Childhood sweethearts
Ben and Alex, who both have neurodevelopmental disabilities, first met when they lived together in a Norwood home aged four. Now in their late forties, they’ve lived together ever since. “We were friends first and then became boyfriend and girlfriend. We like to do the same things,” says Alex. They are going to a Valentine’s disco with their housemates, but they’ll spend the actual day enjoying a romantic dinner at home. Their story is just one of the ways that Norwood supports and empowers neurodiverse children and their families and people with neurodevelopmental disabilities to live their best lives. Norwood supports 186 adults in 15 residential and 11 supported living homes across London and Berkshire. Residents receive support according to their needs and enjoy being part of a community.
United Hatzalah
United for love
Israel is the heart of who I am and joining British Friends of United Hatzalah is a chance to live my values through a cause that embodies everything I hold dear. United Hatzalah is about one simple yet profound mission: saving lives. More than 8,000 volunteers—Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, and Bedouins—drop everything at a moment’s notice to respond to emergencies in an average of three minutes or less. As a child in Israel, I often accompanied my older sister, a medic, on trainings and I watched her lead a training session in Zefat for a very religious group that would go on to become the first Hatzalah unit in Zefat. Those trainings shaped my understanding of the human drive to help others and the profound impact of saving lives.
Five years ago, my husband Alon and I moved to the UK, but Israel remains the soul of our family and United Hatzalah feels like a natural extension of that connection, reflecting compassion, resilience and the unwavering belief that every life matters. Supporting this extraordinary work is a privilege, because every second—and every act of kindness—saves a world. Yael Mohaliver Brif, Executive Director
WJR chief executive Paul Anticoni with Hanna in Ukraine
Love in action
Love is the guiding force that shapes our actions and responses and this is what inspires me to lead World Jewish Relief. I often travel to Ukraine, where we have supported hundreds of thousands of people since the war began. Take Hanna’s story – aged 76, she resides in Kherson. When the war broke out, frequent shelling made her living conditions terrifying. She survived the harsh winter without heat, relying on the kindness of neighbours and the warmth of bonfires to stay alive. When our team was able to assist her by repairing her windows, we not only made her surroundings a little warmer and more secure but also brought her a sense of hope amidst despair. Hanna’s gratitude and persistence remind me why, despite the challenges we face daily, and the range of emotions I feel as a result, I love working at World Jewish Relief. Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive
JBD’s HR Assistant Laurie Sherman, Chief Executive Lisa Wimborne and Head of HR Yvonne Ellis at Work Avenue Awards
The people factor
At Jewish Blind & Disabled, our committed and passionate team often tell me the main reason they love their job is that they can see first-hand the difference they make for the tenants in our developments and the clients we support in the community. What I love most is seeing how we transform people’s lives, enabling Jewish people with disabilities to live independently with dignity and choice. Seeing the smiles on the faces of those we help, hearing their stories of resilience and recovery, and knowing that we played a part in their journey, is incredibly rewarding. I feel privileged to be working alongside a great team of people who are supporting hundreds of extremely grateful Jewish people every day of the week. Lisa Wimborne, Chief Executive
ORT UK helps to transform young people’s lives, says its chair Annette Kurer
Jumping for joy
Being the ORT UK Chair is the most fulfilling role I’ve ever had. It’s such a vibrant, responsive and nurturing organisation. Our ORT JUMP Mentoring and Employability Skills Programmes help young people fulfil their potential, which transforms lives. ORT UK is bridging the gap between school and the workplace. We’re helping students to be more communicative, identify their strengths and learn to network, while exploring possible career paths. It’s so fulfilling to follow the course of the students’ journeys. Annette Kurer
I’m so lucky to love what I do. It’s also very special working within a global network – helping to support over 350,000 beneficiaries through World ORT’s schools and training programmes in Israel, Ukraine and beyond. We really are making an impact through education and it’s an honour to play a part in that. Dan Rickman, CEO of ORT UK
Jami Shabbat
Volunteering for love
Volunteers at Jami, the mental health service for the Jewish community and part of Jewish Care, all have one thing in common – they love giving their time and skills to support Jami.
Whether they are helping out at Jami’s hubs for people with long-term mental health needs, alleviating loneliness through befriending or hospital visiting, providing admin assistance, or raising money to fund the charity’s mental health services, volunteers help Jami to reach more people living with mental illness and distress in the community and to provide much-needed support.
