Meet our Team
Trustees
Rabbi Miriam Berger - Founder Director
Miriam’s 18 years in the congregational rabbinate led her to the founding of Wellspring and now works full time on bringing it to life. Previously she had doubled the size of Finchley Reform and made it a flagship synagogue of the Reform Movement. Her creativity and innovation has led to pioneering endeavours in education, prayer services and pastoral work as well as hitting the headlines throughout the pandemic with novel ways of engaging her community whilst keeping them safe.
Joe Gamse
Joe is originally from North West London, has professional experience of strategic business planning and quantitative investing, and now works at an international climate non-profit active in both Israel and North America. He studied at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa and the Hadar Institute in Israel, and teaches at a local Bet Midrash in Tel Aviv.
Rebecca Verlander
Rebecca is a Senior Manager for Mental Health Clinical Programmes at NHS England, and has almost a decade's worth of experience in the field. Her background is in policy, oversight and service. She also founded and co-hosted the Mad Women Podcast.
Sue Pearlman
Sue is a consultant in charity governance. Until 2004 she was CEO of a group of Citizens Advice Bureaux. Until June 2020 she was Honorary Secretary on the board of Reform Judaism. She is an expert in charity governance, the work of trustees, and working with trustees and their staff.
Rabbi Rose Prevezer
Rose is the founding Director of LABA UK, a Jewish artist development network and house of study. She is also a creative producer and consultant, working with
organisations and individuals across the arts to expand their engagement with
Jewish culture, tradition, and community.
Juliet Simmons
Juliet’s background is in event production, advertising and marketing. She has worked with blue-chip clients around the world. Juliet was the Creative Director at the JCC for London (now JW3) prior to founding Piece of Cake. She is a member of the Book Council for London’s Jewish Book Week and volunteers for Ministry of Stories and at a monthly drop in centre for refugees and asylum seekers.
Cheryl Brodie
Cheryl is an independent consultant working in learning, development and business improvement. Her career has been in the public and private sector in diverse organisations including advertising, banks, education and NHS. In 2012 Cheryl founded the Alyth refugee charity providing drop in, outings and a choir which she still enjoys leading. More recently, Cheryl has worked for the Jewish Leadership Council and other charities.
Experts & Advisors
Jonathan Joseph
Jonathan Joseph has spent in excess of 30 years working with various Jewish Community causes, both in Europe and in the United Kingdom. During that time he has been particularly interested in the effects of change on individuals and what can be done to recontextualise their lives within the environment they live in. Jonathan has combined these interests with a career in urban regeneration -and has developed a number of skills that he can contribute to getting the underlying concepts established.
Stuart Linke
Dr Stuart Linke is a consultant clinical psychologist with over forty years’ experience in the NHS as a therapist, supervisor, trainer, clinical lead and senior manager. He has wide interests and his book Psychological Perspectives on Traditional Jewish Practices (Jason Aronson) is particularly relevant to Wellspring. Stuart is also an associate research fellow in eHealth at University College London.
Helen Bowers
Helen Bowers is an architect with many years of experience in community projects. She delivers people centred spaces on time and on budget. Her practice is collaborative and founded in the principles of sustainability, modesty, and elegance. She believes that architecturally enriched environments contribute to good health and wellbeing.
Dr Mark Berelowitz
Dr Mark Berelowitz qualified as a doctor in SouthAfrica, and then trained in psychiatry and child psychiatry at the
Maudsley Hospital, where he went on to be a consultant in child and
adolescent mental health. In 1993 he moved to the Royal Free, where he
and colleagues set up the CAMHS neurodevelopment services.He has devoted his professional life to to trying toensure that families receive the full level of support that they need to look
after their children at home if at all possible, and to maximise their
potential.He is a trustee of Norwood.
