Chai raises record-breaking £52,000 at annual gift sale

Around 1,000 people flocked to Chai Cancer Care’s flagship centre in Hendon on Monday for its annual Rosh Hashanah Gift Sale, as stallholders and clients – former and current – shared the personal stories behind their support for the UK Jewish community’s key cancer support service for people and their loved ones affected by a diagnosis.

Shoppers streamed through the doors from 9am-7pm for the day-long fundraiser, which brought together more than 40 businesses and saw an expanded marquee added to accommodate demand.

Attendees stocked up on Rosh Hashanah gifts and treats, from jewellery, Judaica and homeware to children’s toys and personalised pyjamas. An artisan food market offered smoked salmon, whisky, sweets and popcorn – as well as Tony Page’s signature honey cakes, which were donated towards the event.

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Former client Alex Samuels, 37, founder of kosher biscotti brand BiscottMe, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma aged 22 while reading German at Leeds University. He underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, with Chai supporting him and his family throughout. He has now returned to Chai as a Gift Sale stallholder, selling flavours including apple and honey, pumpkin spice, everything bagel and chilli sumac while raising money for the charity.
Reflecting on his diagnosis, he says: “I was thrown into this world that I just didn’t really know existed. I hadn’t had that exposure to cancer before, but from then on it became such a big part of my life.

“I came to Chai relatively early on, but I think it was just as important for my parents and my sister as it was for me. They’d just been told their child had cancer. Sometimes when you’re going through cancer, it’s worse for the people around you who have to watch you. You’re going through the physical side of it, but they’re watching and feeling that they have to support you. They need help as much as the patient, and that’s where Chai comes through.”

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Stamford Hill-based Malky Rosenberg co-founded kosher gourmet popcorn company Kernel & Co Popcorn with her husband two years ago. After her father was diagnosed with colon cancer three years ago, Malky and other family members were supported by Chai through counselling and complementary therapies.

She says: “Chai is also so supportive of the people around the person with cancer, who have to hold them. The counselling gave me someone I could talk to about how to deal with it.”

She adds: “They understand Jewish family life. Decisions about treatment and its timing sometimes have to be considered alongside Yom Tov and important family occasions. With a Jewish organisation, you don’t have to explain why those things matter so much to you.”

Stallholder Claudia Chalfen is the founder of RockUrStyle, a Bushey-based fashion and accessories business she runs with her daughter, Coco – upcycling denim jackets, jeans and fabrics sourced from charity shops or donated by others. Claudia turned to Chai for counselling after her sister was diagnosed with a rare stage 4 T-cell lymphoma, while also coping with her late father’s liver cancer – giving her a safe space to process the emotional impact while supporting those around her.

“I came to Chai for counselling. It was amazing just to be able to talk and say things that you couldn’t say to someone else.”

Stallholder Sophie Blutstein, 37, launched luxury handbag business Fortunée Studio after spotting a gap in the market for affordable, high-quality Italian leather bags, under £200. Run by Sophie from her home in north-west London, the business sources its leather bags from Italy and offers a range spanning classic neutral colours to brighter summer shades. Sophie says: “It feels so special to be part of an amazing community where everyone comes out to support small businesses. For a small and relatively new business like mine, the community is really important and being here today feels amazingly powerful.”

Chai client Anna Goldfarb was diagnosed with cancer in May last year after suffering persistent coughs for more than two years. Chai supported her with complementary therapies before she felt ready to attend the charity’s centre in person. A teacher for 30 years at Kerem primary school and naturally creative, Anna now attends art and jewellery making workshops.

She says: “I wasn’t ready to leave home at first because I had so many side effects from treatment. Chai would come to me for things like reflexology, and then slowly I came out of my shell and started coming here. We’re together with other people going through cancer and we talk, we banter and, for those two hours, we can switch off. You never forget what’s happening, but for a little while you have that space.” Wearing one of the jewellery designs that were sold at the Chai jewellery stand, she adds: “I’m so proud that I’m helping to make money for charity. I’ve volunteered and said I’m happy to come here and give my time. It’s a pleasure to be able to give something back.”

For the past 15 years, luxury kosher caterer Tony Page has donated thousands of his signature honey cakes to Chai for the Gift Sale. He says: “There is a very happy atmosphere at the Gift Sale. There’s a happiness in knowing that by going there you’re supporting such a worthwhile cause. I have clients who buy 20 or 30 cakes because they want to support Chai. It’s a way of giving, and they get something back as well. “

Gift Sale co-organisers Debra Zender and Caroline Tunkel, Chai’s Head of Corporate and Community Engagement, said: “The Gift Sale has grown into one of the community’s most eagerly anticipated events, attracting up to 1,000 visitors each year. We are enormously grateful to the businesses who are so keen to participate and to the wider community for its extraordinary support. It is their enthusiasm and generosity that have made the event what it is today and, most importantly, help Chai continue its invaluable work supporting individuals and families affected by a cancer diagnosis.”

Louise Hager MBE, Chairman of Chai, says: “There is something very special about seeing businesses from across our community choosing to support Chai in this way, particularly when, for some, that support comes from a very personal connection to cancer or to Chai itself. They are not simply coming here to sell their products; they are helping us raise vital funds and giving back to an organisation that may have supported them or somebody they love.

“The Gift Sale also gives us an important opportunity to bring people into our flagship centre in Hendon and open our doors to the wider community. Some will know Chai intimately because we have been beside them through an incredibly difficult period in their lives. For others, it may be their first time here. They can experience the warmth of Chai for themselves and know that we are here for anyone affected by cancer, whenever they may need us.

“At its heart, the Gift Sale is about community looking after community. It is a wonderful day of shopping and celebration ahead of Rosh Hashanah, while every stallholder and every person who comes through our doors is helping Chai continue to be there for thousands of people and their families.”