a practical level any struggles or areas of support that schools seek. Furthermore, he is a Governor at three London Schools, a mentor for QTS students, as well as a Section 48 inspector for Jewish schools.
He received Semicha (rabbinical ordination) whilst studying at Gateshead Kollel (Institute for Higher Rabbinical Studies) and has an MA in Jewish Education from Middlesex University. He has been a Senior Leader at schools in Gateshead and London since 1991 and worked as an Ofsted inspector between 2009 and 2015.
Rabbi Lieberman is also currently involved as a trainer in Chinuch UK’s CPD programme.
Rabbi Dov Oppenheimer
Rabbi Dov Oppenheimer is a qualified barrister who has been involved in advising charedi schools on regulatory and compliance issues for over 25 years. He has both advised and supported during the establishment of a number of schools.He further supported these settings in person during Ofsted inspections, building a good rapport with inspectors and helping many schools to achieve good results.
Rabbi Oppenheimer has frequently advised local and national government on educational issues affecting the Charedi community.
He was the Founding Director of the JCCG (Jewish Community Council of Gateshead) and has been a Governor at several local schools.
More recently he has focused on advising Yeshivos and Sems on a range of issues including accreditation of courses and access to further and higher education.
Rabbi Aharon Pinczewski
Rabbi Aharon Pinczewski is both Chinuch UK’s Director of Services and a member of the Steering Group.
He is a qualified teacher, serving Deputy Headteacher, SEND & School Management Consultant, a Trustee of Tashbar boys’ primary school (Manchester), and member of the senior management of Beis Hatalmud Boys Secondary School (Manchester) and brings valuable hands-on experience to the Steering Group.
Rabbi Pinczewski is an Executive and founding committee member of the Manchester Torah Umesorah Teachers Centre; holds a qualification for educational psychometric evaluations and has expertise as a consultant for SEND and school management structures.
Rabbi Yehuda Baumgarten
Rabbi Yehuda Baumgarten brings decades of experience as a community activist, an Executive member of the UOHC, and as Chair of Governors at Talmud Torah Machzikei Hadass Boys School.
Rabbi Baumgarten brings to the Steering Group a wealth of community activism and engagement alongside his involvement in multiple community charities.
As a Director of the Interlink Foundation he has valuable experience of working in cross sector partnerships across faith groups and Government.
Mrs Chaya Spitz OBE
Mrs Chaya Spitz OBE led the Interlink Foundation for over 25 years, before becoming CEO of Agudas Israel Housing Association. She has many years’ experience of partnership building and representation, as well as capacity building community led organisations. She has an MBA and well-honed executive skills and was awarded an OBE for services to the Jewish community in 2018.