Daniel Jonas, Chair

Daniel Jonas has a professional background in consulting, corporate innovation and venturing, with a particular focus on driving technological and organisational change in complex industrial and societal “systems of systems”. He has a 25-year background in interfaith dialogue, with the last decade increasingly involved in initiatives to counter extremism, bigotry, hate speech and the marginalisation of women and minorities. He has built a reputation as a regularly published commentator and analyst, recently becoming a Senior Fellow of the “radical centre” thinktank, Radix. He is a well-known figure on the Jewish cultural scene due to his work in Sephardic and JudeoArabic music.

Daniel chairs the Nahamu board and his area of specialist focus is understanding hate preaching and the misuse of Jewish law and theology.

Yehudis Fletcher, Founder

Yehudis’ leads Nahamu’s analysis of the harms arising from extremism in the Jewish community and shapes our advocacy and policy response.

Yehudis has a background in project management and development. She is a independant sexual violence adviser, and has been battling violence against women and girls for the past decade. Yehudis began writing as a child and is now a regular contributor to community papers. In 2018, her poem ‘Kinah: from a survivor of child sexual abuse’ won the Simon Rockower award. 

Yehudis took part in the Susi Bradfield women’s Leadership Program at LSJS, is a graduate of the UJIA’s Manchester Leadership Program, and of the Dangoor Senior Leadership Program. She is s graduate of social policy at Salford University, and is a research fellow at the University of Kent.

Eve Sacks, Board Member

Eve is a chartered accountant, specialising in corporate taxes; she works as a group tax manager for a firm of investment managers. She is also the co-chair of trustees of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance UK (JOFA UK). Eve completed the Susi Bradfield women’s leadership programme run by LSJS in 2015.

Eve has a significant track record of supporting people who feel trapped in haredi communities and lobbying for greater personal autonomy and the exercise of their civil rights. She focuses on the issues of denial of secular education and forced marriage. She was named “A Notable Woman Who Paved the Way” for 5780 (2020) by JOFA (USA) for her advocacy around forced marriage and denial of women’s rights in the Orthodox community.

David Toube, Board Member

David is a barrister by training. He taught law at Queen Mary University of London, and then practiced law for 25 years, where he headed the European bank regulatory practice of a prominent international law firm. David has been active in counter-extremism activism and writing for fifteen years, and has written for and appeared on a number of news outlets. He was formerly Director of Policy at Quilliam International, where his focus was on far Left, far Right and Islamist extremism, and polarisation and conspiracism within political culture. David brings a broader understanding of best practice in opposing extremism as well as a wealth of strategic, policy and practical expertise to Nahamu’s work across all parts of the Jewish community. 

Rashad Ali, Board Member

Rashad Ali is a counter terrorism practitioner. He works on deradicalisation initiatives alongside Prisons, Probation Services, Police and community groups. He is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Formerly a national leadership member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the revolutionary Islamist organisation, Rashad has been actively involved in undermining its extreme ideology and perversion of Muslim faith since his departure. Classically trained in Islamic theology and jurisprudence and Modern studies in Islam, he studied at al-Azhar University, Cairo, and the Markfield Institute. As a researcher, Rashad has given testimony and contributed submissions to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Radicalisation, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Intelligence and has briefed the London Mayor’s office on Counter Terrorism. 

Rashad is the author of: ‘Islam, Shariah and the Far Right’ published by Demoqratiya journal; ‘A Guide to Refuting Jihadism’ published by HJS and EFD; a chapter analyizing Hizb ut Tahrir ideology and strategy, and more recently ‘Blasphemy and Free Speech – Hebdo and reactions to the incidents in Paris’, for the ISD. He has been consulted by think tanks and governments in Germany, Denmark, the EU and the US. He works across Europe. He is an external lecturer for Derby University’s Master Class courses on Radicalisation and Counter Terrorism and has written for The Observer, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, The Times, Dissent Magazine, Birlingske in Denmark, Conservative Home, and given commentary for Newsnight, BBC News. He was a researcher and Assistant Producer for BBC’s flagship Panorama documentary show. For Nahamu, Rashad provides independent expertise and counter-extremism best practice as well as a broad set of connections into the wider counter-extremism practitioner arena.

Adam Wagner, Advisor to the Board

Adam is a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers specialising in human rights and equalities law. He is the founder and chair of EachOther, a multi-award winning digital human rights charity.