Mitzvah Day 2015 Report Welcome to Mitzvah Day 2015 Dan Rickman As the recently appointed Director of Mitzvah Day it is my absolute pleasure to launch the new look and feel of Mitzvah Day 2016, which this year will take place on 27th November. It’s hard to think of a time when we Mitzvah Day is expanding and didn’t see the Mitzvah Day green becoming an even greater force for t-shirts come out in force every good. We ran 550 Mitzvah Days in November, and yet it’s easy to forget 21 countries in 2015 and we’ve seen that Mitzvah Day is only eight years growth in our essential interfaith work, old. Our challenge is to ensure that and our project which engages young Jewish led Mitzvah Day continues to adults. Our Mitzvah Day Together evolve and make an impact on as many programme supports disabled people volunteers and charities as possible. to participate in volunteering, and we have continued to work with non- So much work goes into making sure Jewish schools and offices. Mitzvah Day happens. This year we have focused on making sure we deliver the This report gives you the opportunity most efficient Mitzvah Day ever. to reflect on what we have achieved in 2015, and for us to showcase how we Our new website and database will plan to grow in 2016 and beyond. make it easier than ever to register as a partner, and to find and participate We look forward to seeing you on in a Mitzvah Day project. 27th November 2016. 1 Mitzvah Day 2015 Social action in numbers and reaction Laura Marks 550 40,000 partners; an increase people taking part in A rabbi and an imam walk of 47 from last year projects around the world into a kitchen… That actually happened on 22nd November 2015. Mitzvah Day made it happen. 2,000 225 But not just rabbis and imams and not just We embody the current political kitchens. On Mitzvah Day, volunteers from imperative for integration, engaging projects globally international partners across seven faith communities and none people in local community and bringing came together to work on meaningful people who are different, together. social action projects. Volunteering on a Mitzvah Day project highlights what everybody has in But ‘meaningful’ isn’t just about the common. 75 end result of the project. Mitzvah Day is there to give our 40,000 volunteers Everybody’s humanity. active groups: unaffiliated young adults an individually meaningful experience Everybody’s striving for community. around the world as well. The spark that happens when Everybody’s caring. people join forces, and do good deeds Everybody’s ability to contribute. while chatting and sharing anecdotes and recipes: that’s what our work is Every time a Muslim and a Jew peel about. potatoes side by side, it builds bridges, 98,000 challenges stereotypes and makes our volunteer hours, Immediately after the terrorist atrocities streets safer. in Paris, being able to introduce a French well over 11 years Jew living in London to a British Muslim Interfaith integration is not just for and send them to entertain residents of rabbis and imams and religious a retirement home together: that’s what leaders. It’s all the more important at a our work is about. Or helping a Jewish grassroots level. 72 sixth former to bring a food collection interfaith projects; a substantial increase project to their whole non-Jewish school: We are driving this agenda, bottom up. on last year’s record-breaking 55 that’s what our work is about. Do join us. 2 3 Mitzvah Day 365 Because we Making a difference were strangers. all year round A focus on refugees Mitzvah Day in November is the peak of our calendar A significant focus of Mitzvah Day’s work this year has and it serves to enthuse our volunteers from one year to been supporting refugees. As a humanitarian crisis, the next. Many of our partners run projects on a regular which so strongly echoes the Jewish experience, we basis, continuing to build on the relationships kindled by have done all we can to mobilise volunteers from across Mitzvah Day. communities and faiths to do their bit. But we also organise a year-round This year, Mitzvah Day organised refugee On Mitzvah Day itself, dozens of And we are currently planning a nappy programme of events, some tied to the projects on these themes. projects were refugee-centered: from drive to support a new Christian led day, Jewish calendar, some to other faiths’. collections of toiletries to cooking for Society Sunday, for asylum seekers and In the interfaith world, Sadaqa Day is asylum seekers. Work has continued refugees who need them most. Tu Bishvat is a time for tikkun olam: our fledgling counterpart in the Muslim year round, with several collectathons repairing the world. Volunteers from community, on which we delivered on Sadaqa Day. All these projects are run hand in hand Ealing