In Touch Magazine - Spring 2026 by jewishcare1

MICHAEL SOBELL JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTRE

JAMI’S TALKING THERAPIES SERVICE

DEMENTIA TEAM WINS NATIONAL AWARD

Michael, Jewish Care

Singing for Joy

from our Life President, President and CEO

Steven Lewis President

Daniel Carmel-Brown CEO Jewish Care

t was wonderful to see nearly 200 of you at our special Patron’s Briefing at Sandringham. We are deeply grateful for all you do to make our work possible. We simply couldn’t do it without you.

We are pleased to be in touch once again with you, our most valued Patrons, sharing good news, updates from Jewish Care, and the challenges we are navigating.

In our ambitious new five-year plan, , we set out how we will care better, think bigger and act together. Our strategy is built on a clear belief: Jewish Care is strongest when we work together – with Patrons, lay leaders, staff, volunteers, supporters, clients, families and

Over the next five years, we aim to double our community reach; lead in dementia, mental health and end-of-life care; raise £100 million to fund our work; and ensure long-term sustainability through innovation, technology, strong estates and deeper supporter engagement.

It is currently a challenging climate. Demands for our services are rising rapidly. We are supporting more people, who are living longer with complex needs, and seeing heightened loneliness and anxiety, as well as the impact of rising antisemitism. Increased National Insurance contributions have added £1.1 million to our annual costs, while the pressure on local authority funding means that the gap between funding received and the true cost of care continues to affect admissions and occupancy.

We have developed a clear plan for long-term sustainability. Renovating Stella & Harry Freedman House at The Betty and Asher Loftus Centre is a major step forward, with completion expected in 2027. Thanks to generous cornerstone support from the Sugar family and the Ronson family through The Gerald and Gail Ronson

Family Foundation, our first class Sugar & Ronson Campus will open this summer, bringing our local services under one roof and expanding high-quality, futureproofed care for the Essex and north-east London community.

Through our Working Smarter Together project, we are increasing efficiencies through technology, including digitising medicine administration and staff rostering to further reduce agency use.

There are many achievements to be proud of. Otto Schiff care home is our second home to achieve DementiAbility accreditation, reflecting our specialist dementia care. We also secured the Dementia Care and Engagement Award at the National Activity Awards, recognising the expertise and professionalism of our dementia team. This team also arranged for the Sam Beckman Choir to record a song and helped organise our second Singing for Joy event with TV presenter and choirmaster Gareth Malone MBE.

At the Jewish Volunteering Network Awards, we were honoured to receive six awards, and our Fundraising & Marketing team won Legacy Fundraising Team of the Year at The Smee & Ford Legacy Giving Awards. At the Caring UK Awards, Jewish Care was recognised with a Care Employee of the Year Award. We are Finalists in the Care Home Awards acknowledging our high quality of care in our care homes and retirement living services.

We give our deepest thanks to Adam Dawson MBE for his dedication and service over the past seven years, and to Arnold Wagner OBE, who is stepping down as Vice Chair after 15 years. We are delighted Arnold will remain as Senior Vice-President.

Looking forward, our Annual Dinner on Monday 8 June promises to be an uplifting evening, celebrating our vital work in the Jewish community in the knowledge that together, we are stronger.

Your continued support means the world to us and on behalf of all the people in the Jewish community whose lives you help transform, a huge and heartfelt thank you.

from our Chair

Marcus Sperber Chair

Icontinue to feel immense pride when I look across Jewish Care and see how we support our community to celebrate Jewish life in meaningful, personal ways. I wanted to share some of these moments with you.

This year, on Holocaust Memorial Day, members of the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre at the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus told us they never imagined they would again witness the levels of antisemitism we see today. They also shared how much it means to be in a haven where they feel supported, understood and treated with compassion.

Across our care homes and community centres, we marked Purim together as a community with our staff and volunteers at Jewish Care and Jami. From Jewish Care Tots and Families and YJJC (Young Jami Jewish Care) supporters celebrating with care home residents, to the 1400 children from seven Jewish primary schools who danced their way through our tenth Purim Zumba – these moments reflect our shared pride, resilience and connection across generations.

