Boy George provides the soundtrack as Jewish Care dinner makes £5m return

Boy George performed to more than 900 guests as one of the community’s largest dinners returned to hail care workers and volunteers who worked on the frontline – and raise a staggering £5m.

Social distancing was a distant memory as the Culture Club singer had hundreds of Jewish Care guests on their feet by the time his 15-minute set reached a crescendo with Karma Chameleon.

Much of the event was focused though on the charity’s work during the pandemic, with repeated praise for carers, donors and a growing army of volunteers including from former health secretary Sajid Javid, who addressed the charity as chancellor weeks before lockdown.

Joking that his return to the cabinet had been down to “that camera on the ceiling” – a reference to the downfall of Matt Hancock for breaking Covid rules – he hailed Jewish Care’s work during the pandemic in delivering 50,000 Meals on Wheels making over 50,000 calls to the isolated and lonely.

He told the audience including shadow health secretary Wes Streeting: “I know that in Judaism, there is no obligation more important than saving a life. Jewish Care leads the way, protecting some of the most vulnerable people in our society. For me, whether it’s organisations like Jewish Care, or the CST [Community Security Trust], something that distinguishes the Jewish community is the way you look after each other. That’s something we can all learn from.

“Because I believe health and care begins in our homes, and in our communities. And in turn, I believe it’s the job of the government to look after our Jewish community.”

Listing the various ways he had personally stood up for Israel and the community in cabinet including furthering efforts for a Holocaust memorial in Westminster and banning Hezbollah and freezing their assets, he described the government’s relationship with the Jewish state as “an unbreakable bond of steel” and with British Jews as “steadfast”.

Adding to his achievements, he joked, was winning the Jewish News challah bake-off for Shabbat UK, after being paired with Labour’s Angela Rayner.

Jewish Care Life President Lord Levy led applause to the National Health Service and the charity’s care staff, some of whom were in attendance.

There was a special mention for two Jewish Care stalwarts who lost their lives to the disease, former chair Michael Goldmeier and Mateo Aben, a much-loved care worker with the charity for 12 years.

The peer – who helped to raise more than £4m in just 10 days at the early days of the pandemic – also reflected on the opening last year of the charity’s Sandringham House site in Stanmore, describing it as “probably the finest care facility in the country today”.

Speakers queued up to hail the “unique style and energy” of Nicola Loftus, who chaired the dinner for the 10th and last time.

She said: “It really is great to be back together again after such a challenging time. As an organisation Jewish Care epitomises all that we as a community hold dear – we look out for one another.”

Former chair Steven Lewis hailed the work of “truly outstanding” chief executive Daniel Carmel-Brown during the challenges of recent years.

His successor Jonathan Zenios said: “For Jewish Care there has been no before, during or after the pandemic. Even, sadly, when synagogues were closed, our care carried in in our homes and in people’s own homes, keeping hope alive.”

He also revealed that the charity hoped to begin work on a new 64-bed care home in Redbridge but warned of the financial pressures caused by higher wage bills to attract the best workers and soaring energy bills – up by £1m this year.