Record £5.5m raised as Jewish Care marks 35 years
Nick Ferrari, Luciana Berger, Jason Isaacs and Natasha Kaplinsky help put the charity's vital work in the spotlight at annual dinner
A record £5.5m was raised as more than 900 people attended Jewish Care’s annual dinner on Monday night, celebrating 35 years since the charity was formed.
Broadcasters Natasha Kaplinsky and LBC’s Nick Ferrari hailed Jewish Care as they co-hosted the event at Grosvenor House, which raised funds for the UK Jewish community’s leading social care charity. Holocaust survivors, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and former Labour MP Luciana Berger sat among diners at the fundraiser.
In an film created by director Malcolm, Green, White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs – whose father is supported at a Jewish Care home – spoke about the importance of the charity. Noting that his aunt and uncle had also been at a Jewish Care home, Isaacs – famed for his role as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter – told guests: “Remember, you are the heart of Jewish Care”.
In another appeal film, highlighting the importance of the charity’s mental health services since its merger with Jami, attendees heard from a mother whose daughter was supported while battling anorexia. She said: “Jami is the organisation that has made the biggest difference to my daughter. She has made the most incredible recovery.“ Families who had relatives who received palliative care and dementia support, also spoke about the help they received.
Today, there is high-demand for the charity’s services, including supporting an aging community, more people living with dementia and an increasing number needing palliative care. Simultaneously, the National Insurance changes have cost the charity an additional £1.1m annually.
Charity Chair Marcus Sperber said: “Demand is growing, but government funding is shrinking. Many of our most essential services receive no government funding at all including our community centres, our Helpline, Jami’s mental health support, Meals on Wheels, dementia care, our social work teams and our very special Holocaust Survivors’ Centre.”
Noting that the charity that was set up after the merger of the Jewish Blind Society and Jewish Welfare Board in 1990, Lord Levy, Jewish Care’s Life President, said: “For over three decades, Jewish Care has been a pillar of strength and compassion for our community. What began as a vision to support the Jewish community with dignity and respect has grown into a lifeline for 12,000 people each week.”
On the night, mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina performed opera pieces, including a set from Carmen.
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