Last night, over 380 young Jewish Care supporters gathered at The Londoner Hotel for Jewish Care’s annual Young Patrons Dinner, raising over £110,000 to help support Jewish Care’s vital services. Guests heard from Fiona Mendel, who shared her family’s moving story.
Fiona’s late mother, Anne, was cared for at Jewish Care’s Anita Dorfman House care home at Sandringham until she sadly passed away in December 2021, after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Fiona said to the young supporters, “Jewish Care is not just close to my heart but has been a lifeline for countless others. They care about people. They care about us. Without Jewish Care my mum would have died alone in hospital.
“When I called their helpline they put me through to Amanda in their admissions team, she listened. She understood. She felt my pain as if it were her own. I told her about mum – how much she would love listening to my son play the piano to her each night since he was a young child. I knew instantly that Amanda wanted to help us.”
Amanda remembered what Fiona said about her mother’s love for the piano and when she moved into Anita Dorfman, there was a piano sitting outside her room. She had arranged with the staff for the piano to be there, so Fiona’s son could play to her when she arrived.
Anne was cared for at Jewish Care’s Anita Dorfman House care home for two weeks at the end of her life.
After Anne passed away, Fiona’s father, Tony, attended The Ronson Family Community Centre at Sandringham. Whilst at the Centre, Tony had a stroke and Jewish Care’s community centre team reacted quickly to the situation. Tony is now also cared for by Jewish Care’s dedicated staff at Anita Dorfman House at Sandringham.
“We may know Jewish Care for its Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, community centres and care homes.” Fiona said. “But how many of us know they offer bereavement services for those who have recently lost loved ones and need someone to talk to?”
At a time of crisis, Jewish Care was able to be there and to support the family every step of the way. Understanding the needs of clients and their families and supporting them through end-of-life care is key to the unique care Jewish Care provides.
A short film was shown to further share the impact of Jewish Care’s work and the care the organisation provides. Nicole Ashton, Chair of the Young Patrons Committee and Young Jewish Care Committee, appealed to guests to give generously, highlighting, the need of both financial support and volunteering from younger members of the community.
“As our older Jewish community continues to age, health conditions, including dementia, continue to be more prevalent, the number of people experiencing mental health conditions continues to grow, and so too, does the increase in almost everything, from the price of food to electricity bills,” said Nicole. “This is having a huge impact on Jewish Care financially, which means that Jewish Care needs our support now more than ever.”
Speaking after the event, Ellisa Estrin, Jewish Care’s Director of Fundraising and Marketing, added, “It was truly amazing to see a room full of hundreds of young people supporting Jewish Care and showing that they care about the older members of the community, and about all those we support. I would like to thank Fiona Mendel for sharing her story with us tonight.
“Jewish Care needs to raise almost 17 million pounds this year to help keep services like our community centres, our centres for people living with dementia, bereavement services, social work and community support team and so many more, running. The Young Patrons Dinner will go some way to achieving that goal and we are grateful to our young supporters for their generous support.”
To donate to Jewish Care, please visit jewishcare.org/donate or call 020 8922 2600.
View the event photos here.