to Kiev ‘put on their wellies’ and 10 Jewish-Muslim projects across with our charity partners who really tended to the environment. Purim and the country. And a Christian interfaith Our Pesach campaign followed suit: understand the issues, and how to Pesach focused on tzedek: alleviating initiative, Society Sunday, is coming up Don’t pass over helping a stranger make our contribution meaningful. hardship. A Purim tradition is ‘mishloach on 12 June. We’ll run projects then too. this Passover. manot’, giving gifts to people in need; and Pesach is about helping strangers. Overall, 2015-16 has shown every day really is a Mitzvah Day Case study: Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue organised Case study: an entire day of collectathons and talks to show that ‘Refugees are Welcome’. Moishe House London’sintroduction FEAST! to social environments for vulnerable adults. FEAST! runs fortnightly throughout the Working with the Council of Christians and Jews, year, and started as a collaboration the synagogue has been acting as a hub for Co-ordinator Hannah Style said, “We between young adults from Moishe donations for refugees. Most significantly, on would not have been able to facilitate House and a local homeless shelter in Mitzvah Day NPLS launched a new partnership with such a wonderful programme were it Kilburn, Conway House. the Islamic Centre, High Wycombe. not for our involvement and success with Mitzvah Day last year, when Using surplus food donated by the local Rabbi Aaron Goldstein, a veteran of Mitzvah Day we ran a one-off bake-athon for the Sainsbury’s, Moishe House community for the past eight years, drove donations to High homeless at this same residence. It members work with Conway House Wycombe with both Muslim and Jewish volunteers, has now blossomed into something so residents to cook something creative, cementing this new and exciting relationship 4 important for so many people.” 5 then all eat together. It is a wonderful re- between the faith groups. The growth of Mitzvah Day Mitzvah Day International 550 550 500 500 460 450 400 350 350 Mitzvah Day 2015 saw 305 Case study: 300 projects taking place in 21 Magen David Adom UK 250 different countries spread 200 175 200 The British Ambassador 20 years. Students across 4 continents. to Israel, His Excellency were given a tour of the 150 David Quarrey, joined MDA centre and learnt 135 120 130 100 100 120 over 50 students from about volunteering 100 65 65 88 The Jewish community of Krakow got three Commonwealth opportunities. 50 together to collect books and make partner countries, Britain, Australia and South Africa This was followed by 0 bookmarks for the Regional Library – at a historic blood drive at a hugely successful 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 as well as collecting clothing and food the MDA HQ blood donation, where a Jewish organisations running a Mitzvah Day (Partners) for the most needy in society. in Jerusalem. whopping 37 units were Costs (in £000s) given. “It was a really Until 2015, British special experience to Throughout Germany, communities nationals were unable to be able to get to know teamed up for 120 projects, mainly in donate blood in Israel due students from across the to risks associated with Commonwealth whilst support of refugees. In Berlin, 60 Mad Cow Disease. These uniting for this amazing How we spend Jewish and Muslim volunteers spent British students were cause” (Adam Ellis, Bnei the day in a shelter for refugees – therefore the first group Akiva Torani participant) to have donated blood cooking, entertaining, teaching and in the country for almost our donors’ money playing games. There were also projects focused on senior citizens, people with disabilities, victims of Projected budget Project costs terrorist attacks, the environment for 2016 and animal welfare. £200,000 Interfaith projects International projects In 2016 we aim to launch Mitzvah Day Communications Poland and Mitzvah Day Belgium to join Australia and Germany. In difficult Overheads times for Jews around the world, Mitzvah Day provides a platform for Jews to demonstrate what we Core staff costs do best: giving back. 6 7 Thank you to our supporters MAJOR DONORS: Ruwaida & Shabir Randeree Pears Foundation Ruth & Jeremy Smilg Department for Communities & Local UJIA Government The Worth Charitable Trust Clore Duffield Foundation Joy and Stanley Cohen Charitable Trust European Jewish Fund Natan Fund MITZVAH DAY MENSCHES: Shoresh Charitable Trust Roberta Benscher The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust Sue Charles & Richard Goldstein Sarah & Lionel Derriey PATRONS: Jeremy Franks & Chris Lenihan Edwards Foundation Gloria & Raymond Freeda Sara & Paul Phillips Nick Grant Bianca & Stuart Roden Shelley Jacobson & Brendan