Project Lily partners with GIFT

Mental health charity, Project Lily, has added GIFT to their list of Jewish Communal Partner Organisations.

A two-stage approach will shape the organisations’ relationship over the coming year.

Work will initially focus on GIFT’s staff team with training and support. Project Lily will then explore ways they can grow support given to GIFT’s service users.

In Budapest, Aish UK made history in hosting over 130 Jewish students at the first ever Interrailing Shabbaton, in the heart of Budapest. Set in the magnificent Kazinczy Street Synagogue.

his year, a significant number of Jewish students found themselves coincidentally in Budapest for Shabbat. Recognising this unique opportunity, Aish UK stepped in to provide a meaningful Shabbat experience.

What was initially planned for forty participants quickly gained popularity, with the event selling out within a day of going online. Thanks to the support of Gábor Keszler, the head of the community, additional space was secured at the Hanna Garden

Restaurant to accommodate the growing numbers.

The focal point of the event was a moving Kabbalat Shabbat Service held within the Kazinczy Street Synagogue. The synagogue’s grandeur and historical significance created an inspiring backdrop for the students.

The following day, a group of forty students joined Aish UK on a tour of Budapest’s key Jewish sites, gaining deeper insights into the city’s rich Jewish heritage. The journey culminated in a memorable Havdalah ceremony at the Danube River, near a Holocaust memorial honoring the memory of those tragically lost during the dark period of Hungarian Fascism.

Lisa Radford, Project Lily’s Director of Operations & Development explained: “We’re committed to giving people the tools they need to make invaluable early and rapid interventions. Partnering with GIFT is a wonderful way to reach out and help a wider audience.”

GIFT Managing Director, Rabbi Sands Milun, said: “The importance of supporting mental wellbeing can’t be overstated, it’s something that features in so much of our work. This is a valuable partnership that we hope will help many people in their day to day lives.”

“We have to ensure any growth is sustainable,” added Radford: “We’ll be working closely with GIFT to ensure we are set up to properly manage the demand that we have to meet. It’s an exciting step forward and we’ll be pushing hard to raise the funds needed to help as many people as we can.”

Our Bar and Bat Mitzvah Project ensures that young people, on their special day, can share it with a child Holocaust victim who was denied a future.

Over the past 10 years we have twinned over 1000 children. Complete the on-line Twinning Form and researchers at Yad Vashem will use the information to find a suitable twin.

Celebrants will receive a comprehensive Twinning Pack which contains:

• A Page of Testimony, with details of your chosen twin

• A Study Guide

• A Certificate

• A letter from a Holocaust survivor

• A Yad Vashem pin

• Memorial and Shabbat Candles

• An invitation to become a Guardian of the Memory

46 Albert Road London NW4 2SG

Charity No. 1099659

Phone: 020 8187 9881

Email: office@yadvashem.org.uk www.yadvashem.org.uk www.guardianofthememory.org

@yadvashemukfoundation

@yadvashemUK

@yadvashemukfoundation