Simon Hochhauser – Past President, United Synagogue - Pelorous

Below are the biographies of the members of the proposed Working Group for the selection of
the next Chief Rabbi.
Simon Hochhauser – Past President, United Synagogue
Between 2005 and 2011, Simon Hochhauser was the elected President of The
United Synagogue, the UK’s largest synagogal body comprising over 65
individual communities, educational establishments and communal institutions,
with in excess of 40,000 members. He was a Trustee of The Chief Rabbinate
Trust, which is responsible for the activities of the Office of the UK’s Chief
Rabbi, Lord Sacks. He chaired the first consultation phase of the process for
the appointment of the new Chief Rabbi scheduled for September 2013.
Simon was active in the growth of South Hampstead Synagogue in the 1980’s and 1990’s. He
was an elected a Vice President of the United Synagogue between 1999 and 2005, and was
President of the London Board for Shechita between 2003 and 2005.
Simon was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, Gateshead Yeshivah and Imperial College
(University of London) where he obtained a B.Sc. degree (1975) and a Ph.D. in Mathematical
Physics in 1979. He performed post-doctoral research in applied optics and laser physics at the
prestigious Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel between 1979 and 1981.
In the early 1980’s, Simon worked as a senior associate in the M&A department of Lehman
Brothers in New York, before being invited by the present Lord Rothschild to set up a
technology-based venture capital fund in 1983. The St. James’s Venture Capital Fund
(subsidiary of RIT Capital Partners plc) maintained a portfolio of investments in the UK and the
US.
In 1992, Simon created Video Networks, the company behind the pioneering HomeChoice
broadband video on demand and interactive television service. He raised in excess of £120
million in equity and shareholder loan finance for the company. The Company was sold in 2006
to The Tiscali Group and subsequently became Talk Talk TV, part of the Carphone Warehouse
Group.
In 2005, Simon created Statevine Ltd, now Niu-Solutions Group (‘Niu’), to exploit the growing
convergence of telecommunications and IT service applications for medium sized UK
enterprises (typically 100 - 5,000 employees). As Executive Chairman, he was instrumental in a
number of key acquisitions for the Group. Simon is now a non-executive Director of Niu which
employs approximately 100 and has revenues of approximately £40m.
Simon recently created a new company, Assuract Ltd (t/a Access 21), to exploit further
opportunities in the converged worlds of hosted (‘cloud based’) telecommunications and IT
services for UK companies with approximately 10-100 employees.
He is a violinist and chorister, and enjoys classical music, travel and hiking.

Russell Kett - Vice President, United Synagogue
Russell Kett is a Vice President of the United Synagogue, having been elected in
July 2011. He lives in Canons Park, Edgware and has been a member of Belmont
Synagogue since 1984, and previously of Pinner. He is a past Warden of Belmont
and was a member of its Board of Management for many years, introducing the
shul to strategic planning even before the Kalms report was produced.
Russell is a former governor of JFS School and served as chairman of governors from 2003 to
2009. He is an advisory board member of the Jewish Volunteering Network and a trustee of the
British Friends of Reuth, which raises funds for the Reuth rehabilitation hospital in Tel Aviv. A
keen singer, Russell is a member and past chairman of the Shabbaton Choir, and also sings with
the Belmont shul choir (under the baton of the United Synagogue’s moonlighting Chief
Executive, Jeremy Jacobs).
After hotel school and having worked for a leading international hotel company, he became a
hotel consultant in 1977, spending 10 and 7 years respectively with the specialist hotel
consultancy divisions of accountants Stoy Hayward (now BDO) and Deloitte, before joining his
current firm, HVS, in 1995 where he is managing director of the London office and serves on the
firm’s global board.
Naomi Landy - Women Representative, United Synagogue
Naomi was elected as a Women’s Representative to the US Trustees in July 2011.
She served on the Board of Management of Hendon Synagogue for fifteen years.
From 2004 – 2010 she was Vice Chair, which included a period as Acting Chair.
Naomi has been involved in the recruitment of the two Associate Rabbis
appointed to Hendon.
Naomi is a qualified solicitor, having studied Law at LSE and obtaining a Masters degree in Law
from UCL. The Home Office appointed her to act as both an Appropriate Adult and a Lay
Visitor in police stations in the borough of Barnet. Since 2000 Naomi has worked as the
Admissions Officer and Administrator of North West London Jewish Day School. Sheis also a
Governor of the school, a member of the Leadership Team and has been involved in the
recruitment of the Head Teacher, Deputy Head and many staff.
In her spare time Naomi sits on Admission Appeals Panels for schools in the boroughs of Barnet
and Brent and also for Jewish Voluntary Aided schools.
Naomi is married to David, son of the late Rabbi Maurice Landy and they have three children.
Anna, a solicitor, Rebecca, who is finishing a Ph.D in Statistics and Josh who works in sports
broadcasting.

