CENTRAL LONDON CELEBRATION FOR JLE’S YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Two hundred Young Professionals gathered together on Sunday night at Central London’s Grand Ballroom for a sold-out Gala celebration. The evening was dedicated to JLE CEO Rabbi Benjy Morgan and his wife Goldie on the ten year anniversary of their arrival in London and the beginning of their stewardship of the JLE Young Professional Department.
On an emotional night of tributes, the event saw the coming together of Young Professionals from all over the UK and Europe who wanted to show their gratitude to the Morgan family and the JLE and all that it has given them. “The best part of the evening was that it really felt like a family reunion,” said Rabbi Dov Cowan who helped co-ordinate the event.” It was so special to look around the room and see hundreds of Young
Professionals from all different countries and backgrounds who have come through our programmes and trips over the last ten years but who feel bonded together through their connection with the JLE.”
The feelings of gratitude were echoed by many of the attendees who felt the importance of saying thank you for all they have received from the JLE’s programmes and social events over the years. Guest speaker Igor Catran who flew over from Zurich for the event, shared why he felt such a personal imperative to be there at the Gala: ”Growing up in Portugal I knew I was a Jew but not much more than that. At the JLE, in a non-judgemental and pressure-free atmosphere, I was given the opportunity to learn about what it meant to live as a Jew and have the door opened to a meaningful Jewish existence.
And to top it all off, it was at one of the JLE’s wonderful Friday night dinners that I met my wife of three years. It would be an understatement to say that the JLE’s Young Professional programme changed my life.”
The evening, which was also a chance for Young Professionals to get together once more after the restrictions of COVID, was crowned by a moving video which contained tributes to Rabbi Benjy and Goldie from fellow educators and alumni throughout the world.
“It is truly humbling to have been in the room with so many young Jews who want to show their gratitude and support for what the JLE has done for them.” said Rabbi Benjy Morgan as he reflected on the emotional Gala. “The event was a sign of how much the JLE has impacted the Jewish community and we will not rest on our laurels. With the opening of new JLE centres in Borehamwood and Maida Vale to service the burgeoning communities of JLE alumni and present students, the JLE is looking to build back post-COVID even bigger and better than before.”