Mitzvah Day has launched its 20th anniversary campaign with an interfaith celebration at JW3 and a powerful message: Jewish-led social action can unite communities and confront division.
The event marked two decades of Britain’s largest faith-based day of volunteering, bringing together past and present Mitzvah Day leaders, charity partners and senior figures from across the Jewish and wider faith communities.
This year’s theme, 20 Years of Building Bridges, was unveiled on the night, spotlighting how Mitzvah Day has become a force for unity at a time of global unrest, rising antisemitism and deepening social divides.
Founder and Chair Laura Marks CBE told guests: “As we celebrate 20 years of Mitzvah Day, our mission of reaching out and helping others in a world which feels fragile is more vital than ever.
Faith leaders write cards for JW3 foodbank users as part of Mitzvah Day’s first 2025 project. Photo credit: Karen Zetter
“This year, we ask all those taking part to connect with local charities and other faith communities who may still be strangers. We can break down barriers through meaningful, side-by-side projects that offer real support where it matters most.”
Faith leaders representing Judaism, Christianity, Sikhism, Hinduism and the Bahá’í faith took part in the first activity under the new theme, writing cards for users of the JW3 foodbank. Guests also brought donations of the foodbank’s “20 most needed items”, symbolising two decades of collective effort.
Rabbi Josh Levy, co-lead of Progressive Judaism, said: “Mitzvah Day reminds us that Judaism is about trying to make the world a better place. It has done something truly transformational, by bringing Jewish values and commitments to the forefront – building relationships within and between communities and making social action and social justice a core part of our Jewish lives.”
Rabbi Josh Levy addresses guests at Mitzvah Day’s 20th anniversary celebration. Photo credit: Karen Zetter
The campaign ahead of Mitzvah Day 2025, taking place on and around Sunday 23 November, will focus on building bridges between communities of different faiths, across generations, and with the charities facing urgent need on the frontlines of poverty, isolation and hardship.
The anniversary event also served as a reunion for many of Mitzvah Day’s original trailblazers. Juliet Simmons, who helped stage the very first Mitzvah Day as Creative Director at the JCC for London, was honoured as “Mitzvah Day’s First Heroine”.
“Today it is almost impossible to imagine the Jewish community without either JW3 or Mitzvah Day in it,” she said. “But these things don’t just happen – they take hard work, determination and a lot of love.”
Also recognised on the night were Lady Daniela Pears, whose interfaith outreach work shaped the charity’s ethos, and Ben Rich, who helped shape its early branding and message.
“For 20 years, Mitzvah Day has filled our communities with love, kindness and chesed,” said Rich. “Everyone comes together as one to repair our world.”
A special tribute was paid to Sir Trevor Pears, Executive Chair of the Pears Foundation, who was named “Mitzvah Day’s Greatest Mensch”, and to Ingrid Segal of Northwood & Ruislip United Synagogue, who received a lifetime achievement award after missing the recent Mitzvah Day Awards due to illness.
All four of the charity’s CEOs from its two-decade journey – Michelle Bauernfreund, Dan Rickman, Georgina Bye and Stuart Diamond – were present, joined by trustee Ben Leon and Westminster Synagogue’s Gary Sakol, who helped lay the early groundwork.
There was also a strong family presence, with Laura Marks’ mother, Shirley, and daughter, Sally, among those who have supported Mitzvah Day since its inception.
Three generations of Mitzvah Day: Laura Marks with her mother Shirley and daughter Sally. Photo credit: Karen Zetter
Backed over the years by prime ministers including Sir Keir Starmer, Theresa May, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, Mitzvah Day has grown from a small community initiative into a nationwide movement supported by political leaders, faith groups and public figures such as Maureen Lipman, Esther Rantzen, Hugh Dennis and Tracy-Ann Oberman.
With this year’s campaign now underway, organisers are calling on communities across the UK to get involved and continue building the bridges that began twenty years ago.
