A room of 900 people attended Jewish Care’s first annual dinner in three years at Grosvenor House. Together, guests raised £5 million for vital services which touch the lives of over 10,000 people each week.

The dinner celebrated frontline staff for the part they played in looking after the community’s older and vulnerable people during the pandemic. 

Guests heard Anita Frankle’s touching story through her son, Harvey. Anita volunteered at Jewish Care’s Redbridge Jewish Community Centre for 30 years, but during the pandemic, found herself isolated and alone. Jewish Care made sure that she received support through this time. One night, Anita had a fall at home and was rushed to hospital. When Anita needed to be discharged urgently, but was unable to go back home, she was admitted to Jewish Care’s Vi & John Rubens House care home within 24 hours. Anita initially intended to stay at the care home short-term but loved it so much that she decided to live there permanently.

Guest speaker ex-health secretary Sajid Javid MP also addressed the audience and discussed the vital role that social care providers like Jewish Care play every day, and paid tribute to the critical care given to older and vulnerable people throughout the pandemic. 

Boy George kindly donated his time and gave a fantastic and memorable performance for guests that brought a huge amount of joy and energy to the room.

Jewish Care’s life president Lord Levy paid tribute to Jewish Care’s president, Steven Lewis, for his hard work and dedication to the charity for over 30 years. 

“It was so good to be back together after such a long time apart and seeing the room full of our supporters was truly amazing.,” said Levy. “Jewish Care is a lifeline to so many and I want to pay tribute to our staff who ensured that our services continued and adapted during the pandemic and ensure that our community is cared for, day in and day out. Jewish Care could not do this work without the generous support of our community and for that, we are truly thankful.”

Nicola Loftus, Jewish Care’s outgoing annual dinner chair, said: “It has been an absolute honour to have chaired Jewish Care’s first annual dinner back in person since 2019. Having chaired the last ten dinners, I know that it is truly different to other fundraising events and dinners. With testimonies from service users, guest speakers, and those who hold Jewish Care in high esteem, the annual dinner remains a staple on the communal calendar for good reason.”

Jonathan Zenios, chair of Jewish Care said: “We are deeply grateful to our supporters for their generosity in helping us to raise £5 million for Jewish Care’s vital services. Without that dedication, we would not be in a position to help as many people or with as high a quality of service. Huge thanks also go to our guest speaker, The Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP and entertainment, Boy George, for making the evening so memorable.

“With the support of our donors, lay and professional leadership and staff, we can truly ensure that Jewish Care is there for our community and those who need us most now and in the future.” 

Daniel Carmel-Brown, chief executive, Jewish Care said: “Our thanks go to the generous supporters of Jewish Care for their commitment, and to our excellent lay leadership, in particular, our Life President, Lord Levy, our President, Steven Lewis, our Chair, Jonathan Zenios, and our Trustees, all of whom work so tirelessly to ensure that Jewish Care is so well supported. To have raised £5 million is a magnificent success, and a great start to our campaign year, where we will need to raise a total of £16 million.”