Meet the people who lift the weight from your shoulders.
We are exceptionally proud of our incredible team and the positive impact they make
Our Volunteer Team
Our volunteers are at the heart of Paperweight’s work, supporting clients with care, professionalism and discretion throughout their journey with us.
Each volunteer brings experience, sensitivity and determination to the role, helping clients understand their options, navigate complex challenges and take practical steps forward.
Every single member of the team plays an important part in ensuring that clients feel listened to, supported and never alone.
Trustees
Benjamin has held a number of communal positions continuing a long family tradition of active service to the community.
Professionally a director of a property company, he is a Trustee and Chair of The Paperweight Trust focusing on strategic planning, innovation and practical leadership, maintaining a close brief on all activities.
Alan fits in his several roles in Paperweight between his commercial activities for a number of private and publicly-listed companies in the City and West End.
Alan has been a Trustee of The Paperweight Trust since its inception in 2010. His role takes in statutory, corporate and finance matters and has a special interest in complex, long running, interdisciplinary client cases, particularly in the fields of elderly care.
Appointed a Trustee soon after its launch, Jonathan concentrates his efforts on design, marketing, advertising and all things technological for The Paperweight Trust. Combining this trusteeship with a number of other leadership roles, Jonathan continues his 30-year involvement in communal affairs in the UK and USA.
When not helping to build the community, Jonathan runs a London-based construction project management company.
Dovid is a paperwork buff, and is passionate about Paperweight, joining shortly after its inception. Personal experiences left him inspired by the tremendous gap Paperweight was filling within the community. He has watched how it has grown and expanded its projects over the years, and is now assisting with many more complicated issues which present themselves as a component of living in the 21st century. Dovid is a Finance Director by trade and loves connecting with people.
Managing Partner of BBS Law in Manchester, Dov is the latest Trustee to join the Paperweight board. Dov’s day-to-day business focus is corporate finance work, but outside the office, he is all about the community. A founder member of his synagogue, Dov is now Chair of its Trustees, alongside serving on several Jewish educational boards in London and the North West.
Dov is looking forward to bringing his unique perspective and expertise to the vital work of Paperweight.
Talia is a Partner at BDO LLP with over 25 years of experience resolving complex financial disputes and guiding clients through challenging situations. With Talia on the board at Paperweight it will allow her to apply her skills for developing effective and practical solutions for the benefit of the community.
As a Trustee, Talia focuses on governance and organisational culture, having previously supported a number of community charities in these areas. Her commitment to fostering positive change is rooted in her role as an accredited mediator, which shapes her approach to addressing issues with a solution-focused, highly collaborative and constructive mindset. Talia is passionate about eliminating barriers to growth and protecting the core values that drive strong, thriving organisations.
Executive Team
Bayla draws on her broad experience in several charity and healthcare fields to help provide the vision and energy to maintain Paperweight as a key contributor to the social needs of the community.
As a hands-on CEO, Bayla is responsible for its day-to-day processes, including working closely with the Executive Director and Director of Operations, as well as meeting and presenting the work of the charity to referrers, stakeholders and the wider Jewish community.
Bayla is passionate about social justice and has come to understand, through the establishment of Paperweight, that the bigger picture needs to be viewed in close-up, and that so many small but important details require perfecting before the entity is complete and functional.
Barry brings a wealth of charity development, partnership building and community engagement experience, in addition to his legal background as a solicitor.
In this senior role, he is responsible for leading new projects and growing our footprint though new strategic relationships and reinforcing Paperweight’s critical role as the Jewish community’s dedicated advice centre.
Passionate about identifying new opportunities and realising their impact, Barry works closely with the team and our partners to ensure that the result creates a tangible difference.
As Director of Operations at Paperweight, Nikki oversees all staff and personnel, coordinating roles to ensure continuity and the implementation of best practices across the organisation. Nikki also leads Paperlite, our service designed to provide ongoing support to individuals within the community.
With a steadfast commitment to prioritising safeguarding and mental health, Nikki, also serves as the Safeguarding Lead at Paperweight. She has honed her skills through extensive training, enabling her to offer compassionate and empathetic support to others.
Prior to joining Paperweight, Nikki spent over three years as Projects & Welfare Executive at United Synagogue’s Tribe and accumulated over 20 years of experience in education.
Aliza joins Paperweight with over 20 years’ experience as a senior Occupational Therapist in both private practice and the NHS. She has worked in various settings including acute hospitals, mental health and community.
Her specialty is working with older people and she is passionate that everyone gets the provision, needs and dignity they deserve to enable them to live independently and safely in the best possible way.
As a mother of a special needs son, Aliza has learnt how to navigate the services available and combined with her professional experience working in collaboration with social care departments, she understands the challenges faced by families and aims to provide the highest level of support and care to meet clients’ needs with compassion and empathy.
Andrea brings passion and enthusiasm to her position in rolling out Paperweight’s services to the provinces. She intends to ensure that every Jewish person from John O’Groats to Lands End (not to mention Golders Green!) knows Paperweight is just a call away when they need guidance, help and support.
Andrea has worked in the charity sector for many years and was then honoured to work as Diary Secretary to Chief Rabbi Sacks z’l and Chief Rabbi Mirvis – giving her a unique perspective into all areas of the Jewish community. More recently Andrea was Executive Assistant to Rabbi Dweck for 8 years, which provided an illuminating window into the Sephardi community to add to her portfolio.
