Pesach is a time of change and a time of giving, when charities launch appeals to help those most in need. Thus it is with Jewish Care, the UK’s biggest social care charity, which this year is making its dementia day centres and dementia generally the focus of its seasonal fundraising. Its literature features a devoted couple in their 70s, Lorice and Maurice. Lorice develops dementia and is given a place at the Sam Beckman dementia day centre. Their story recounts how happy she is there and how she is cared for by staff . Her visits to the centre also give Maurice the opportunity to have some time to himself. Jewish Care chairman Stephen Lewis says in the literature: “This Pesach, we need your help to make sure that no one living with dementia – or anyone who is caring for them – has to face it alone.
“We need £1.1 million a year to keep our dementia day centres open. That means we need to raise more than £3,000 every single day of the year. So you can be sure that anything you give this Pesach will make a real difference to people’s lives.” He goes on to talk about the family carers team, who have helped Maurice while he’s been caring for his wife. “There are many more husbands and wives in the Jewish community struggling to take care of a loved one on their own and who urgently need our support right now. But we can only help them if we have the funds we need and local authority funding
for all these services is virtually non-existent,” said Mr Lewis. The appeal also encompasses support for the Memory Way Cafés, the original one of which at the Otto Schiff Home is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year. There are now four cafes where people can sit with their family and carers. Pesach boxes from the charity GIFT have been placed in kosher shops across London and Manchester this week in the run up to the festival. GIFT provides weekly food packages for more than 2000 people in the community. Hundreds of volunteers have been mobilised to pack and deliver kosher lePesach food to recipients who are struggling financially. This week Sinai youth group helped to pack hundreds of kosher lePesach food bags. The community has also been encouraged to place extra non-perishable kosher food items in the GIFT boxes. In addition, there is also a chometz food appeal on Sunday April 2 from 11am -2pm at Th e GIFT Warehouse, The GIFT Van outside Kosher Kingdom, Golders Green and The GIFT Van outside The Brenner Centre, Stamford Hill. Any and all in-date unopened chometz can be donated and will be distributed after Pesach. For more information, call the GIFT
Office on 0208 457 4429. Kisharon has launched its Pesach appeal – a 16-page, full-colour story of Pesach to accompany the traditional haggadah. The aim of the book is to enable everyone, no matter what their background or ability, to participate and to ask questions at the seder table. The book was designed by people Kisharon supports and includes their colourful illustrations. Its concept aims to simplify the seder using pictures and easy-to-read bitesize language to ensure that everyone can understand the seder. Kisharon’s Pesach story is available from its social enterprise gift store, Equal, in Temple Fortune with all money received from the appeal going towards its education, employment and supported living services. Chief executive Dr. Beverley Jacobson said: “Seder night is a time when everyone is encouraged to ask questions. We want to empower all those around the table to ask their own questions. “Kisharon’s ‘easy to read Pesach story’ gives people with learning disabilities and the wider community tools to feel connected to the Seder. This guide also gave many of the people we support the opportunity to engage with Pesach by sharing their creative visual interpretation.”