Jess Spanier, Samantha Cass and Saskia Marrett at the Faith in Charity event
The social action work of our Progressive Jewish youth movements was celebrated at an event held in the House of Lords.
The Faith in Charity afternoon, hosted by The Aziz Foundation, recognised the work of a number of religious organisations including The Movement for Progressive Judaism, St James’s Church, Catholic development agency CAFOD and Muslim-run interfaith food initiative PL84U Al Suffa.
Jess Spanier and Saskia Marrett, from LJY-Netzer, spoke powerfully about supporting young people to take their first steps into values-led action, grounded in tikkun olam – our Jewish responsibility to help repair the world.
They were followed by Samantha Cass, of the Union of Jewish Students, who spoke about the vital work being done by the UJS with students and refugees.
Saskia and Jess said: “Social action is woven into what we do through the nature of being a Progressive Jewish movement.”
Other attendees at the event included The Movement for Progressive Judaism’s Co-Leads Rabbi Josh Levy and Rabbi Charley Baginsky, Student Engagement Officer Zac Bates Fisher, Director of Communications Simon Rothstein and External Affairs & Social Media Lead Josh Gaventa.
Rabbi Charley said: “Some of the most powerful moral voices in our community today are our young people. They are not simply learning about Judaism as an identity. They’re learning that Jewish tradition carries an ethical demand.”
The Aziz Foundation is an independent grant-making body dedicated to supporting community empowerment, leadership development and greater public engagement.
Its Programmes Manager Aftab Ahmed said: “It was truly inspiring to hear from volunteers and representatives of each organisation, and to learn how their faith inspires them to act for the good of all. The stories shared throughout the event were powerful reminders that compassion, service, and a commitment to justice are values that resonate across all traditions.”