Mitzvah Day celebrates 20 years as it aims to ‘build bridges’

Mitzvah Day, the UK’s largest faith-based day of social action, has marked its 20th anniversary with the launch of its theme for 2025 and a reunion of its leaders from the past two decades.

Its founder and chair, Laura Marks, announced the theme – 20 Years of Building Bridges – saying: “As we celebrate 20 years of Mitzvah Day, our mission of reaching out and helping others, in a world which feels fragile, is more vital than ever.

“This year, we ask all those taking part to connect with local charities and other faith communities who may still be strangers. We can break down barriers between people and communities through meaningful, side-by-side social action projects that offer real support where it matters most.”

The organisation outlined three ways that those taking part could the theme into action on this year’s Mitzvah Day, which will take place on and around Sunday 23 November 2025.

They are being encouraged to make connections between faith communities, so that Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and those of all religions and backgrounds can come together and build “essential, genuine and long-lasting relationships”.

Faith leaders write cards for JW3 food bank at the 2025 Mitzvah Day launch (Photo: Karen Zetter)[Missing Credit]

It is also about “building bridges” for the future – passing down the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), gemilut chasadim (acts of kindness) and tzedek (justice) from one generation to the next, said Marks, who was joined by her mother, Shirley, and daughter, Sally.

Former Mitzvah Day CEO Dan Rickman and his mum, Jacqui, are part of the Mitzvah Day team (Photo: Karen Zetter)[Missing Credit]

 

The final way to “build bridges” was with the charities that support some of the UK’s most vulnerable people, she added.

The guest-list read like a “Who’s Who” of Mitzvah Day  and included four previous CEOs from the past 20 years - Michelle Bauernfreund, Dan Rickman, Georgina Bye and Stuart Diamond – and many of the early Mitzvah Day pioneers. Among them were Juliet Simmons, the former creative director at the JCC for London (now JW3), who helped put on the first ever event, and Lady Daniela Pears, who pioneered Mitzvah Day’s interfaith outreach work.

They were joined by Ben Rich, who helped brand and promote the charity in its formative years, founding trustee Ben Leon from South Hampstead Synagogue and Gary Sakol of Westminster Synagogue, who helped to get Mitzvah Day off the ground.

Previous Mitzvah Day CEOs (l-r) Stuart Diamond, Georgina Bye and Dan Rickman with Laura Marks (second from left) (Photo: Karen Zetter)[Missing Credit]

Simmons, who was presented with a special award as “Mitzvah Day’s First Heroine”, said: “Today it is almost impossible to imagine the Jewish community without either JW3 or Mitzvah Day in it. But these things don’t just happen; they take hard work, determination and a lot of love.”
There was also a special award on the night for Sir Trevor Pears, executive chair of the Pears Foundation, who was named “Mitzvah Day’s Greatest Mensch”.

Ingrid Segal of Northwood & Ruislip United Synagogue picked up her lifetime achievement award, having missed the recent Mitzvah Day Awards through illness.

Other guests included Progressive Judaism co-lead Rabbi Josh Levy, CEO of JW3 Raymond Simonson and chair of Harrow Interfaith Gopaljeet Bhachu.

[Missing Credit]Former and current Mitzvah Day activists (Photo: Karen Zetter)

Rabbi Josh Levy said: “Mitzvah Day reminds us that Judaism is about trying to make the world a better place.

“It has done something truly transformational by bringing Jewish values and commitments to the forefront – building relationships within and between communities and making social action and social justice a core part of our Jewish lives.”

A group of faith leaders, representing the Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Baháʼí religions, took part in the first social action project under the new theme, writing cards for users of the JW3 food bank, for which guests brought donations of their 20 most needed items.

Ingrid Segal of Northwood & Ruislip United Synagogue picked up her lifetime achievement award (Photo: Karen Zetter)[Missing Credit]

Over the last 20 years Mitzvah Day has had the support and active participation of Prime Ministers Sir Keir Starmer, Theresa May, David Cameron and Boris Johnson, as well as Britain’s most senior politicians, faith leaders and a sprinkling of celebrities, including Maureen Lipman, Esther Rantzen, Hugh Dennis and Tracy-Ann Oberman.