Women of Diversity Dinner
Belinda Blecher
Belinda Blecher trained as a Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist at the Tavistock Clinic, London. With a special interest in infant mental health and working clinically with children under 5 years old, she gained experience in a wide range of mental health issues and has worked extensively with families in crisis.
Arriving in Sydney in 2004, Belinda worked both at Sydney Children's Hospital and as the senior clinician at the Early Intervention Program of the Benevolent Society. Belinda has also supervised several primary and high school psychologists in the management and treatment of school-aged children.
Belinda has two adult children and in her spare time loves walks with her dog.
Karina Veal
Karina Veal advises governments across Asia to help prepare youth with the skills and experiences necessary for the rapidly changing world in which we live.
Living in Manila, Philippines, for six years prior to moving to Sydney, Karina was sustained by the surprising strength of their small Jewish Community, which further cemented her belief in how cultural and personal ties ‘glue’ lives together, particularly in times of adversity.
In recent months, our need for social reinforcement and support has surely increased.
Julie McCrossin OAM & Sophie Inwald
Facilitator: Julie McCrossin OAM
Julie McCrossin is a veteran radio and television broadcaster who spent over 20 years with ABC Radio National, ABC TV and Network Ten. Julie is now a freelancer based in Adelaide where she lives with her partner of 27 years, Melissa Gibson. They have two children and two grandchildren. Being a Nana is Julie’s great joy.
Julie met her life-long Jewish friend Sophie Inwald in 1966 at SCEGGS Darlinghurst. Julie’s parents fought with the Allies in the UK in WW2. Sophie’s Polish parents were Holocaust survivors. This connection to the war was a common bond. Sophie’s parents treated Julie as a member of the family throughout their lives, providing her with great support during times of difficulties in her younger years. Sophie’s mother lived to 100 and always introduced Julie as her “second daughter”.
Julie and Sophie have travelled together to Israel and Bedzin in Poland, the hometown of Sophie’s family. Their friendship is the cornerstone of Julie’s life. In recent years Julie has visited Israel twice on tours with the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies.
Julie has qualifications in the arts, education and law. In 2019, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community, particularly through LGBTIQ advocacy roles and to the broadcast media. www.juliemccrossin.com
Sophie Inwald was born in Poland in 1954 and came to Australia with her parents when she was three years old. She is fluent in Polish. Sophie’s mother, Irene, survived the Warsaw Ghetto and later lived on false papers till the conclusion of the war. Tadek, Sophie’s father, spent six involuntary years in Siberia, before returning to Poland once the War was over. Sophie has recently completed a memoir of her parents, titled ‘Why Go Out In The Dark, When The Dawn is So Close’, and she has lodged copies at the Sydney and Melbourne Jewish Museums, and at Yad Vashem in Israel.
Sophie and Julie met in their first year of high school and have been entwined in each other’s lives since that time. It is a friendship that continues to offer warmth, acceptance, understanding, and immense joy. Sophie says, “Julie’s sincere and thoughtful curiosity about my family and our history released something in me that I had been holding in check. At last, I could exhale."
Sophie worked as an accredited Mental Health Social Worker and throughout her career had a a variety of roles in the non-government welfare sector, and in organizations such as the Guardianship Tribunal and the Legal Aid Commission. Since retiring, Sophie works as a pro bono counsellor with clients referred to her through an Inner West Neighbourhood Centre.
Sophie lives with Graham Thorburn, her partner of 40 years, and they have a son, Zachary, who lives in London.
Illana Sussman
Illana Sussman trained and worked as a social worker in South Africa, connected with the ‘Mum for Mum’ program in 2020, and hasn’t looked back. The ‘Mum for Mum’ program pairs an older mum with a first time Mum with the aim of providing emotional support by creating a safe and caring space for the first 12 months of the baby’s life.
In her four years with ‘Mum for Mum’, Myfi is the fourth mum Illana has been paired with. Myfi and Illana met 12 months ago when Myfi was 28 weeks pregnant with triplets. Since meeting, Myfi and Illana have built a friendship based upon trust and respect and both have brought immeasurable meaning into each other’s lives.
