Shoshana Eisner, Founder of  Operation Golda (NSW)

Since October 7 of last year, Shoshana has taken a bold stand, stepping away from her judicial duties to focus on her mission: Operation Golda. From her kitchen, she has spearheaded an incredible initiative, mobilizing the Australian community to send over 26,000 kilos of vital trauma supplies to Israel.

A Sydneysider and proud graduate of Moriah College, Shoshana has worn many hats throughout her life. From her early days as a Madricha in B’nei Akiva to her tenure as President of AUJS at the University of Sydney, her leadership and commitment to community have always shone through. More recently, she’s run the Moriah College Band Camp Kitchen and serves as a trustee for Mt Zion Early Learning Centre, as well as on the Board of Magen David Adom, NSW.

Shoshana is a pharmacist and the manager of her own skincare business, QED Skincare.

Debbie Schaffer OAM, Philanthropist (WA)

In 2016, Debbie Schaffer was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her 12-year contribution in the disabilities sector for her role as Chair and Director of the Board of VisAbility and Guide dogs WA. In addition, Debbie has been associated with Ear Science Institute and on the advisory board for OzHarvest WA. Debbie is well-known in the Jewish community for all her involvement with JNF Australia (financial and fundraising supporter), UIA Women’s Division (Federal & WA President), Carmel School (Foundation and major donor for the building of the Ashley Schaffer Early Learning Centre, named after her late son Ashley), and advisor to the new Jewish Community Centre Holocaust Building planning committee.

“I always encourage others to get involved with organisations that capture your imagination or pull on your heart strings and to give back in any way you can. When it comes to Israel, there’s merit to supporting multiple organisations because many are doing critical work to make Israel thrive. I’m delighted to be on the judging panel for this year’s JNF Bnei Brith Changemaker Awards. It’s a fantastic way to honour the young people who are making a difference in our communities across Australia and inspire others to get involved,” says Debbie Schaffer OAM.

Peter Wertheim AM, Co-CEO ECAJ (NSW)

Peter Wertheim has been involved with the ECAJ for nearly 30 years and is currently its co-CEO. Peter previously worked as a lawyer for 32 years, during which he acted as honorary solicitor for a number of charities in the Jewish and wider communities. Peter was one of the lawyers who acted for the ECAJ in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s in a series of racial vilification cases in the Federal Court of Australia.

Peter was the elected President of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies from 1996 to 2000.  In 2003 he was made a member of the Order of Australia for services to the Jewish and wider communities and for work in a variety of projects promoting communal harmony and understanding. From 2004 to 2015 Peter was a Statutory Board Member of the New South Wales Anti Discrimination Board, a State government body. In July 2010, Peter was appointed by the Australian Federal Government as a member of its Australian Multicultural Advisory Council and from 2011 to 2013 its successor body, the Australian Multicultural Council. He continues to be widely published and quoted in the media on a broad range of policy matters relating to freedom, democracy and social cohesion in Australia.

Janine Zimbler, President of B’nai B’rith NSW (NSW)

Janine Zimbler has recently been elected President of B’nai B’rith NSW. Professionally Janine has a background in Clinical Social Work spanning more than 40 years. Janine specializes in Marriage and Family Therapy, consulting to professionals and organisations and delivering training across the state.

Janine joined B’nai B’rith 5 years ago when Womanpower integrated into the larger organization. She has served on B’nai B’rith’s Council Executive for the past 4 years.

In her private life, Janine originates from South Africa. Janine has been married to Jeff for the past 40 years and has two beloved daughters and a darling little granddaughter.

Janine and her extended family have held a long association with B’nai B’rith and she feels passionate about its values and mission.

Ben Levi, on behalf of the Levi family (NSW)

Founder of Code Camp, acquired by Cluey Ltd (ASX:CLU)

Ben founded Code Camp (www.codecamp.com.au) in 2013 as a series of school holiday activities teaching kids to code and create with technology. Code Camp has taught more than 100,000 students to design, code and build their very own apps, websites, and computer games, and has employed more than 1,600 people at more than 300 locations. Some of their students, as young as 10, have now released their apps on the App Store!
Code Camp now run programs (after-school, holidays and online) inspiring kids to be creators with tech; Animation Camp, DJ Camp, YouTube Creators and more.

Ben joined the JCA Jumpstart Committee in 2016 and became Co-Chair in 2019. He also has his very own Gelato Messina flavour, Chillax Princess!

Ben will be representing the Levi family as a judge in this award category.

Vicky Fleiszig-Marton, Vice President JNF VIC (VIC)

Vicki is a proud Zionist whose passion for Israel inspires her contribution to JNF Australia. Vicki grew up in Melbourne, attending Mount Scopus Memorial College and has a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a MBA, both from Monash University. After a successful career in marketing and general management roles in both the fashion and industrial sectors, Vicki turned her focus to raising her 3 children who have the same passion for Israel.

Besides being a one-eyed Collingwood supporter, Vicki has genuine interest and a personal commitment to making a difference in the Jewish community.

Tracie Olcha, CEO Australian Jewish Funders (VIC)

Tracie Olcha is Chief Executive Officer at the Australian Jewish Funders (AJF), a membership organisation of Jewish social investors. Tracie works closely with the AJF network, philanthropic foundations and a multitude of organisations throughout Australia, the US, Israel and Asia to promote strategic, effective philanthropy and support their journey towards impactful giving across the generations.

She is all about empowering community members to create meaningful and relevant Jewish experiences for themselves and their peers and is the visionary behind LaunchPad – A Platform for Jewish Community Innovation. LaunchPad inspires grassroots community engagement and leadership, enabling change-makers to connect, think, create and lead.

Before joining the AJF in 2011, Tracie worked with a variety of Jewish organisations and was responsible for a myriad of projects including fundraising, marketing, major events and conferences. With a background in education, Tracie taught and held a number of leadership roles at Mount Scopus Memorial College and was education consultant for News Limited and the AFL.

Tracie sits on the International Council at Moishe House and is a Scholar with Our Common Destiny, a ground-breaking new initiative to strengthen global Jewry by linking Jewish communities all over the world to a shared set of ethics and values across religious and cultural identities. Tracie co-founded Mamilla, a six-month program that aims to unlock and activate the power of Jewish entrepreneurs and connects them with the start-up eco-system in Israel.