Knowing that Jewish Care is here for those who rely on us – especially in challenging times – strengthens us all. Community is at the heart of who we are.

With 26 per cent of people in our community struggling with their mental health, it was heartening to see communities across the UK come together for Jami Mental Health Shabbat in January. Events, such as the Young Jami Jewish Care (YJJC) Challah Bake, and the Friday night dinner at Head Room, Jami’s social enterprise café, supported by The Maurice Wohl Charitable Foundation, are inspiring examples of the community that Jami creates.

As Pesach approaches, we will gather with family and friends to celebrate our freedom and to continue to hope for peaceful times ahead. Across our community centres, care homes and retirement living communities, those we support will celebrate the Pesach traditions, using our own Jewish Care Haggadah at Seders, supported by our dedicated staff and volunteers.

Your generosity makes all this possible. I hope you feel proud of the difference you make and the vital role you play in supporting the Jewish community.

Thank you and wishing you all a happy and healthy Pesach and Chag Sameach

Welcome

Thank you to our new Patrons in 2024 and 2025

Ann & Charles Kessler

Debra & Mark Gold

Jacob & Gabby Lyons

Jessica de Rothschild

Marcia & David Korman

Marli & David Esterkin

Richard Grosse

Sons of Louisa Brewer

We are deeply grateful to all of our wonderful Patrons for their generous support. A list of our current Patrons can be found on our printed letterhead or on our website jewishcare.org/get-involved/become-a-patron. We are also hugely grateful to those Patrons who have chosen to remain anonymous.

We congratulate Arnold Wagner OBE on his appointment as Senior Vice President, in recognition of his many years of outstanding service as Vice Chair and Trustee of Jewish Care.

Jewish Care President appointed MBE in New Year Honours list

We’re delighted to announce that our President, Steven Lewis, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the New Year Honours list for services to Jewish Care and the community in Greater London. This prestigious recognition celebrates Steven’s outstanding voluntary service, leadership and fundraising for the Jewish community. He said, “I’m deeply honoured to receive this recognition. It is a tribute to the superb staff, volunteers and supporters who make Jewish Care what it is.”

Steven has been involved with Jewish Care since its formation in 1990, resulting from a merger between the Jewish Welfare Board and the Jewish Blind Society. He served

as a trustee until 2020, was Chairman for nine years, and has led the organisation through a number of other important mergers with Jewish social welfare organisations. The latest one, in 2024 with Jami, has enabled Jewish Care to grow its community mental health services for people of all ages.

His leadership has ensured that tens of thousands of people across the Jewish community, including UK Holocaust survivors, have received the very best and most relevant welfare services and continue to do so.

Steven’s fundraising skills are legendary. He’s been responsible for personally raising over £150 million, which has enabled Jewish Care to offer the most modern and caring residential and day care facilities to the community.

As President, Steven leads the trustees and Executive team in developing strategies that ensure Jewish Care’s services meet the needs of the most vulnerable across the UK.

From all of us Steven, a huge mazel tov!

A day in the life of the Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre

Connection, culture and community for older people

By 10am, the Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre, at the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus, is already buzzing. As the doors open, members – most in their late 80s, some proudly passing 100 – arrive to warm greetings, fresh toast, and the unmistakable hum of longstanding friendships. “People come here to reconnect, relax and feel fulfilled,” says Centre Coordinator Lauren Rose. “It’s a warm, safe space where emotional, spiritual and physical wellbeing is at the forefront of everything we do.”

After the initial catch-ups, morning activities start at 11am. Thursdays, one of the centre’s busiest days, offer something for everyone: art classes with a specialist teacher, lively discussion groups, challah

baking, gentle exercise and weekly Jewish history sessions. For some, the centre is a place to learn and stay active; for others, it’s simply a place to sit with friends and enjoy being part of something bigger. Lauren explains, “People use the centre how they wish.”

