British Jewry raises £1.7 million to support wounded IDF veterans

Over £1.7 million was raised in a single night by British Jewry to support wounded veterans in Israel.

Some 530 supporters of Beit Halochem, including Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, as well as Jewish communal and business leaders, attended the charity’s annual fundraising dinner in central London on Monday.

Since October 7, Beit Halochem, which translates as “House of warriors” and is the only government-recognised charity in Israel serving wounded IDF veterans, has seen a significant increase in the demand on its services, bringing with it a greater need for funding.

The number of Beit Halochem members has grown from 51,000 before Hamas’ brutal invasion of southern Israel to nearly 65,000 today, and the charity’s annual budget has risen from $25.6 million to almost $34 million.

Guests on Monday evening were shown a video exhibiting Beit Halochem’s four centres in Israel and the holistic approach to care that they provide, blending rehabilitative services, treatments, educational programmes, with a range of creative and social activities.

The four centres, in Jerusalem, Haifa, Be’er Sheva, and Tel Aviv, provide wounded veterans in Israel more than 355,000 fitness training sessions, 85,000 physiotherapy treatments, and 55,000 hydrotherapy treatments a year.

A fifth Beit Halochem facility, in Ashdod, will become the country’s national PTSD hub when it finishes construction in December this year and opens in February 2026. There are currently some 9,000 recently injured veterans accessing specialist PTSD support through Beit Halochem.

Two wounded veterans and Beit Halochem members, Omri Rozenblit and Eden Ram, spoke movingly onstage at the dinner about their experiences of being injured and the help they received from Beit Halochem.

Eden Ram and Omri Rozenblit at Beit Halochem annual dinner 2025 (Credit: Chiko Photography)[Missing Credit]

Ram, 21, described in harrowing detail how she and a handful of comrades defended their army base, which is 20km from the Gaza border, from Hamas invaders on October 7, and how they were eventually overcome.

After being shot 12 times, Ram lay “slowly dying” for four hours before being rescued by IDF commandos. She lost nine friends on October 7.

She was eventually discharged from hospital after three months in intensive care and moved to Jerusalem, where she goes daily to Beit Halochem’s centre in the city, a place she now calls her “second home”, to undergo gym training and physical therapy classes.

“Beit Halochem is a place where I can feel confident in myself,” she said, “and where I don’t have to be ashamed of my injuries, disability, or the 30 scars I have on my body. There are people who understand me there.”

Ram’s commendation of Beit Halochem was echoed by the night’s dinner chairs, Katie Cutler and Michaela Meyohas, who said: “While we are in London, our thoughts are in Israel. In the midst of the darkness there is a light. That light is Beit Halochem. It is a home, a place where healing begins, dignity is rebuilt, and no one walks alone.”

Beit Halochem dinner 2025 (Credit: Chiko Photography)Chiko Photography

Powerful entertainment was provided ahead of dinner by one of the best-known Charedi singers in the world, Shulem Lemmer, and toasts were made to King Charles and to the President of the State of Israel.

Raised funds will go towards physiotherapy equipment, rehabilitation specialists and services, expansion of PTSD support programmes, additional therapists, adaptive wheelchairs, fitness equipment and treatment beds.

Beit Halochem UK, which this year is celebrating its 13th anniversary, is one of 12 global fundraising wings of the charity around the world and has raised more than £44 million since its inception.