Mitzvah Day becomes 35th member of the Jewish Leadership Council

Mitzvah Day has become the 35th member of the Jewish Leadership Council in its tenth anniversary year.

The social action charity, founded by former Board of Deputies senior vice-president Laura Marks, has grown into an international organisation building bridges with other faith communities, and Marks said representation at the JLC would help that effort.

Mitzvah Day began life at J-Hub in West Hampstead, supported by the Pears Foundation, and works to spread the Jewish values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), gemilut chasadim (loving kindness) and tzedek (charity and assistance).

“The JLC is delighted to have such a wonderful communal organisation join our membership,” said JLC chair Jonathan Goldstein. “We look forward to supporting Mitzvah Day and seeing this relationship go from strength to strength.”

Marks has chaired a government advisory panel on interfaith relations, co-chairs the Jewish and Muslim women’s network Nisa Nashim, and acts as advisor to the new Sadaqa Day, the Muslim equivalent to Mitzvah Day. Two years ago, she was appointed chair of the board of trustees at the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

Expressing her delight at joining the JLC’s top table this week, she said: “Membership will enable us to contribute more effectively to the discussions on the challenges facing both our own community and society at large.”