Jewish Child’s Day to shut offices after 78 years as UJIA takes over its mission
Charity ends events and fundraising but keeps £8m-a-decade grant-giving alive through new fund focused on vulnerable Jewish children
A UK Jewish children’s charity founded in the aftermath of the Second World War is to close its staffed operations after nearly eight decades, with its work to be taken over by UJIA.
Jewish Child’s Day (JCD) will move from an active, staffed charity into a permanent grant-giving fund from next month, ending its office, events and fundraising campaigns but continuing to distribute money to Jewish children in need.
The organisation said the change was designed to “safeguard its mission for generations to come”, with the new Jewish Child’s Day Fund to be administered by UJIA under the oversight of a joint grant committee drawn from both organisations.
Since its first appeal in 1947, JCD has focused on supporting vulnerable Jewish children in the UK, Europe and Israel. In the past decade it has made more than £8million in grants to more than 180 organisations, funding projects ranging from special educational needs provision in Britain to trauma and resilience programmes for Israeli children after 7 October.
Chairman Charles Spungin said the move would allow more money to reach beneficiaries. “Jewish Child’s Day has made a huge impact since our founding, and this new chapter will ensure that all of our donations can reach the projects we support. We are delighted to be working with UJIA. Under this pragmatic collaboration, our donors can be confident that we can maximise our impact in supporting the most vulnerable of our community.”
Spungin said the charity’s emotional place in British Jewish life had been a factor in the decision to change rather than close outright. “For generations, Jewish Child’s Day has been woven into the emotional fabric of British Jewish philanthropy. It taught philanthropy before philanthropy had a name.”
Spungin added that the shift away from a staffed charity was a deliberate move to ensure long-term sustainability. “After nearly 80 years of impact, Jewish Child’s Day has chosen to step away from being a staffed charity and instead become a lean, dedicated grant-giving fund. The message is stark: sentiment alone is not a strategy.”
UJIA chair Zvi Noé said: “The establishment of the Jewish Child’s Day Fund under UJIA’s management aligns closely with our mission and vision to empower young people in the UK and Israel… to ensure we maximise philanthropic funds and support a thriving diaspora for future generations to come.”
Jewish Child’s Day timeline:
1946: Founded by Arieh Handler and Israel Feldman as a combined fundraising venture to benefit Youth Aliyah and the Central British Fund.
1947: Inaugural meeting is held in September to plan the world’s first Jewish Child’s Day specifically for one day: Chanukah. Around £13k is raised
1951: A National Council is formed, with revised guidelines and power to allocate funds to Jewish welfare agencies by application only
1952: First allocation of funds under new guidelines amounts to £17k, a not inconsiderable sum at the time
1953: First JCD exhibition of Jewish children’s art held at London’s Ben Uri Gallery
1960: First JCD annual charity gala held at The Dorchester Hotel
1961: JCD moves into its first independent premises, in north west London
1971: Mrs Lionel de Rothschild hosts charity’s 25th anniversary dinner at The Draper’s Hall
1974: Princess Margaret and her children attend a Royal Gala performance, jointly held in aid of JCD
1990: For the first time, more than £100k in grants is distributed by Jewish Child’s Day, benefitting around 50 Jewish children’s organisations
1995: Five years later, more than £200k in grants is distributed, to 60 Jewish children’s organisations.
1996: Jewish Child’s Day celebrates its golden anniversary.
2022: Jewish Child’s Day celebrates milestone of 75 years, supporting over 25,000 Jewish children annually, awarding £1m of grants including 7 Heritage Grants.
2023 – JCD supported emergency funding for relocation of orphans from Ukraine, and displaced families in southern Israel.
2024-2025: Charity focused on ‘Rebuilding Israel’ campaign including partnership with UJIA to fund the kindergarten garden at Kibbutz Be’eri.
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