Jewish Futures and its family of organisations have long been a source of creativity, innovation, and inspiration within the Jewish community. To accommodate its expanding initiatives, Jewish Futures has inaugurated a new center, The Hub, located in the heart of North West London’s Jewish community, complementing its existing headquarters in Hendon Central.
At a time when Jewish identity, particularly among young people, is being challenged, Jewish Futures has taken proactive steps by conducting an intensive training week for its dedicated teams of leaders. Educators working across schools, campuses, and with young professionals nationwide participated in sessions designed to equip them for the challenges ahead. This training re-focused educators and staff across all Jewish Futures organisations as the new academic year begins, ensuring that all educational experiences and initiatives achieve maximum engagement and impact.
In the past year alone, over 20,000 young British Jews have engaged in Jewish and Israel solidarity activities through the 12 organisations that form the Jewish Futures family. Whether through Aish UK’s presence on 21 campuses and in 20 schools across the country, the volunteering hubs of GIFT in London and Manchester, the immersive travel experiences and Holocaust education provided by JRoots, or the spiritual engagement fostered by Eilecha, Jewish Futures offers multiple pathways to Jewish connection. Other notable initiatives include Shelanu, which involves thousands of Israelis, Chazon, which engages teenagers from Orthodox communities, and Taamim, which attracts Jewish food enthusiasts.
The three-story building, once a nondescript office block, now serves as a dynamic space for GIFT’s warehouse and volunteering activities, the newly forming young community Kehal Yedidim, and a young leadership center and social lounge supporting Aish UK, JRoots, Eilecha, Chazon, and other Jewish Futures initiatives. This new facility embodies the diverse and impactful work for which Jewish Futures is renowned.
To mark the opening of The Hub, Dayan Gelley, Head of London Beth Din, honoured Jewish Futures by affixing the mezuzah at the entrance. He remarked, “This is a wonderful building where people can come to be together, to laugh to enjoy and reflect. I see it’s called The Hub, in Hebrew that’s two letters heh and bet – “huv” which in Aramaic means to give and is the roots of ahava – love. I know that GIFT and all the Jewish Futures organisations are all about giving and sharing a love of being Jewish, of life of authentic Yiddishkeit and I wish tremendous bracha vehatzlacha in the love of giving meaning, purpose and direction that will impact all of British Jewry from The Hub – a true place of Huv!”
Rabbi Schiff, Founder and Chief Executive of Jewish Futures, said: “The new Jewish Futures Hub represents a significant milestone on our journey towards establishing the “Our Story” community building. We are grateful for the growing demand that has driven this expansion—not just in space, but in the scope of our activities and initiatives. The Hub will enable us to achieve even greater engagement and impact, and we eagerly anticipate welcoming the community into this dynamic new space.”
Rabbi Milun, Managing Director of GIFT, added, “Expanding into The Hub enables us to welcome more volunteers and significantly increase opportunities for giving. With a dedicated space to host our volunteering programmes, we can amplify our impact within the community even further.”
Jewish Futures has negotiated a long-term lease on the property which sits opposite the site of the “Our Story” community building which is currently being completed. A major fundraising campaign is underway in order to achieve this.
