High Holy Day Appeal
This year’s High Holy Day appeal will be shared between Leeds Jewish Welfare Board (LJWB) and the Movement for Reform Judaism (MRJ) appeals.
LJWB
Please support LJWB this Jewish New Year. Our annual new year appeal is our largest appeal of the year and with your help we can continue to offer HOPE for the future for many generations to come. Our vital work promotes connection and wellbeing which leads to a reduction in loneliness and social isolation.
Our aim is to raise £325,000 which will allow us to keep our doors open, offering a warm, safe space as well as continuing to provide our huge range of activities and support and therapeutic services to meet the increased demand we are experiencing, with footfall at the MAZCC reaching over 46,000 in the last year.
Over the last 147 years, LJWB has seen an increase in challenges faced by our community and we are more reliant than ever on your support to fund our work and meet this increase in demand.
WITHOUT your generous support and contributions, we could not afford to continue to bring HOPE to so many in our community.
RSY-Netzer Builders Appeal
For the 5785 High Holy Days, we are asking our Reform Communities to leave their mark and become an RSY-Netzer Builder to enable more children and families to enjoy RSY Netzer’s magic. RSY-Netzer has transformed the lives of children and their families for over 40 years. It has planted the seeds for generations of future leaders in the UK who actively engage in Tikkun Olam – making the world a better place to live. Graduates of RSY-Netzer make a difference in roles in the Jewish community and wider society.
In today’s volatile world many RSY-Netzer families are experiencing challenges to their wellbeing and financial security. We need your support now more than ever to ensure our young Jewish children have a positive space for them to grow and develop as future leaders and active members of our communities, steeped in strong Jewish identity and Reform Zionism.
In order to ensure that the work and impact of RSY-Netzer continues for future generations, we are launching the new RSY-Netzer’s Builders Campaign. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted many families who wish to send their children on RSY-Netzer experiences. As family budgets are stretched more than ever, we hear stories of the sacrifice’s parents are making to try and enable their children to share in the experiences they enjoyed as children. We are seeing a worrying shift of parents asking for the full cost of the event and an increasing divide between those who can and those who cannot afford to participate without our financial support. The cost of running residential summer camps continues to increase, and the full cost is beyond the budget of many families. In 2023 we had to increase our bursary fund to ensure affordability is not a barrier, awarding over £100,000 across our activities.
Inclusivity and diversity ensures everyone is valued and everyone benefits from a non-judgemental space where each young person can be themselves and thrive. The proportion of people with identified mental health needs has increased from approximately 10%, 10 years ago to around 40% in 2023. Thanks to our excellent reputation and professionalism in this area, we are able to include and support a high proportion of participants with mental health needs, special educational needs (SEN) and neurodiversity, as well as many LGBTQ+ members. We offer bespoke support to all participants and leaders to ensure full inclusivity so that every child can take part in and benefit from RSY-Netzer.
‘Youth leading Youth’ is a core value of RSY-Netzer as a way to sustain our Jewish community for generations to come. Every year RSY-Netzer trains 60 - 80 Year 12 and 13 (sixth form) students on their robust and enriching Hadracha (leadership) training programme. We train and inspire our young leaders to plan and provide high quality educational programmes and to ensure the wellbeing of the participants. We also elevate the concept of dugma ishit (leadership by example), as a way of modelling ideologically driven compassionate behaviour to inspire all children in ways to become leaders and active members of our community and society. These leaders the often take major roles in universities, and then as clergy, Jewish professionals and lay-leaders of our communities.