Among Jami’s 285 volunteers is Dinny Charkham, who joined the charity 25 years ago. She volunteers at Jami’s hub in Finchley, which provides a safe space and social connection for people with long-term mental illness and distress. “When I walked into the hub, it was love at first sight! I love being there, surrounded by people who, despite whatever may be going on in their lives, find the courage to get out of bed and come to the hub to talk, play, laugh or cry. Coming here expands my horizons, brings another dimension to my life, allows me to mingle with people I might not meet ordinarily, and was invaluable when I was going through a tough patch in my own life,” says Dinny.
JNF’s legacy department helps clients with wills and provides pastoral care
Legacy of love
As Director of Legacies at JNF UK, I am privileged to meet members of the community who share a commitment to making their mark on the future by leaving a legacy to Israel in their will. For over 75 years, JNF UK’s legacy department has provided will and estate administration services to clients, alongside pastoral care. In the course of this work, I met Roger Wallis (not his real name), who was born in Berlin but in 1937 was sent to a school in Sweden to flee the Nazis. Roger’s family later settled in the UK, and Roger joined them in 1947 and became a teacher. Despite having little connection to his Jewish roots he was a staunch supporter of Israel, spending time teaching in a school in the Golan in the ‘70s, where his love for the country flourished. Through engagement with KKL he slowly embraced his Jewish roots and left a letter asking to be buried in Israel. When he died last year we worked tirelessly under difficult circumstances to make the necessary arrangements. Through Roger’s love of the Jewish homeland, his memory will live on in the projects created in his name in Israel. Carolyn Addleman, Director of Legacies, KKL Executor & Trustee
Rachely and Meir Plancey
Kitchen table love
It began as a labour of love 30 years ago but Camp Simcha is now a vital charity for the Jewish community, supporting families with seriously ill children. Rachely and Meir Plancey had not long been married when they began to grow the charity from their kitchen table, supporting a handful of families in their local community who had a child with cancer.
Meir says: “With zero experience, we had zero expectations. We just set out to help and see where it would take us.”
Rachely, who now heads up the family liaison team, says: “Camp Simcha is not a luxury when someone’s child is going through a serious medical challenge – but a necessity. We shine a bright light into a very dark period and we see time and time again the resilience of our amazing families that we support and are constantly learning and being inspired by them. Plus our incredible volunteers who give of their time to the whole family are truly unique.”
Love and hate
It is strange to be writing about love when our world since October 7 has felt at times to be overflowing with hate. At CST, we confront hate every day. Whether propelled by a hate of the Jew, Judaism, everything that the world’s sole Jewish state represents, or a combination of all the above, it is rarely clear cut. One thing has become increasingly clear: Jew-hate is not an innate part of the human condition – it is learned. The one thing that unites every single one of us at CST is a shared and profound love of British Jewish life. This is what brings us to CST and what brings CST to action. The future remains uncertain, but together we will keep on facing whatever lies ahead. Yoni Gordon-Teller, Incidents Data Analyst
Jewish Care Chair Marcus Sperber with Jewish Care Holocaust Survivors Centre members Henny Franks, aged 101 and Miriam Freedman, aged 90
Love and Care
Love is at the heart of all we do at Jewish Care. It’s tangible when we celebrate birthdays, second barmitzvahs, anniversaries and even weddings. Not long ago, Doris Rose, one of our 104 year-old community centre members, was asked to be the matron of honour at a Jewish Care volunteer’s wedding.
The sense of being part of one big Jewish family is especially apparent every Shabbat. Our Holocaust Survivors’ Centre members love the Yiddish with Kiddush group. At our care homes, residents make Kiddush together and can enjoy the inclusive dementia-friendly Shabbat morning services together as a community. At Jami’s community hubs for people living with mental illness and distress, members celebrate at Shabbat and Yom Tov meals.
