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BOARD / MANAGEMENT
Board
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Chair - Deborah Hart
A former lawyer, Deborah is soon to be the past executive director of the Arbitrators’ and Mediators’ Institute of New Zealand. She is on the Panel of the Human Rights Review Tribunal, the incoming director of anti-smoking group, ASH and was on the expert reference group for family justice reform. She has served on the government’s Small Business Advisory Group.
Deborah has her own business – Deborah Hart Consulting, which specialises in government relations, PR and mentoring as well as peer reviews and evaluations. Deborah has consistently worked as a community volunteer in various roles including as advisor to the Wellington Jewish Community Centre, helping to form Crohns and Colitis New Zealand and as the chair of the former Moriah College Trust Board. Deborah will bring to the board governance experience both on not-for-profits and commercial boards, experience as a CEO, ample dispute resolution skills and a passion to work with others on holocaust remembrance and human rights. |
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Deputy Chair - Miriam BookmanMiriam was born and raised in Auckland and has been involved in the Jewish Community through Kadimah School, Bnei Akiva youth group, and LIMMUD NZ festival of learning. Miriam currently lives in Wellington where she practised as a public lawyer at Russell McVeagh for two and a half years and now works as a Lead Adviser at the Ministry of Education.
Her mother descends from Salonican Jews who immigrated to the UK in the 1920s amidst antisemitism. Her father descends from Russian Jews who lived in a shtetl called Klykoliai in today's Lithuania, where her great-grandfather escaped conscription. Miriam is active in her support for the refugee community. She volunteers for Community Law on Refugee and Immigration advice sessions, and is an advocate for a refugee family going through the reunification process. Miriam also coordinates a mentoring programme, with the support of the Astor Foundation, for women with refugee backgrounds studying in Wellington. She has a keen interest in human rights and it is a privilege for her to be working alongside the talented and dedicated group of volunteers and staff at the Holocaust Centre. |
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Treasurer - Jeremy Smith
Jeremy is Managing Director of Wellington-based hospitality group, Trinity, which owns hotels, restaurants and bars across New Zealand. Jeremy is also Chair of the Hospitality Association (Wellington branch) and on the main Hospitality New Zealand board.
He has been involved in the Wellington Jewish community for a number of years, having served on the Boards of Moriah School, Temple Sinai and HCNZ (including serving as Chair since 2015). Jeremy has primary responsibility for HCNZ’s fundraising activities. Jeremy is a qualified Chartered Accountant, and has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Accounting. |
Board Members
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Marlene Levine
Marlene Levine joined the Board of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand in 2015. She has been a volunteer at the Holocaust Centre since 2008, and is researching the experiences of her father, who survived the Holocaust in a Nazi forced labour camp in Algeria. Marlene became an Educator at the Holocaust Centre in 2013 and finds it deeply rewarding. Marlene was part of the 2017 Yad Vashem Seminar in Jerusalem. Marlene was born in Casablanca and grew up in New York City. She did research in Papua New Guinea for three years before moving to New Zealand in 1975. Marlene taught Anthropology and Sociology at Victoria University, and spent a year studying fishing communities. She was a Senior Analyst with the Ministry of Social Development in the Research and Evaluation Unit for 26 years, Editor of the Social Policy Journal of New Zealand and NZ Public Service Association delegate. After retiring from the Public Service, Marlene was a researcher with Massey University. Marlene chairs the Board of Directors of the Wellington Jewish Community Centre. She is on the Committees of the Chevra Kadisha, the Council of Jewish Women and Kia Ora Torah. Marlene and her husband Hal have three grown children and four grandsons.
Marlene brings to the board a strong understanding of the Holocaust, Judaism, the Jewish community and the New Zealand public service. Marlene has excellent analytical, writing, presentation and interviewing skills. Marlene is committed to growing the Holocaust Centre and furthering its work. |
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Penelope Thompson
Penelope is the Head of Corporate PR at Grace PR and her experience spans the full range of Public Relations specialities, with a particular interest in corporate communications, internal communications, change management, crisis communications and media relations.
Penelope grew up in a family where the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned were regularly discussed. Post-WWII and on moving from England to NZ her grandparents actively sought to make friends with survivors of the Holocaust. Penelope therefore grew up knowing many people from the community. Penelope was also fortunate to have a year 7 teacher who dedicated the entire year of education to the Holocaust, something that Penelope continues with her three boys. Based in Auckland, she was born in Wellington and grew up in the Hawkes' Bay. |
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Justin Thompson
Justin joined the Board in January 2017, and is responsible for our Education portfolio.
Justin is Head of Department of Social Science at Oxford Area School in North Canterbury and has been teaching for 15 years. He graduated from Canterbury University with a degree in Science, specialising in Geography. Justin was a member of the 2015 Yad Vashem educators who travelled to Israel in January to study Holocaust education. Justin believes strongly in Holocaust education, and its importance to New Zealand and human rights. |
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Rivkah Nathan-Rosenbaum
Rivkah Nathan-Rosenbaum lives and works in Wellington, New Zealand for the past 6 years. She is an active member of the Wellington Jewish Community and has been teaching at Wellington College for the past three years. Rivkah is an active advocate for Holocaust education at her school, and over the last 3 years of teaching at Wellington College, she has taught at least 2 Holocaust texts and brought classes to the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand.
She was recently a recipient of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Seminar 2019 opportunity which was amazing for her professional development. Since the trip she has given lectures at the LoopEd conference in Wellington and Limmud about Teaching about the Holocaust. In her personal life she is a mother of a beautiful 3 year old daughter Chaya, who attends Moriah kindergarten. She is also an active musician, and ultimate Frisbee player. She enjoys tramping, running, being outside, playing music, and being active in her community. |
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Giacomo Lichtner
Dr Giacomo Lichtner is Associate Professor of History and Film at Victoria University of Wellington, where he has worked since migrating to New Zealand from Italy, in 2003. He is lead on our Community Outreach & Events portfolio.
Giacomo has dedicated his career to studying the memory and representation of the Holocaust, publishing widely on the subject, including Film and the Shoah in France and Italy (Vallentine-Mitchell: 2008; 2015) and Fascism in Italian Cinema: the Politics and Aesthetics of Memory (Palgrave: 2013). Giacomo shares the Holocaust Centre's commitment to Holocaust education, and looks forward to the opportunity to engage with Holocaust discourses outside of academia.
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Management
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Chief Executive Officer - Chris HarrisChris Harris joined HCNZ in 2016 as its National Director of Education, bringing 13 years of teaching experience with him, before being appointed to the role of CEO in March 2019.
Chris oversees the Centre's strategic direction; facilitating the national and international activities of the Centre and its profile. Chris fosters HCNZ’s mission and vision with all partners, donors, visitors, and volunteers. He strongly believes in Human Rights education and advocacy, and the relevance of the enduring lessons and messages from the Holocaust for modern society. |
Education
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Operations
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Database & Exhibitions Management
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