Written by Watford Observer

6:20pm Tuesday 1st September 2009

By Adam Binnie

A national Jewish good deed day, named Mitzvah Day 2009, opens this week aiming to engage 15,000 volunteers across the UK and beyond.

Founder and organiser Laura Marks said: “It is a day when the whole Jewish community comes together to do a ‘good deed’ in support of Jewish and non-Jewish good causes.

"From repainting a community centre to clearing out a community farm; from donating blood to sending Chanukah cards to soldiers abroad; from collecting food for the homeless to entertaining residents at old people’s homes.”

For the first time this year Mitzvah Day, Sunday, November 15, will be marked across the globe with events as far afield as France, Hungary, Israel and the US. And in the UK, organisers aim to reach into even the smallest Jewish communities, with good deeds already planned for Cardiff, Norwich, Durham and elsewhere.

Also, this year - with Mitzvah Day coinciding with the UK’s first national Interfaith Week - organisers are encouraging Jewish groups to partner with other faith organisations to make Mitzvah Day a Jewish-led national day of volunteering for all religious communities.

Marks said: “We ask people for something more valuable, their time, and I’m delighted to say that every year the Jewish community steps up to the plate.”

To sign up or to learn more visit www.mitzvahday.org.uk or telephone 020 7443 5160.