Community
Volunteers bring Pesach to the isolated and needy throughout the UK
Charities such as Gift are meeting an upsurge in demand for support
April 2, 2020 12:05
ByAleks Phillips, Aleks Phillips
2 min read
Charities such as Gift are meeting an upsurge in demand for support
April 2, 2020 12:05ByAleks Phillips, Aleks Phillips
With synagogues shut and communal events cancelled, Jewish organisations up and down the country are doing their best to bring Pesach to people’s homes.
Gift, a London charity supporting those in need, has already dispatched two weeks’ worth of food parcels and Seder packs to more than 300 families.
Whereas previously the charity held packathons which could attract up to 40 helpers, it now relies on two families to pack items.
Gift managing director Rabbi Sandor Milun said that in this “time of crisis, we have seen the incredible resilience and kindness of the Jewish community — and the broader community too.”
He added that the 1,000-plus volunteers who had answered Gift’s coronavirus crisis appeal were “the true heroes and heroines — outside of the hospitals and care homes obviously. They have cared for the community and organised so many initiatives.
“We are truly blessed to have witnessed an outpouring of giving and kindness.
“They have stepped up in so many different ways, ensuring that life, as best as it can for now, goes on.”
One volunteer, 19-year-old Talia Goldstein, has continued answering calls for Gift despite the death of her grandfather Jerry on Sunday. She said the volume of demand was such that “if I don’t go on my phone for half an hour, I can find eight missed calls and 15 voicemails within that time”.
Her grandfather had “taught us to be a big part of the community. It’s always been something I’ve wanted to do and knowing he’s passed away makes it more important for me to carry on his values.”
Ruby Okin, 17, has been helping with deliveries for Gift, two months after passing her driving test. She had found it “a lot more demanding” than her previous volunteering with the charity. The upside was the “lovely feeling” to be helping those in need.
Gift has also received requests for help from other communal organisations. And with schools closed to all but the children of key workers, it has helped JFS and Hasmonean deliver lunches to those on free school meals.
It has also distributed 3,040 “thank you” parcels to care workers, including staff at North London hospitals.
Outside of London, Cardiff’s United Synagogue is distributing more than 100 Seder plate packages next week with the help of around 20 volunteers, who have also been shopping and running errands for those self-isolating.
Rebbetzin Aidele Rose told the JC that because of high demand in London, the community was without its usual supply of kosher food. The shul had bulk-ordered kosher basics to distribute within the community and had received 50 orders so far.
Manchester Maccabi has already taken 200 orders from the wider Manchester area for its Seder night kits, which include a disposable Seder plate, Haggadah and kiddush cups. The kits are being assembled in its kosher for Passover restaurant, which is also providing home deliveries of kosher meals.
Steph Wilks, Maccabi’s centre manager, has some 20 volunteers engaged in various stages of the production line. “This is just something we wanted to do to help people over this difficult time,” she said.
