Gaby is an active member of Newcastle Reform Synagogue (NRS) and its Hon. Secretary and has been involved in the Jewish community from childhood.
From Toronto, Gaby is the fourth generation of her family to belong to Holy Blossom Temple. She also worked with the Canadian Council for Reform Judaism (then counterpart to MRJ in Canada) as Social Action Coordinator on key social justice issues.
At the same time, Gaby worked with a legal aid clinic for young people. Her focus was community education and establishing student peer mediation programmes in schools, in cooperation with the justice system. She says that she learned so much along with the students about constructive conflict resolution.
In 2000, she moved to the UK to join CISV International, the umbrella organisation for a non-profit dedicated to peace education – developing in participants and volunteers the attitudes, skills and knowledge to be active global citizens working for a more just and peaceful world.
Gaby recalls that within days of arriving, she got a call from then NRS Chair Brenda Dinsdale to invite her for Friday night dinner. And the rest, as they say, is history.
She has a passion for governance and, over the last year, Gaby has co-chaired the MRJ Governance Group. Following some time as a consultant, she will be starting a new role shortly as CEO of a professional development organisation. She is excited about the possibility of serving our national community on the board and believes that the best outcomes are those which truly reflect diverse perspectives, ones which are developed and achieved together.