At 12:30pm, members can enjoy a soup and sandwich or a three-course subsidised kosher lunch, which is as much about nourishment as it is about togetherness.

Afternoons bring live entertainment that fills the hall with music, dancing and laughter. “We make sure everyone leaves feeling full, revitalised and in good spirits,” Lauren says.

There’s even a hairdresser on site each Thursday, alongside a small shop selling cards, gifts and daily essentials.

The centre also organises theatre outings, boat trips, practical excursions and supermarket trips. Digital inclusion is a priority too, with the Jewish Care Explore team helping members navigate devices and apps, ensuring they remain connected in an increasingly online world.

The Michael Sobell Jewish Community Centre is a lifeline. “We combat isolation and loneliness,” Lauren says. “We remind people they still matter – that they still bring something to the community. Members always say, ‘What would we do without Sobell?’”

Jami’s Talking Therapies service expands to benefit more

Jami’s Talking Therapies service is reaching greater numbers in our community struggling with their mental health. This follows the service’s expansion to include young people from 11–18, as well as adults, and Jami’s recent crowdfunder campaign to make counselling financially accessible to everyone who needs it.

The service provides a nonjudgemental, safe space where young people and adults, who are struggling with their mental health, can speak openly, feel heard and receive support from experienced therapists. By enabling people to explore their worries, make meaningful choices and move forwards with confidence, our Talking Therapies service ensures that no one has to face trauma, loss, fear, anxiety, depression or worries about antisemitism alone.

Young people’s Talking Therapy sessions take place in Jami’s Wohl Counselling

Suites at the Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus, providing an appropriate and welcoming environment to express their emotions. Adults can use these therapy rooms or have sessions online, making it accessible to those who are Jewish but don’t live locally. Tracey Davidson, Senior Talking Therapies Service Manager, says, “We’ve got people from all over the UK coming to us because they feel we offer a safe service from within the community.”

Through 47 counsellors, Jami supports about 160 young people and adults.

Daniel is one of them. He sought help to address personal issues before becoming a father. His anxiety, low mood and feelings of overwhelm because of his own difficult childhood were affecting his relationships and confidence. He says, “My therapist gave me space to talk and offered suggestions. I felt listened to. Jami helped me work through my anxiety, fears about being short tempered, financial worries and health worries. Jami has given

me more confidence and helped me to be a better father.”

National Dementia Care & Engagement Award

Jewish Care’s Community Dementia Services Team has won the Dementia Care & Engagement Award at the National Activity Awards.

Richard Shone, Director of Community Services, Social Work and Volunteering, said, “This reinforces Jewish Care’s position as a leader in community-based dementia care and highlights the positive impact we make every day to transform the lives of people living with dementia and their family carers.

“Our Community Dementia Services Team is dedicated, creative and

compassionate. Judges noted our personcentred and creative approach, as well as the strong sense of identity and belonging fostered within a Jewish environment. We are proud of our wide-ranging programme supporting individuals to stay active and connected, feel valued, and continue experiencing joy and purpose.”

The numbers of people living with dementia is expected to rise by up to 25 per cent in the next decade. Our dementia day centres play a vital role in offering early, ongoing and specialist support to help people live well at home for longer,

reduce isolation, and ensure families never feel alone.

Alongside our specialist day centres, our community programmes include trips, Singing for Joy and Singing for Memory groups, and Memory Way Cafés for people living with dementia and their family carers. These services provide cognitive, emotional, physical and social benefits while offering meaningful respite and support for families.

In the past year, our centres supported 177 people living with dementia, gave respite to 185 carers and delivered 7,777 visits. Over the next five years, we aim to double the number of people supported through our expanded dementia services.

With special thanks to Danielle & Anthony Fobel for their generous support towards our community dementia programme.

Sandringham hosts special briefing

We were thrilled to welcome nearly 200 Patrons and Friends at Jewish Care’s Sandringham care and community campus this month for our special briefing with fascinating guest speakers, Lord Kim Darroch KCMG and George Parker. The event was a wonderful opportunity to share updates about our achievements as an organisation and our exciting plans for the future.