Wednesday 28th September 2022, London - Maccabi GB is delighted to announce that Lady Deborah Kestenbaum and Natalie Kenton have joined the organisation’s Board of Trustees.
Lady Deborah Kestenbaum is no stranger to Maccabi GB. Having grown up in Kenton, from a young age Deborah was regularly visiting what is now ‘The Stanley S. Cohen OBE Centre’, Maccabi GB’s headquarters, but at the time was the ‘Kenton Jewish Youth Centre’. Her husband, Lord Jonathan Kestenbaum has been an Honorary President of the organisation since 2015. Lady Kestenbaum studied Teacher Training at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and is the Assistant Head Teacher and PE co-ordinator at Independent Jewish State School.
Lady Deborah Kestenbaum (left) and Natalie Kenton (Right)
“I love Maccabi GB’s ethos of providing sport for children and adults, which helps people find their Jewish identity,” said Lady Kestenbaum when speaking on her appointment. “I’m married to the Honorary President and have four children who have all benefitted through Maccabi GB, competing at Maccabiah and JCC Maccabi Games and in the Maccabi GB affiliated football leagues.”
Natalie Kenton is also very involved with Maccabi GB. A netball coach for nearly 15 years, Natalie is a dedicated volunteer for Maccabi GB, supporting all their netball events as well as managing a squad at the Maccabi Youth Games in 2018. At this year’s 21st Maccabiah Games, Natalie was Netball Chair as well as Manager of the Open Netball Team and played for the first ever GB Masters Netball team. Under Natalie’s guidance, this summer was an unparalleled success for GB netball, with the Junior squads winning gold and silver medals and a bronze medal for the Masters squad. Earlier this year Natalie won the Hertfordshire County Jenny Evans award for coaching.
Through her work she has developed close links to Israel Netball and ‘Nat’s Netball Club’ runs annual training camps for their national junior squad in London. On her appointment Natalie stated that, “After more than a decade of coaching and playing netball within our community, I feel privileged to join the Maccabi GB family and I do so with excitement and hope.”
Speaking on the appointments, Maccabi GB Chairman Jonathan Prevezer said, “I am so pleased that Deborah and Natalie have accepted the position of Trustees on our Maccabi GB Board. They will add so much direct experience to the fields of women’s sports and education as we continue to develop the organisation. Our boardroom will be a much more balanced and interesting venue.”
Maccabi GB CEO Ashley Lerner said “We are all very excited to welcome both Lady Deborah Kestenbaum and Natalie Kenton to the Maccabi GB Board, where they will join the current Trustees; our Chairman Jonathan Prevezer, President and Trustee Michael Ziff, Ian Aarons, Joel Nathan and Marc Levy.”