Her new position at Paperweight offers the rewarding potential to get to know the extraordinary numbers of thriving small communities around the UK and bring the services of Paperweight into their orbit.
With a love for project management, writing and connecting with people – spearheading PW’s expansion into the provinces is the perfect vehicle for her skills. Andrea is thrilled and excited to join the team.
Mariane has spent several years working with the voluntary sector, initially running a private charity at the London Borough of Barnet and subsequently working in a similar capacity for a prominent city-based charity. Mariane is very keen to use this experience to develop and run Paperlite, ensuring that those in need of longer-term reassurance and support receive the help they require as well as a friend they can talk to.
Brenda has worked in the charity and social care sector for over 25 years. She has assisted numerous organisations in ensuring that they meet the necessary governance and compliance with their relevant regulators and in producing appropriate policies and procedures.
Brenda is delighted to use her skills to benefit Paperweight in her role as the Compliance Manager, to enable the professionalism necessary to support clients with dignity and understanding.
Paul leads our marketing and communications with a wealth of experience in integrated marketing and creative development. A strategic thinker and skilled copywriter, he brings both insight and creativity to the Paperweight family.
With a clear understanding of what connects with people, Paul shapes messaging that resonates deeply with our audiences, to extend our reach, strengthen our impact and grow our share of voice in the community. His work plays a vital role in making sure our support is known, trusted and accessible to those who need it most.
With a strong grasp of the ever-evolving welfare system, Ben brings clarity and confidence to clients navigating the complexities of benefits support.
Since joining the team, Ben has developed deep knowledge of welfare entitlements. Whether explaining benefit changes in plain terms or guiding someone through a tricky application process, Ben’s empathetic, detail-focused approach helps clients secure the assistance they need.
Manchester Team
With a strong background in community leadership, safeguarding and volunteer management, Hannah brings a wealth of experience to her role. Previously as Social Responsibility Manager and Dorot Lead at the United Synagogue, Hannah initiated and delivered impactful programmes supporting vulnerable individuals and families – working closely with volunteers, professionals and community partners.
Hannah will lead Paperweight’s work across the city, ensuring individuals facing complex challenges receive practical, high-quality support. She focuses on building strong local partnerships, supporting and supervising the caseworker team, engaging with donors and supporters, and ensuring that The Paperweight Trust’s services are delivered safely, responsibly and with compassion to those who need them most.
Alongside her professional career, Hannah contributes to organisational governance as a Trustee of JLGB and has an interest in fundraising.
Bayla is a qualified solicitor and family mediator, chairman of the local Children’s Centre as well as being a CAB adviser for many years. As a result, Bayla has a very wide experience of the many stressful situations which are encountered and is able to work with and guide our caseworkers to help our clients, and to relieve them of their concerns.
Bayla’s role as Project Coordinator is to help expand Paperweight’s activities in NW England and North Manchester in particular.
Ruth had a two-decade career as a primary school teacher and Assistant Headteacher.
At present Ruth works as a part time Synagogue Social Welfare Coordinator.
Throughout Ruth’s life, she has been involved and has a passion for communal voluntary affairs, which is amply fulfilled by her role at Paperweight, where she is the Manchester Liaison Officer. Her work involves keeping an eye on all the intricate strands involved in running our NW England satellite, which enables us to provide an efficient and professional service.
Leeds Team
Born and bred in Leeds, David spent 40 years in the Financial Services profession, reaching Head Partner before his retirement.
Very community-focussed, David has held a number of communal positions within the Jewish school, student chaplaincy and his synagogue, as well as girls football and a walking football club. He is a Trustee and Treasurer for the Moor Allerton Elderly Care charity in Leeds.
Building on his experience in taking care of the needs of people of all ages in a professional and confidential manner, David will help direct and support the needs of the Leeds community and others across West Yorkshire in his role as Joint Coordinator for Paperweight Leeds.
Always committed and community-minded, Suzanne joins Paperweight as Joint Coordinator for the Leeds office.
Dedicated to making a positive impact, Suzanne is Community Engagement Officer for the Leeds Jewish Representative Council playing a vital role in connecting individuals with a shared sense of compassion and a desire to contribute to the community.
Suzanne brings her strong organisational skills, compassion and knowledge of the Leeds community to Paperweight Leeds.
Gateshead Team
After joining the Jewish Community Council of Gateshead (JCCG) in 2019 as Project Director, Yoni spearheaded the formation of the Gateshead division of Paperweight in the summer of 2020, incorporating it under the umbrella of the JCCG’s services. Yoni is communally active, serving as a Trustee of KHG, a community social fund and also as gabbai of his local synagogue for close to 10 years.
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Paperweight:
Why We're Here
Lifting the burden of paperwork for people who are in crisis - providing practical guidance and support to those in crisis in the Jewish Community.
How We Work
When you call or email us, or are referred by another party, we will spend time listening to your concerns and worries and will talk you through how we can best help.
Paperweight in the Regions
Paperweight is busy expanding to set up branches in a host of small regional Jewish communities dotted around the country.
Who We Work With
Paperweight often works in partnership with many other organisations and borough councils, and often in a multi-disciplinary format.