Relatives of those we support in our care homes consistently express deep gratitude for the compassionate, personalised end-of-life care their family member has received. The love is also found in our JC Explore service where older people learn to use technology to connect independently online with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
All those who live in our care homes and retirement living schemes, and visit our community centres, have a unique history behind them. It is a privilege to see the warmth, dedication and Jewish values demonstrated by everyone involved in their care. I am so proud to play a part, alongside so many others, in ensuring that Jewish Care continues to be the beating heart of the Jewish community. Marcus Sperber, Chair
Valerie and Gerry Litman found love at JDA 50 years ago
The sound of love
A few years ago, the Jewish Deaf Association (JDA) was making a film and the director asked Janet, a support worker, why she works so very hard for the members. She replied: “That’s love – that’s JDA love.”
It’s been said that JDA is a great dating agency, and many members met in the early days and have been married for well over 50 years. The challenge as they get older is keeping them together. JDA often has to battle with the authorities to keep these love birds together in their own homes. As we age, losing our hearing can be a major stumbling block to love. When your partner becomes less able to engage conversations, frustration can turn to resentment. Nearly 50 percent of people with hearing loss have experienced negative attitudes from their
family in the past 12 months. JDA helps couples to accept that living with hearing loss takes understanding, tolerance and effort from everyone involved to sustain happy, healthy relationships.
Debbie Lebrett, Work Avenue
Working for love
At Work Avenue, we help people from throughout our community obtain long-term sustainable incomes through creating employment and building businesses. We support them through various services, including one-to-one advice and guidance, workshops, training courses, focused support groups, a live jobs board, and our Wohl Enterprise Hub shared workspaces in both London and Manchester. What I love most is seeing people find their dream jobs, create successful businesses and earn a living to support themselves and their families. A common sentiment we hear is: “I couldn’t have done this without the team at Work Avenue,” and it fills me with pride to lead such an incredible and important charity for our community. Debbie Lebrett, CEO
Joanne Greenaway
Love of learning
At the heart of my role at London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) is the privilege of supporting individuals who play a vital role in our community – educating, inspiring and strengthening Jewish life. Our work directly shapes thousands of lives. I love being immersed in an environment centred on Jewish learning. Engaging with centuries of wisdom alongside some of the world’s leading educators, we continue the legacy of Rabbi Sacks, whose vision for Jewish education and leadership resonates deeply in everything we do. I am proud that as an institution we champion women’s leadership and ensure access to learning at the highest levels. Lastly I love the interconnection of the Jewish world today and this is bringing so much benefit to education. Through global partnerships and initiatives, I’ve been able to share and learn from Jewish leaders worldwide, strengthening our collective mission. At LSJS we ensure excellence in Jewish education, which shapes lives and identities: Jewish continuity depends on it. Joanne Greenaway, CEO
Loving it large
Magen David Adom UK is all about people, which is why I love my job as its Chief Executive. As Israel’s only national medical emergency and blood service, our role is to respond to people in their time of need, doing everything from delivering babies to saving lives. And, as Israel’s largest volunteer organisation, we depend on over 30,000 people to be there for one another. As Israel’s national Red Cross organisation, MDA goes to places that other ‘official’ organisations cannot; we are lifesaving ambassadors for Israel in countries like Turkey and Lebanon. One of the highlights of the past year has been leading delegations of donors to see Magen David Adom’s impact post October 7. To see the look on people’s faces as they come into contact with the beneficiaries of their generosity is truly priceless. Perhaps the thing I love most about my job is its diversity. No two days are the same. The power of the MDA brand is such that it allows us to call on Israel’s ‘First Lady’ one day and the CEO of Virgin Atlantic (to request planes be ‘donated’ for humanitarian projects in Ukraine and Turkey) the next. Having the opportunity to tell people about what we do and the lives we save is a true privilege. What’s not to love? Daniel Burger, Chief Executive
Love and hugs at a WIZO day care centre
Changing lives with love
Never have I felt more love for WIZO than I do now just having returned from Israel, having met so many exceptional individuals working to change lives and build futures for vulnerable and disadvantaged Israeli citizens, providing vital social welfare needs at every stage of life. Their passion, commitment and love for those who depend on them is remarkable. WIZO is a global family and that is something I value, admire and love about the organisation. All of us with one objective to change lives and strengthen Israel society. WIZO’s expertise is even more vital now, dealing with the increased needs since October 7 whilst ensuring no-one already depending on us slips through the net. I love the ‘love’ it shows and the impact it has, hand in hand with unparalleled expertise to ensure the wellbeing and strong future of our Israel family. Maureen Fisher, CEO