Myfwany (Myfi) Schostakowski
Myfanwy Schostakowski is a devoted wife and mother to four children: George, aged 6, and 8-month-old TCTA preterm triplets, Ophelia, Violet, and Ivy.
Myfanwy works as the Marketing and Events Manager at South East Community Connect. Her career has centred on managing and producing large-scale events, including her recent role as Events Manager at the historic Shene Estate & Distillery in Pontville, Tasmania.
She balances professional responsibilities with the joys and challenges of being a mother of four and the unique complexities of raising triplets.
Debra Marks
Debra has been married to Rodney, a comedian, for 40 years. They have three grandchildren: Hannah, Boaz and Mordecai.
Oh! and three sons: Benjamin, a comedy writer; Joshua -- married to Karly -- both documentary filmmakers; and Samuel, a medical engineer at the Harvard Medical School, married to Caitlin, a homemaker. Debra has been a teacher for 44 years, including 16 years as an assistant principal.
Debra was married at The Great, as were Joshua and Karly, and her late parents and parents-in-law. Debra had her bat-mitzvah at The Great, which is when she met her lifelong Great friend, Dr Susan Hertzberg.
Sue Hertzberg
Sue met Debra at the Great Synagogue where they both attended Bat Mitzvah classes. In those days, Bat Mitzvot were celebrated in groups of 10-15 girls, and as a result she made many lasting friendships. The bond with Debra was very special: they loved to laugh and shared a sense of fun, which sometimes got them into trouble!
As time passed they ventured in separate ways. They got married and both had three children, Sue had two sons and a daughter and now a grandson. Her life filled up with medical school and long hours working as a junior doctor then specialising in Emergency Medicine.
And now with their children grown and with families of their own, Deb and Sue have reconnected in a truly meaningful way and their friendship has been enormously rewarding and enduring.
Jackie Loeb
Jackie Loeb is a comic, actor, singer, writer, world-renowned sugar and carb addict and your new best friend! She graduated from the University of Western Sydney with a useful-adjacent degree in Performing Arts. She has worked as a stand-up comic her entire adult life and was the recipient of the Australian Mo Award for Best Live Comedy Act.
Jackie was based in beautiful Los Angeles for almost a decade and performed at the Aspen Comedy Festival, Hollywood Fringe Festival, Dinah Shore, Burbank Comedy Festival, Women’s Week and headlined at comedy clubs all over California. Now back in Sydney, Jackie is a regular guest on TGIF on ABC Radio 702 and can be seen loitering at Coles waiting for the BBQ chickens to go on sale.
Jackie is a huge fan of forming new friendships and can’t wait to befriend everyone attending the event. Even those that don’t necessarily want to be befriended!
As seen on Superstore, Better Things, a recent Instagram commercial for personalised socks and can currently be heard on the animated Netflix series ‘Trash Truck’ where she voices the role of Ms. Mona (a worldly and wise rat). She played the role of Lady Omega on the Amazon Prime science fiction ‘masterpiece’ Greatland and was honoured to host the 2021 JCA Community Appeal.
Michelle Goldman
Michelle has extensive experience as a pianist/vocalist, accompanist, repetiteur and musical director. Most recently, Michelle was MD for Joanna Weinberg’s Millers Point Songbook as part of Vivid Sydney 2024 and for Weinberg’s La Luna in early 2023 and was on piano for You Don’t Have To Be Jewish (David Spicer Productions) in late 2023.
For many years, Michelle regularly played for choirs, musicals and school events at the Emanuel School and has been a regular member of the music team at the Emanuel Synagogue, Woollahra.
Michelle recently retired from her long career as a lawyer and is now enjoying her primary passion of music.
Amy Hersch
Born in South Africa, Amy Hersch spent most of her childhood in Israel before immigrating to Sydney as a young girl.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Fine Arts in 2012 Amy was invited to Buenos Aires, Argentina to work with internationally acclaimed contemporary Jewish artist, Mirta Kupferminc. This extraordinary opportunity refined Amy’s craft across many mediums, especially in oil painting.
Amy then lived a year abroad in Manhattan, contributing to the Arts Student League of New York and working in an art gallery in Chelsea.
