UJIA enjoys good viewing figures on Yom Ha’atzmaut
ADAPTING TO the realities of the lockdown, UJIA held its annual Yom Ha’atzmaut business breakfast online. Hundreds tuned in on Zoom and Facebook on Wednesday morning to hear the keynote speech from Dan Ariely, professor of psychology and behavioural economics and Wall Street Journal columnist.
Mr Ariely discussed how he motivated people and helped them to make better decisions. He ended with the optimistic message that “unlike any other Yom Ha’atzmaut, our dependency on each other is much clearer and I hope that this will be an important step in coming together in better ways for all of us”.
Israeli envoy Mark Regev was another speaker, thanking the online audience for continuing to support UJIA.
“You are making a real difference in the lives of so many people in Israel, helping to narrow gaps,” he said. “As the entire planet faces the challenges of Covid-19, it is quite possible that Israel, which has been on the cutting edge of so much scientific development, will be a part of the solution.”
Proceeds will benefit the Carmiel Children’s Village in the north of Israel.
Although UJIA has restricted its fundraising efforts in recent weeks so as not to divert attention from major communal appeals, it felt that Yom Ha’atzmaut was an appropriate time to highlight the needs of vulnerable Israeli children facing new challenges during the lockdown.
Earlier in the week, a global audience of more than 3,000 watched a Yom Hazikaron ceremony hosted by UJIA’s Manchester committee. It included an address by Zohara and Moshe Haiman from their home in Israel about the example of courage and excellence set by their son, Yuval, who was killed in combat during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
The charity has also launched an online ulpan for those of school age and partnered with the PJ Library to send Israel-related books to some 7,800 children in the UK, along with Israel-themed activities to enjoy while at home.
JW3 HAS reopened its kitchens to enable volunteers to cook meals for those in need locally.
For the past two Tuesdays, five volunteers have cooked on the Finchley Road premises — which had been closed since the lockdown — producing 40 meals including vegetable stew, mashed potato and cake.
Ingredients were donated by local supermarkets Aldi, M&S and Little Green Dot through the Feast initiative, which utilises food that would otherwise be thrown away.
The meals have been distributed to adults identified as vulnerable by Camden Council during the crisis.
One of the volunteers, Michael Gladstone, 32, was “really happy” to help out after being furloughed from his job as an IT consultant.
He said he had wanted to do something productive with his time off.
“It was good fun working out what to make and attempting to get the stuff ready in a few hours. It’s not a long time to prep everything and make 40 meals.” He wants to continue volunteering until returning to work next month.
JW3 social action programmer Jacob Forman said it was “brilliant to be able to use JW3’s space to make a tangible difference to our local community”.