STANMORE AND CANONS PARK SYNAGOGUE MITZVAH DAY WEEK OF MITZVAH’S 

Stanmore & Canons Park Synagogue Mitzvah Day activities have lasted a whole seven days this year, with the young and older generations of the shul community coming together to work on a series of social action-based activities for the wider community.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis Visits Stanmore and Canons Park Synagogue for Mitzvah Day

The Mitzvah Day activities at SACPS kicked off last Sunday with an interfaith gardening project run in association with the local Muslim temple in Stanmore.  A team of volunteers from both faiths worked together at The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, to tidy and prepare the rehabilitation garden for the winter months.  Local MP, Bob Blackman came along to sweep leaves and thank the volunteers for their hard work.

On Tuesday, The SACPS Mitzvah Mummies visited the Princess Alexandra Jewish Care home in Stanmore. It was wonderful that the youngest members of the community entertained some of the oldest members, singing, interacting and playing during their time at the home. The visit was a real success and there were smiles all round.

MITZVAH DAY itself saw the shul come alive with the sound of chopping, packing, table laying, sandwich making, and that was just in the morning. In the shul kitchen, a merry band of volunteers chopped their way through a ton of donated vegetables from Tesco to make a hearty vegetable soup for Firm Foundations – a men’s homeless charity in Harrow, which was overseen by a visit from the Chief Rabbi, who visited Stanmore to see and congratulate the community on what they were doing for Mitzvah Day.

Meanwhile, a group of volunteers got ready for a massive collectathon which included food stuff for Watford New Hope Trust, clothes and accessories for US Project Chesed, new toys, games and puzzles, for Camp Simcha, tinned food for GIFT, books, CD’s, DVDs and records for Langdon, a foreign coin collection for JAMI, and there was even a collection for pets, with old towels, sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers being given to The National Animal Welfare Trust.

By lunch time the Stanmore contingent met and made their way to the AJEX Parade at the Cenotaph.

During the afternoon, the focus of the activity moved to the communal hall, where over 100 seniors came for a delicious two course tea and singalong.  Those taking part in the AJEX Parade where also invited to join for tea, after marching and visiting the Cenotaph, together with MP Bob Blackman.   While all this was taking place, there was also a children’s craft fair which included cookie decorating for Norwood’s Kennedy Leigh Centre, Chanukah card making for lone soldiers and Save a Child’s Heart, bracelet and necklace making for the Afula children’s home in Israel, as well as hair braiding, nail painting and a face painting bar. To top it off, a Knitathon was taking place for Tikva UK. The Synagogue was honoured to welcome The Worshipful Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Kareema Marikar, Mayoress Jazeema Marikar, Alderman Richard Romain and Mrs. Juliet Romain, and Councillor Graham Henson, Leader of Harrow Council.

Juliette Harris, Organiser of Mitzvah Day activities at SACPS commented, “We are extremely grateful for people giving up their time and efforts this week and we really appreciate everyone’s help and assistance in this COMMUNAL initiative for Stanmore Shul to do something good for the wider community. There was such a wonderful atmosphere around the shul as all the volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to work, making sure that all the activities we organised were a huge success and all the collections were sifted and sorted, ready for dispatch. We are so looking forward to doing even more, next Mitzvah Day.”


Project Impact volunteers bake Challah for Mitzvah Day

Project Impact volunteers bake challah for Chai Cancer Care clients on Mitzvah Day

Project Impact volunteers bake challah for Chai Cancer Care clients on Mitzvah Day and learn about the great work that Chai does.

Project Impact has kids baking challah for Mitzvah Day

World Jewish Relief staff take part in Mitzvah Day 2018

Credit: World Jewish Relief

The office staff at World Jewish Relief took part in Mitzvah Day 2018 by collecting menstrual supplies for asylum seekers, refugees and those who can’t afford to buy them in London and throughout the UK.

Credit: World Jewish Relief

The donation was arranged by Bloody Good Period, a not-for-profit organisation which wants to end period poverty by removing the financial burden of buying sanitary products.


We were absolutely buzzing at Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School for Mitzvah Day

Year Six have made much needed maths resources to be sent to a school in the Ashanti Region in Ghana

Our collectathons of plastic bottle tops for Lupus UK, toys and games for Camp Simcha UK and food and toiletries for the Redbridge Food Bank  exceeded all expectations! Thank you to our Year Six House Captains who came in to school early to help. We were delighted that a representative from the Redbridge Food Bank joined us for our morning Tefillah and Kabbalat Shabbat and spoke to pupils.

“It’s always so lovely seeing young and old together and our pupils gained so much from this visit”

Then it was off to Jewish Care‘s Vi and John Rubens Home in Gants Hill where our Israeli Dance Group brought ‘Sunshine to Seniors’. It’s always so lovely seeing young and old together and our pupils gained so much from this visit.

