Raised | Toronto, in the Spanish Moroccan Jewish community built by families from Tangier |
Today | Senior Advisor on Research and Learning, SRE Network; Director of Faith-Based and Community Accountability, Ampersands Restorative Justice |
Education | MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy and PhD in Sociological Criminology, University of Guelph |
Expertise | Trauma-informed care, abuse prevention and response, restorative justice, safety in Jewish institutions |
Speaks to | Social service providers, clergy, Jewish professionals, educators, and community audiences |
Dr. Guila Benchimol grew up in Toronto's Spanish Moroccan Jewish community, built by families who came from Tangier. She began her career as a Jewish educator, teaching Jewish studies in Toronto for about a decade, both inside and outside the Orthodox community. That experience shaped her conviction that every form of victimization deserves a serious response, and led her back to university to study how communities recognize and address harm.
She earned an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy and a PhD in Sociological Criminology at the University of Guelph, where her doctoral research examined unreported crime and pathways to support within Orthodox Jewish communities. She was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and has served as a research associate with the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence and as Principal Researcher at the Orthodox Union's Center for Communal Research.
Since helping launch the SRE Network (Safety, Respect, Equity) in 2018, she has served as its Senior Advisor on Research and Learning. She is also Director of Faith-Based and Community Accountability at Ampersands Restorative Justice and an Ethics Case Consultant for the Va'ad Hakavod of the Rabbinical Assembly. A trained restorative and transformative justice facilitator, she develops abuse prevention and response policies and trains Jewish professionals and clergy across Canada and the United States. She was a 2022 JIMENA Sephardic Leaders Fellow.
Speaking Topics
What Dr. Benchimol talks about
1. Trauma-Informed Care
How social service providers and educators can respond to trauma with sensitivity, including in Sephardic and Mizrahi communities.
2. Responding to Disclosures
Practical guidance for responding with care when someone shares an experience of harm.
3. Safety, Respect, and Equity in Jewish Spaces
Building policies and cultures that prevent abuse and support survivors.
4. Restorative Justice and Accountability
How faith communities can pursue repair and accountability after harm.
5. Supporting Survivors After October 7
Lessons from listening to survivors, first responders, and service providers.
Select Talks
Selected talks and appearances
2025 | JIMENA Sephardic Leaders Fellowship, National Social Service Providers Cohort: Trauma-Informed Care with a Focus on Sexual Abuse |
2025 | Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto: Still Seeking Justice for the Victims of Sexual Violence on October 7 (December 7) |
2024 | Jewish Women International: webinar on treating survivors with sensitivity when hosting events about October 7 (September 9) |
2024 | Holy Blossom Temple, Toronto: Seeking Justice for the Victims of Sexual Violence on October 7, with Dahlia Lithwick and Rabbi Yael Splansky (March 27) |
2022 | Jewish Women International national conference on domestic violence: Envisioning Next Steps and Reflection Space (October 26) |
2022 | JIMENA National Sephardic Leaders Fellowship: fellow |
2021 | Beth Tzedec Congregation, Toronto: Conversations Over Coffee on the SRE Network and accountability (August 9) |
These are a selection of Dr. Benchimol’s talks. Dr. Benchimol has given many more than are listed here.
Publications and Media
Read, watch, and listen
Article
A Jewish Moral Reckoning on Sexual Violence
Times of Israel blog essay co-written with Dr. Alissa Ackerman, 2026. Read on The Times of Israel
Profile
Sociologist Explores a Community's Dark Figure of Crime
University of Guelph news profile of her doctoral research, 2013. Read on U of G News
Affiliations
Organizations
- SRE Network: Safety, Respect, Equity (Senior Advisor on Research and Learning)
- Ampersands Restorative Justice (Director of Faith-Based and Community Accountability)
- Va'ad Hakavod of the Rabbinical Assembly (Ethics Case Consultant)
- Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence (research associate)
- Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, SNAP (board member)
- JIMENA Sephardic Leaders Fellowship (2022 fellow)
Book Dr. Benchimol
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To invite Dr. Guila Benchimol to your school, university, congregation, or organization, use the Book Speaker button above or email info@jimena.org.