Announcing our new Executive Director

The Board of Renaissance Publishing, publisher of Jewish Renaissance magazine, is delighted to announce that Dr Aviva Dautch will be taking over as Executive Director of Renaissance Publishing, effective from 4 May 2020.

Aviva brings a wealth of experience to our organisation, spanning education and the arts. She lectures internationally on Jewish culture and has worked as a consultant on projects for many of the major UK arts organisations, including the British Library, British Museum, Tate Modern and the Royal Academy.

Aviva joins JR at an exciting time in our organisation’s history. Our outgoing Executive Director, David Benmayer, has overseen a restructuring of our professional team, an increase in funding and a bold plan to increase brand awareness and engage new audiences. In recent months, we launched our inaugural JR Young Journalist Prize and, in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, our JR Home Entertainment initiative. Aviva brings both the knowledge and skills to build on this success, as well as to manage the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the publishing, charity and arts sectors.

Ian Lancaster, Chairman of Renaissance Publishing, welcomed Aviva’s appointment. He said that, thanks to David Benmayer’s excellent management of the transition following the retirement of Janet Levin, our Founder and CEO, Renaissance Publishing is well-positioned for a challenging future. “Aviva is perfect for us now,” he said, “as she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience of Jewish culture allied to her imagination and vision. I look forward to working with her in continuing RP’s growth and move in to new activities.”

Aviva Dautch said: “I have been a reader and admirer of Jewish Renaissance since its inception and am looking forward to working with its talented editor Rebecca Taylor and the Renaissance Publishing team to continue to develop its excellent work as it heads towards its 20th anniversary and beyond.”

David Benmayer said: “It has been a huge privilege leading JR and I am extremely proud of what the team and I have achieved over the past 18 months. Aviva’s experience and ideas give me great confidence in the organisation’s future and I look forward to working with her over the coming months, as well as maintaining my involvement with JR for many years to come.”

David will remain in post until the end of July 2020, to allow a handover period alongside Aviva. The Board thanks David for his contribution to JR and for the enthusiasm he brought to the role. In order to retain his knowledge of the organisation, passion for JR and management skills, the Board of Trustees has invited him to become a Trustee, so he will be joining the Board in August 2020.

Find out more about the people behind JR and Renaissance Publishing on our Meet the Team page.