29 June 2017

We are pleased to announce that Gusti Yehoshua Braverman will be the speaker for this year’s Liberal Judaism AGM meeting.

This essential meeting which brings together representatives from all our communities and which is open to all members, will take place at the Montagu Centre next week. There is a packed agenda which will include reports on the Day of Celebration, Leo Baeck College’s 60th Anniversary Shiur programme, LJ’s financial reporting and reports from the Chairs of Liberal Judaism and Rabbinic Conference.

A champion for women’s progressive rights, Gusti will be discussing the implications of the rulings for Diaspora Jews. She has publicly condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s decision to cancel the Western Wall plan, calling it a cynical move and an exclusionary and discriminatory step.

As the Chair of the Department for Diaspora Activities of the World Zionist Organization, Gusti has worked with Zionist Federations from around the world to promote Zionist educational activities and events, including FeminIsrael, a celebration of Women’s History Month and women in Israel, and has spearheaded the creation of the “Beit Ha’am” series of Zionist educational texts on different topics. She has also worked closely with the Herzl Center in Jerusalem to create interactive educational exhibits for the centre.

Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Liberal Judaism’s Director of Strategy and Partnerships who has championed the creation of a new Israel Desk for the Alliance of Progressive Judaism said: ‘As the female head of WZO’s Department for Diaspora Activities, Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman’s job could be seen as daunting. She’s tasked with reinvigorating the relationship between the Diaspora and Israel and ensuring that Zionism is a relevant and real part of a new generation of Jews”

‘We reached out to Gusti this week in light of the rulings on the Kotel to see if she has availability on her current visit to the UK, and we’re really honoured that she could make it.’

The AGM takes place at 18:45 on 4 July at the Montagu Centre.