Today, Amy resides in Bondi Beach and finds inspiration for her own art making in her coastal surrounds. Amy graduated with an advanced diploma in art therapy and enjoys using her passion for art to facilitate in the healing of her clients.
Danielle Jaku-Greenfield
Nationally Accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP).
Following some years working in the media, Danielle pivoted to family law and dispute resolution. Since 2002, she has worked as a solicitor in private practice and in a community legal centre, lectured in undergraduate and postgraduate law, and has practised as a mediator in both private and public sectors. After completing her Master of Laws by thesis in 2007 from Cambridge, UK, she decided conflict resolution by mediation and dialogue, not litigation, was more rewarding. Currently, she spends most of her working time at Relationships Australia offering an exclusively online mediation service to regional and remote NSW and the disability community.
In her spare time, Danielle escapes to the bush or the beach with her husband, three kids and two dogs.
Facilitator: Angela Zinn
Angela is a (very new!) mother of two, who uses online resources daily to navigate and inform parenting, work and relationships.
She is also a member of the Sydney Jewish Mums and Friday Night Facebook groups. An active member and volunteer within the Jewish community, this panel is her first venture back into volunteering since having her first child in 2020, and her first experience in panel facilitation.
Professionally, Angela manages enterprise-wide transformation strategy and programs.
Julie Klimt
Julie is a Digital Strategist and Marketer by profession, wife to Simon and mother of three adult children.
In recent years she has utilised her expertise to cultivate the vibrant sisterhood of ORAH SYDNEY.
A fourth-generation Australian, Julie embarked on her own Orah journey back in 2018, which unexpectedly transformed her life when she discovered her light atop the Judean hills.
Now, as the Vice President of ORAH SYDNEY, Julie is dedicated to empowering women to connect with Judaism in meaningful ways that enable them to thrive, inspire their families, and strengthen the community.
Tracy Fischl
Tracy, born in South Africa and raised in Sydney, Australia, where she received her education at Masada College, enjoying the privilege of a Jewish education. After high school, she spent a transformative year at Hebrew University on a scholarship. Tracy began her career in the NSW public school system, teaching primary and middle school. She held leadership roles at Emanuel School and Moriah College, inspiring colleagues and students alike.
With qualifications in education and positive psychology, Tracy brings a holistic approach to learning and development. Currently, she works at Moriah in the Enrolments and Engagement team, focusing on community engagement and fostering Jewish continuity.
Married to Michael, a child of a Holocaust survivor, Tracy is committed to preserving their heritage. They have three children: stepson Harrison, 19, and their younger children Toby, 9, and Libby, 7. Tracy is also deeply involved in community initiatives and recently returned from a mission to Israel as an inaugural member WIZO NSW’s Lev Echad group.
Susie Rosen
As a busy mother of 3 and Brand and Marketing Consultant, Susie was constantly seeking ideas for what to cook for Friday night. One evening, whilst searching through countless recipe books, Susie considered perhaps she wasn’t the only one struggling weekly to come up with ideas. Within an hour, she started a private Facebook group simply named Friday Night, hoping to attract friends who could share recipes and ideas. There was one main rule, be respectful of all that was posted, with no judgement on religiosity. Kosher, not Kosher and everything in between - this was a place for all Jews to connect with no judgement. Within 2 weeks, the group grew to 2,000 members, and has continued to grow exponentially to 16,000+ members globally, triggering a wave of nostalgia and connection and, what was most surprising, re-connecting long-lost family and friends.Susie is passionate about connecting the community and joined Masada College in September 2023 and is Head of Marketing, Communications and Community Engagement.
Your Host/mc
Caroline Lewis OAM
Caroline was a member of The Great Synagogue’s Board in 2004 and Vice President from 2014 - 2020. Her desire to see The Great Synagogue live on in the hearts and minds of future generations is what drove her to utilise her design and marketing background to help put The Great at the forefront of Modern Orthodoxy, create innovative events and activities in and around the shul and inspire others’ participation. Now, as a teen & young adult life coach, she also loves to collaborate with, empower and celebrate women’s achievements. Her passion is to bring a sense of belonging, warmth and fun as well as revelling in the spirit, struggles and resilience of all women. The WOW Weekend is a realisation of that dream.
WOW Weekend 2020
