For many years, Golders Green Synagogue’s welfare team has operated a remarkable service to support those elderly or more vulnerable members that may benefit from additional support.
Volunteers offer support in a variety of ways, including phone calls, home visits, hospital visits, meal deliveries and errands. We also organise tea parties and other events that may appeal to members who are unable to come to Shul at other times.
Our volunteer network is coordinated centrally by Susan Freiberger, who arranges training and ongoing support for volunteers. Many of our volunteers find the experience to be very rewarding and their services are greatly appreciated by the recipients.
To join our growing volunteer network or discuss how you might get involved, contact Susan Freiberger at susan.freiberger@gmail.com
Give back to our community by making a home-cooked meal for a fellow congregant.
Golders Green Synagogue is proud to offer a long-running meal rota service to our members. Volunteers prepare kosher meals at home and deliver them to families and individuals at times of need, including new births, shivas, illness and other extenuating circumstances. The meal rota has been deeply appreciated by beneficiaries who have really welcomed hot, home-cooked meals during challenging times.
To view the meal rota Kashrut policy, please click here.
To join the meal rota as a volunteer or to request a meal rota, contact Rachel Clark at clark.racheld@gmail.com
Golders Green Synagogue has hosted NHS blood donation sessions since 2014 when the local Hindu Temple that had previously hosted the sessions relocated to Kingsbury. The NHS needs nearly 5000 blood donations every day to collect the blood patients need and GGS is delighted to provide the infrastructure that is needed to run donor sessions.
The sessions run three times each year in the shul hall, bringing people together people from all faiths and none for a common purpose. Everyone is welcome and the community has worked closely with the NHS to run the sessions safely and successfully during the pandemic.
We are delighted to have been able to continue the service uninterrupted, in spite of the challenges of COVID-19. With added PPE and other precautions, we are still able to welcome old and new donors to the shul, although at present there are only booked sessions and no walk-ins, which we hope will resume in time.
The sessions are organised by GGS volunteers Diana Wolfin and Gillian Freiberger. On average, we collect 80 units of blood at each session, which makes a likely total in excess of 1800 since we started in 2014, something of which the whole community is very proud.
Our next session takes place on Sunday 3rd July this year.– watch this space for details.
Golders Green Synagogue has been a proud and active participant in Mitzvah Day for more than 12 years, with a wide range of social action activities taking place across the community for all ages.
Regular projects have included shopping collections for a local homeless charity, knitting hats and scarves for refugees, planting and regenerating areas of Childs Hill Park, which sits behind our synagogue, and children’s arts and crafts activities. We have also organised guest speakers, panel discussions and tea parties for older members of our community.
Mitzvah Day has an extraordinary effect in bringing members of our community together to give their time for local, national and global causes.
Mitzvah Day this year takes place on Sunday 21st November and we are looking for new volunteers to get involved and organise activities. Please contact the office (office@ggshul.org.uk if you are interested).
