Thousands Join Mitzvah Day
Britain may have endured another less than cheery weekend of weather, but more than 12,000 volunteers did their bit to brighten up the lives of others when they took part in the UK's first nationwide Mitzvah Day last Sunday.
From packing more than 1,000 boxes of clothes and other essential items for those in need to cleaning gravestones and donating blood to visits to every Jewish Care home in the country, more than 250 charitable events were held during the course of the event, which was sponsored by the Jewish News.
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In Nottingham, youngsters from the local Orthodox and Reform synagogues together with Muslim and Sikh children urged guests at a concert they were performing to donate toys for a local charity, while, in the Capital, Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks and members of the Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade were among those honouring ex-servicemen and women at the annual AJEX parade.
Praising those who had taken part in the Day, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Get involved - that's the message of Mitzvah Day, when Londoners from all walks of life and backgrounds give time to help a whole host of charities. To everyone that has taken part and given their time, fantastic job!"
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who recently launched his Faith Foundation, described the event as "another landmark in multi-faith volunteering in Britain and I congratulate you on it".
Mitzvah Day UK Chair and Founder Laura Marks said: "Mitzvah Day 2008 has exceeded our wildest expectations. It clearly shows that, even though times may be tough, there is still a huge appetite for charitable works. I want to congratulate all those involved: Jews and non-Jews, secular to Orthodox, young and old."
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