Mitzvah Day founder offers to move to stop AJEX clash

An annual schedule clash between Mitzvah Day and the AJEX Parade seems to have been resolved, after Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks offered to move her day of charity back a week.

Writing on the letters page in this week’s Jewish News, Marks states: “With the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belsen coming up this year, we have decided to move the date of Mitzvah Day to the week following the parade to allow even more people to support AJEX both locally and at Whitehall.”

AJEX national chairman Jeffrey Fox was pleased with the news. He said: “Unfortunately, people didn’t realise that they could support both, and attendance [at the parade] suffered. We didn’t pressure a change, but hopefully this will lead more people to attend the parade. In turn we will encourage our members to attend Mitzvah Day events the week after.” AJEX supporters had questioned the logic of doubling up.

Jewish News reader Ann Belson said: “Mitzvah Day can be celebrated any Sunday. Why must it be on the same day?”