Jewish Care

We would like to thank everyone who attended the recent Minerva Business Luncheon, which raised a wonderful £275,000 for Jewish Care's Sobell Day Centre in Hampstead.

Ron Sandler, Northern Rock

The Lunch was held to honour the winner of The Minerva Jewish Care Award 2008, an unsung hero who has made a positive difference in our community.

This year's winner was Eva Neumann, a Holocaust survivor who accompanies young people on tours to Auschwitz. She won the award in recognition of her courage in returning to a place of unimaginable horror to ensure the Shoah is not forgotten.

Mrs Neumann said: "There are books, archive films and photographs but nothing can replace going personally with a group of young people and saying: ‘Here I stood.’ That living testimony is more effective than all the archives in the world.”

Addressing the audience, Ron Sandler, chairman of Northern Rock, said: “In all this doom and gloom we need to find ways to put things in perspective. Hearing about Eva’s remarkable life suddenly makes all the talk about recession feel vaguely irrelevant. Talking of what really matters, this is also an appropriate time to acknowledge the outstanding work of Jewish Care.” 

Jewish Care chairman Stephen Zimmerman, said: “This lunch is an example of the business community’s ability to continue to offer incredible support for Jewish Care in such difficult times. Our work on behalf of the frailer members of our community has to be funded and it is vital therefore that we keep it at the forefront of the community’s attention.”

Past winners have included:

Shelley Gilbert, for founding the Grief Encounter Project

Sir Nicholas Winton, for saving children from Nazi Germany

James Kustow, who set up Marrow, a project that encourages students to join the bone marrow register

Ron Jonson, an organ donor for a 9-year-old who needed a double lung transplant

Recent Minerva speakers have included Michael Spencer, Kelvin McKenzie, Pete Waterman, Alastair Campbell, The Rt Hon Michael Howard QC MP and Sir Alan Sugar.

For further information, please contact us on 020 8922 2821 or email us.