Tuesday 28th June, London – The Maccabi GB Community Fun Run 2022 returned on Sunday 26th June as the largest annual community event. Over 5,000 members of the community joined the day to raise funds for an incredible 86 participating communal charities.
Members of the community took part in either the 10km, 5km, 5km walk, 1km or the Tri-Run which combines all three distances.
Each run began with official starters; including Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis who started the 1km, Chairman of JLC Keith Black who started the 5km Run, Executive Director of Israel Bonds Arnon Perlman who started the 5km Walk and Nigel Wray, who spent 25 years at Saracens as their owner, started the 10km. All participants received a Maccabi GB Community Fun Run medal sponsored by JW3.
Runners and spectators took part in lots of activities throughout the day in the Fun Zone sponsored by Israel Bonds and World Zionist Organisation including slime making, a large selection of inflatables, rock-climbing wall, bungee trampolines and so much more. Brighton Jewish Community brought an incredible interactive Brighton on The Pier experience on the pitch to include mini golf, table football and large Garden Games. UJIA enhanced their Charity Stand with a large deck chair and juice bar. The Jewish Chronicle had a photo booth that proved popular, whilst the London Jewish Health Partnership came down to offer important advice on a broad range of health topics. Cllr Alison Moore, the Mayor of Barnet and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, along with Anne Clark, the London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden and Krupesh Hirani, London Assembly Member for Brent and Harrow all made visits to the London Jewish Health Partnership’s stall. They were all looking to help support partners in the Jewish community to have a focus on health and wellbeing at community events as an opportunity to reach those who might not be accessing health services by mainstream routes.
There were performances by Vanessa Class School of Dance, the Israeli Dance Institute and a Sing and Sign Performance by the Jewish Deaf Association. There was also a Football Masterclass by Football freestyler, Itai Lichtenstein.
As well as lots of activities, runners and spectators also enjoyed the incredible food court, which included a delicious BBQ from Hebrew Order of David, Slice Pizza, Head Room Café from Jami and Uncle Doovy’s Ice Cream Van.
Team Maccabi GB’s Maccabiah Delegation were in attendance ahead of the Maccabiah Games happening next month. General Team Manager Joel Nathan led the delegation around the running track whilst holding the 2012 Team GB Olympic Games Torch, lent to the Delegation for the day by Nigel Wray. Assistant General Managers Daren Nathan and Andrew Myers were bearing Union Jack flags. The delegation were greeted by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and were cheered on by the community whilst doing a lap of the track.
The Charity Fair was home to all the participating charities, and this was sponsored by the JLC. The participating charities were Aims2Cure, AJR, AKIM, Alan Senitt, All Aboard, Arts Therapy for Children, Beit Halochem, Board of Deputies, British Friends of Rambam Medical Centre, British Friends of United Hatzalah, Camp Simcha, Chabad Lubavitch Golders Green, Chabad Mill Hill East, Chai Cancer Care, Chana, CST, FD UK, Gesher School, GIFT, HOD, Israeli Dance Institute, Jami, JBD, JDA, Jeremy's Circle, Jewish Care, Jewish Child's Day, Jewish Digest, JLC, JLE , JLGB, Jnetics, JNF UK, JPA, JTeen, JVN, JW3, JWA, JVN, Kef Kids, Kisharon, Langdon, Lead, Leadership By Streetwise, Liberal Judaism, London Jewish Forum, LSJS, Maccabi GB, March of the Living, Masa (UJIA), Masorti Judaism, Migdal Emunah, Migdal Ohr, MyIsrael, New Israel Fund, Noa Girls , Norwood, Ohel Sarah, Paperweight, Phone and Learn, PJ Library, Project Impact, Reform, Resource, Respite Kids, RSY – Netzer, Save a Child's Heart,
S & P Sephardi Community, Shaare Zedek, Shabbat Walk, Shenley United Synagogue, Stand Up, Streetwise, Sue Harris Trust, The Oli Leigh Trust, UJIA, UK Friends of Schneider, United Synagogue, University Jewish Chaplaincy, Wizo, Work Avenue, World Jewish Relief, Yad Vashem UK Foundation, Yellow Candle, Yoni Jesner Foundation and Youth Aliyah.
A special thanks must go to the sponsors and partner organisations of the Maccabi GB Community Fun Run in helping make this year’s event so successful: Saracens, Squires Estates, JW3, Board of Deputies, Israel Bonds and World Zionist Organisation, Hebrew Order of David, JLC, Dare2b, JVN, UJIA, CST, and our media partner The Jewish Chronicle. A thank you must also go to everyone who donated prizes for our amazing raffle.
A participant of the event stated “My whole family had a blast including my 96-year-old grandma, and my 2-year-old. My 7- and 9-year-olds did their first ever 5k – thank you so much for working so hard to put on such a fab event for the community.”
Director of Development at charity Noa Girls, Rachel Shababo said, “The Maccabi GB Community Fun Run was just incredible. Thank you to Maccabi GB for all their hard work, attention to detail and patience. It was clearly a huge success.”
Jonathan Prevezer, Chairman of Maccabi GB commented,” What a wonderful day. Being able to bring the Community together to help raise funds for their unique extremely important causes was the main purpose of the day and the result was an outstanding success. Seeing very young children with their parents and grandparents enjoying the day, with Holocaust survivors walking the 1km, veterans and charity service users, showed what the Community can do. There is a togetherness in our community which is inspiring to see.’
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Notes to Editors
About Maccabi GB
Maccabi GB and its affiliates are Britain’s leading Anglo-Jewish Sports, Health and Wellbeing Charity and has flourished for over 80 years. Part of a global movement operating in over 70 countries, our mission is to support the long term future of British Jewry by engaging and developing the entire Jewish Community with a broad range of sporting, educational, social and health and wellbeing activities, whilst promoting Jewish Identity and the centrality of Israel. Each year, through over 250-targeted projects, programmes and events, Maccabi GB reaches over 45,000 people nationally. This is achieved by a dedicated team of professionals based in both London and the North. The Yellow Candle Project is a practical and informal educational tool to remember the victims of the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah and to highlight the lessons we can learn from it. Maccabi GB is distributing a remembrance candle to as many individuals in the community as possible, along with a small card that gives the name of someone who perished in the Holocaust their age, date and place of death.
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