When every day is Jewish Child’s Day
As it marks its 75th Heritage year, the charity is helping more people than ever
Jewish Child’s Day is the UK’s leading grant-giving Jewish charity and is celebrating its very special 75th Heritage year with a host of activities. The charity was founded in 1947 to give Jewish children and their families in Britain the opportunity to help children in Europe whose lives had been devastated by the Second World War. The first Sunday of every Chanukah was a fundraising day, to educate Jewish kids in this country about the importance of tzedakah and chesed. Funds were shared between organisations helping to settle children in Israel, as well as supporting Jewish refugees in the UK. Donor funding continued to roll in and, by 1951, Jewish Child’s Day became every day.
Each year, more than 20,000 Jewish children rely on JCD to nurture them and offer a brighter future in the UK, Israel and in other Jewish communities across the world. However, it’s just one of more than 2,000 Jewish charities, so what’s the appeal that draws people back to JCD time after time?
“From the very beginning we were a grant-giving charity,” says Shachaf Vainer Eytan, marketing and communications relationship manager. “Our donors trust us with their generous donations, and through our strong connections, relationships, due diligence, and strict criteria processing, we are able distribute and invest grants to more places than they perhaps would have been able to.”
Russell Brody, head of income generation, highlights a strong donor base who have supported the cause for decades. “Sometimes a donor will have an idea about where they would like their money to go but they’re not sure how to go about it,” he says. “We help facilitate that.”
Over 250 organisations apply for 130-150 grants each year and while many don’t have a loud ‘voice’, they still have a huge service to offer. As Russell says: “They exist because there is a need, and it is our job to offer support to projects and organisations wherever there are vulnerable kids. We pride ourselves on being approachable and highly supportive throughout the grant application process and there is a real satisfaction in finding great matches for monies donated. It’s such a positive aspect of what we do as you can see exactly where the money goes.”
Applications are continually rising and while each project is worthy of funds, it’s impossible to support them all. Russell sees it simply: “The more money that can be raised, the more grants can be given. We create a strong link between our donors and our grant recipients and through this we build longstanding relationships with organisations who have the greatest impact on children.”
Russell loves picking up the phone and having a chat. He makes a point of keeping people involved when it comes to their money’s journey, feeling he has been ‘entrusted’ with it. Outside the standard grant cycle are ‘exceptional grants’, so when emergency help was required in Odesa, Ukraine, JCD facilitated the evacuation of 120 kids from the Mishpacha Children’s Orphanage to Moldova.
Although large-scale donations are essential to the work it does, JCD reinforces that this generosity must start from the root, by introducing children to JCD at a young age. The Blue-Ish Jewish fundraising activity sees school and cheder pupils encouraged to wear blue and white in return for a minimum donation of £1. Shachaf says of their donor base: “From the kids’ contribution to the older generation, all these amounts add up to a big amount that we didn’t have at the beginning of the day. So, we never underestimate the impact that our collective giving has.”
Russell often speaks to members who have been supporters from day one, including one gentleman who still has his siddur that he won as a young boy back in the Fifties. Not to mention JCD chairman Charles Spungin,
who fondly remembers supporting JCD as a young child and now heads up the charity.
From heart-warming Shabbat shalom messages on their Instagram pages to Chanukah card competitions, as their hashtag says, #itsallaboutthechildren. As the children grow and learn more about JCD, they are presented with opportunities such as the bar/batmitzvah twinning programme, where participants can donate a proportion of their gifts to a twinned child in Israel or Belarus, or fundraise for them by doing a sponsored run.
Future plans include working with b’nei mitzvah groups and linking up with those from disadvantaged villages in Israel, making it an enriched
shared experience. Behind every good charity there is often a trek. This year, JCD trekkers together with The Malki Foundation raised money by journeying from the Mediterranean coast to the Galilee, with an added opportunity to meet children from grant-awarded projects. The dialogue Russell often hears from participants is, “Where is our trek going to next year?” They feel part of something wonderful and want to continue with that tradition.
From all the incredible things that people do to support JCD, Russell is often struck by the number of legacies left to JCD, especially from people who may not have been in touch for many years. “The fact that people recognise our great work and make a point of remembering us in their wills is incredible and such a wonderful surprise.”
If you are interested in donating, why not give Russell a call? Labelling himself as ‘politely persistent’, you just need to be prepared that by the time you finish the call, the amount you planned on donating is likely to have doubled.
Blue-Ish Jewish Day are Friday 3rd of February 2023 for schools and Sunday the 5th of February 2023 for Cheders, and you can register your school or Cheder’s interest right now on their website:https://jcd.uk.com/
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