All pupils from Nursery to Year Six at Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary School took part in Mitzvah Day

Finally, all pupils from Nursery to Year Six have made much needed maths resources to be sent to a school in the Ashanti Region in Ghana. Thank you to Onechild Ghana for giving us the opportunity to be a part of this incredible project. We look forward to seeing photos of our posters and Mitzvah Day merchandise in Ghana!​


GIFT collected £7,000 Worth of food for Mitzvah Day

More than a dozen communal organisations, including shuls, schools, tzedokas, youth movements and service providers, helped GIFT collect an estimated £7,000 worth of food, household goods and toiletries for families in need on Mitzvah Day.

Volunteers from B’nei Akiva, Yavneh College, JFS, Immanuel College, Borehamwood Shul were located at kosher food stores and major supermarket chains in London and Manchester, encouraging shoppers to buy extra items for the thousand recipients of food packages that GIFT helps each week. Elsewhere, the Muswell Hill Cooking Club prepared meals for families

Volunteers from B’nei Akiva, Yavneh College, JFS, Immanuel College, Borehamwood Shul take part in Mitzvah Day

In Manchester, a food collection box was located at King David Primary School and in London they were located at JVN, IJDS, Rosh Pina Primary, JBD in Essex, Kinloss, Western Marble Arch, Edgware Federation, Norrice Lea, St John’s Wood, Bushey and Stanmore shuls

“We are delighted that so many organisations have worked with us both to encourage volunteering and to collect much needed food and other items for families in need. This is what GIFT does every day, but Mitzvah Day gives the community fresh impetus to do good for others and we are delighted to be a part of it,” said GIFT’s Director Michelle Barnett.


Aleph Centre Mitzvah Day

Aleph Centre Pupils at HGSS cheder

Aleph Centre Pupils at HGSS cheder take part in Mitzvah Day activities helping others, sorting clothes and making sandwiches for the homeless, and writing notes for sick children in hospital.

Pupils helped sorting clothes and making sandwiches for the homeless, and writing notes for sick children in hospital.

More Mitzvah Day – Synagogues

Catford and Bromley United Synagogue 
Catford and Bromley United Synagogue collected money for Children’s Jewish Charities.

Joe Burchill, Chairman of Catford and Bromley United Synagogue said: “We had a really busy  Mitzvah Day. The Senior members from our Friendship Club attended Waitrose in Beckenham and collected masses of food all day which for the Trussell Trust. The young members of the community held a book fair at the Synagogue Cheder and collected money for Children’s  Jewish Charities.

St Albans United Synagogue
“We had another wonderful Mitzvah Day across our community.”

Rabbi Daniel Sturgess, Rabbi of St Albans United Synagogue, said: “We had another wonderful Mitzvah Day across our community. We decorated bags for the charity Leket to provide food in for vulnerable people in Israel and we made cards for the children at ‘Save A Child’s Heart’ in Holon, Israel. We are already looking forward to part 2 of Mitzvah Day in St Albans next week (Nov 25) when we will be cleaning up the River Ver!”

Bushey Synagogue
Goods for Good Collection at Bushey Synagogue
Golders Green Synagogue

Record-breaking Mitzvah Day in Golders Green

Golders Green Synagogue is celebrating another successful Mitzvah Day

“Ten years of Mitzvah Day and every year it gets better!”

Golders Green Synagogue is celebrating another successful Mitzvah Day with its biggest food collection to date. Volunteers stood outside a chilly Sainsbury’s asking shoppers to buy an extra item of food to support Ashford Place, a homeless shelter in Cricklewood. More than 30 crates were collected for the shelter with a further 5 collected for GIFT by the youth of Golders Green and Hampstead shuls.

Golders Green Synagogue Mitzvah Day – Collecting food for a homeless shelter

Nearly 200 people from across the community were involved in a range of activities including cooking food for Barnet Homeless Shelter and St Laurence Larder Shelter in Willesden, knitting hats for the neonatal unit at the Royal Free Hospital and decorating tote bags for Leket to fill with produce to hand out to needy families in Israel.

Close to 100 people donated blood allowing the NHS Blood Service to collect 94 units of blood, well over the anticipated target.

Close to 100 people donated blood allowing the NHS Blood Service to collect 94 units of blood

Sara Goodman, Mitzvah Day Coordinator for Golders Green Synagogue, said: “Our fantastic volunteers have certainly helped to make a difference to the quality of life of a huge number of people. We have helped more charities than we have in the past and achieved our largest ever food collection. Ten years of Mitzvah Day and every year it gets better!”


Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue

The shul ran a number of activities including a food collection and blood drive. They also collected 180 pairs of glasses for Vision Aid Overseas to support eye care in developing countries.

The shul ran a number of activities including a food collection and blood drive.