Jewish Women’s Aid appoints interim chief executive

The leading Jewish charity supporting women affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence has appointed an interim chief executive after the departure of its previous CEO after just one month in post.

Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) has announced that Monica Tuohy, a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector specialist, will take the place of Alison Rosen, who left the organisation at the beginning of the month.

Tuohy has a long-standing relationship with JWA and has acted as Interim CEO twice prior to 2023. She has also been supporting the senior team and board of trustees since December 2022.

She has supported organisations at a senior level for almost 30 years, including Solace Women’s Aid, male victim and perpetrator agency Respect, Southall Black Sisters and the London Boroughs of Haringey and Westminster.

Tuohy said: “It’s been wonderful working with the JWA team again, and I’m looking forward to overseeing operations until a permanent appointment is made. The focus, as always, is providing high quality support to Jewish women experiencing domestic abuse and sexual violence, and engaging the community in our prevention education.”

Chair of the board Caroline Ratner, said, “We’re delighted to have Monica back at JWA, working with our excellent senior team to ensure the smooth running of the organisation.”

Alison Rosen was announced as the successor to Jewish Women’s Aid (JWA) predecessor, Naomi Dickson in January 2023. Leaving after just one month, the former head of WIZO, was “shocked, to be asked to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement about my departure. I refused.”

As reported by Jewish News, addressing the abrupt exit, Rosen accused JWA of intimidation in a social media post:

“Intimidating people to sign an NDA is not good practice. I am now putting this episode behind me and I am establishing an Interim management and charity consultancy portfolio. I have been overwhelmed with the support I have received from close friends and colleagues and am looking forward to using my 30 years of expertise to benefit the sector.”

At the time, a spokesperson for JWA told Jewish News: “Last week, Jewish Women’s Aid and Alison Rosen parted ways. She leaves with our thanks and very best wishes for the future.”