United Synagogue’s Chesed raises over £500k to support Jewish families in need

United Synagogue’s Chesed exceeded their £500k target to help thousands of struggling, vulnerable or lonely people this Pesach.

With just over two hours to go before the deadline, US Chesed raised £521,296.

Families will now be provided with food parcels containing vital food and drink essentials.

138 ‘Chesed Champions’ and 2,766 supporters have currently contributed towards the campaign.

The US Chesed Welfare Department and the charity’s synagogue teams help over 4,000 people in need every year.

Due to the rising cost of living crisis and individuals facing financial hardship fuelled by the pandemic, US Chesed has seen a dramatic rise in the number of Jewish families in need of support.

Every Pesach, Michelle Minsky, the US’ head of Chesed, explains the movement would provide needy families with a kosher food parcel.

However, in March 2020, as people lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic,  demand for food continued to grow, so US Chesed continued to provide it.

The charity is also expecting an even greater demand after Pesach when the energy price cap is removed and fuel costs could rise by more than 50%

The United Synagogue is also planning to help Ukrainian refugees throughout the charity’s existing asylum seeker centres.

Michelle Minsky said: “US Chesed helps others every single day of the year.

“We are so grateful to each of our donors, and those who provided the matched funding, to help us raise enough money to ensure that US Chesed can be there for every family that needs us.”