Stephen Pack – President of Chief Rabbinate Trust and United Synagogue
Stephen is the President of the United Synagogue, having been elected in July
2011.
Family: Stephen grew up in Cockfosters in North London where his parents were
founding members of the Shul. In 1973, he married Cheryl Klyne who lived in
Hampstead Garden Suburb. They met at Manchester University where they both
spent four years. They moved to Hadley Wood in 1977 where they still reside. The couple have
two adult children – Susannah Jacobs who lives in Muswell Hill with her husband Yoni and two
children – Mazhira and Arye, and Anthony who lives in West Hampstead.
Communal life: Stephen has been a Trustee of the United Synagogue for nine years, six as a
Treasurer and three as Vice President. During that time he had been Chairman of the
Remuneration Committee and was closely involved with the Religious Affairs Group, US
Schools, Peir, new communities and many matters involving individual Rabbis and shuls. He
represents the US on the JLC committee dealing with Jewish Education and is also a Trustee of
the Chief Rabbinate Trust where he is responsible for the financial side of the Charity.
As Life President of the Hadley Wood Jewish Community together with Cheryl, they have been
responsible for nurturing the community from its early days when it met in the Pack household to
it current state where it is expanding rapidly. Stephen regularly leads the davenning and was
appointed an Elder of the Community in 2010. Stephen was Chairman of the Cockfosters shul
for several years and prior to that was its Financial Representative. Outside of the Jewish sphere,
he was President of the Hadley Wood Association for over 10 years.
Professional life: Stephen has a Masters Degree in Business Finance from Manchester
University and Manchester Business School and a Bachelors degree in Economics and
Accounting. He joined Price Waterhouse (now PwC), qualified as a Chartered Accountant and
became a partner in 1984. He initially specialised in audit and was responsible for two of the
firm’s largest FTSE 100 clients. He was appointed director in charge of operations for the audit
practice and London office. Some years later Stephen helped to establish a new global business
process outsourcing division and following the sale of that business moved into management
consulting. In that role he led many transformation programmes for large clients helping them to
achieve their strategic objectives. Stephen was appointed Head of Risk and Quality for the UK
firm (which by then was the largest professional services firm in the UK) and led a team of 180
professionals dealing with all aspects of risk, quality and compliance for PwC.
Retiring from the firm last year, within a few months Stephen was headhunted by another major
firm to assist them with their risk and quality organization and has just completed a consulting
assignment for them.

Doreen Samuels - Women Representative, United Synagogue
Doreen was elected as a Women’s Representative in July 2011.
Doreen’s first husband was Jonathan Fine, z”l, a well-known and much admired
lay leader. They had three daughters, Miriam, Sarah and Ruth, and now have three
adorable grandchildren who take up any ‘spare’ time.
Now married to Jeffrey Samuels they, together with Doreen’s mother, brother and
his family, and sister and her family, all live in Pinner.
Having originally qualified and worked for several years as a pharmacist, her later career has
been in education and latterly, in Jewish Studies. She has a PGCE from the Institute of Education
as well as an MA in Hebrew and Jewish Studies from Jews College. Doreen was a class teacher,
Head of Juniors, and then Head of Department of Jewish Studies and Deputy Head at Sinai, and
still works as a teacher-trainer and schools and curriculum advisor.
Doreen writes extensively on Jewish topics and was co – author of the Chief Rabbi’s Children’s
Siddur. Communally, Doreen has served on the Board of Management of Pinner Synagogue, and
was one of the first women representatives at the US Council.
She runs and participates in many educational programmes for families, adults, Bat Mitzvah girls
and children at Pinner, as well as in the wider community, and is a graduate of the Susi Bradfield
Educators’ Fellowship. She has recently ‘retired’ as Chair of Governors of Moriah Jewish Day
School, but is still actively involved in fundraising for the school.
Doreen was a founder member of the Stanmore Women’s Tefillah Service, the original London
Women’s Rosh Chodesh Group and the Jewish Women’s Network. She was co-Chair of the very
successful Harrow Day Limmud in March 2011, and is already working towards the next one, in
March 2013.
She is currently involved in many initiatives and discussions around challenges and opportunities
for women, and is keen to work with all in the United Synagogue to find viable, halachically
acceptable responses to enhance women’s full participation in the organisation.

Peter Sheldon – Chief Rabbinate Trust and Past President, United Synagogue
Peter Sheldon is a qualified chartered accountant and has held senior positions in
a wide range of listed and private companies from retail to high-tech; clothing
manufacturing to banking and healthcare to publishing. He has served as nonexecutive
chairman of BATM Advanced Communications, an Israeli technology
company listed on the London Stock Exchange for 12 years.
His long involvement in the voluntary sector includes 12 years as chairman of
Kerem Schools and 6 years as president of the United Synagogue. He is currently chairman of
the Chief Rabbinate Trust, a trustee and treasurer of the Jerusalem Foundation (UK); a founding
trustee of Morasha Jewish Primary School among other charities and Deputy at the Board of
Deputies. He recently retired as a JP after 25 years service.
He was made an OBE in the 2010 New Years Honours for his services to the Jewish
Community.
Russell Tenzer – Treasurer, United Synagogue
Russell was elected as a Treasurer and Trustee of the US in 2008, and re-elected
in 2011. He was the Financial Representative of Stanmore and Canons Park
Synagogue from 2000 to 2005. Russell was a member of the Audit Revenue
Committee of the US from 2002 - 2005.
Russell was a trustee of Norwood from 1991 to 2009 and its treasurer from 1996
to 2009. He was a member of the steering committee that merged Norwood and Ravenswood in
1999. Russell was a trustee of JCOSS, representing Norwood’s interests, from 2007 to 2009.
After qualifying as a chartered accountant Russell worked for Peat Marwick (now known as
KPMG) and then N M Rothschild. In 1983 he was a founding partner of Hazlems Fenton where
he is still in practice.
One other non-US Representative
To be announced.