About Us

Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein

Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein works together with her husband at CNSS. After arriving back in London in 2014, Ilana became Head of Project Development for the Jewish Living Division of the United Synagogue in 2015, where she developed educational content and delivered educational programmes and resources across the 65 United Synagogue communities.

Her projects included:

  • a complete redesign and enlargement of the United Synagogue’s weekly “Daf Hashavua” publication centred around the Torah reading for that week; launched on Rosh Hashana 5777
  • an honorary officers’ conference on best practice, idea-sharing and inspiration
  • a new machzor – called “From Exile Towards Redemption” – in association with Koren Publishers for the Four New Israeli Days of Commemoration: Yom HaShoa, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha’Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim
  • Creation and content development of ShabbatUK online resource – “Turn Friday Night into Shabbat” – http://www.turnintoshabbat.uk/
  • Pesach Recipe Book for US Chesed department
  • Accompanying a US TRIBE trip to Ghana in August 2017, in association with Tzedek UK, to provide a summer camp experience for underprivileged children.
  • With Rabbi Daniel, Leading the Chief Rabbi’s Ben Azzai Programme to Northern Ghana, with Tzedek UK, to expose students to international development through an orthodox lens
  • Working as an educator on March of the Living UK
    (https://www.marchoftheliving.org.uk/)

In June 2018, Ilana moved to Jewish Futures to set up an innovative brand for the world of Jewish education. Called “Ta’am”, meaning “Taste”, Ilana continues to educate across the Anglo Jewish world and beyond on the connection of our People’s history, heritage and culture to food.

Ilana has written for multiple Jewish publications on Jewish history and heritage and continues to combine her work in the Southgate community with her love of food and Judaism.

Ilana was born in New York, but spent several years in Brazil and Venezuela. She attended the Yeshiva University (“YU”) High School for Girls, Orot Israel College in Israel and returned to New York to study History of Art and Judaics at YU Stern College for Women. Ilana is qualified French pastry chef, interior designer and was a columnist for the Jerusalem Post for ten years. She is a graduate of the Susi Bradfield Leadership Training Course for Women and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of United Synagogue Women. Ilana is a graduate of the Cambridge University Senior Faith Leadership Programme.