A thousand customers help Chai raise record funds to support cancer patients

(l-r)Debra Zender, Louise Hager MBE and Caroline Tunkel (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Former Chai clients-turned-stallholders said it was an opportunity to give back to the organisation.

Stallholder and former client Alex Samuels, the 37-year-old founder of kosher biscotti brand BiscottMe, reflected on his non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis at the age 22 and the support he received from Chai: “I was thrown into this world that I just didn’t really know existed. I hadn’t had that exposure to cancer before, but from then on, it became such a big part of my life.”

Former Chai client Alex Samuels and founder of BiscottMe (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

“There’s a real community feeling, and they’re there for the family as well as the patient. You come into Chai, and you don’t feel like you’re in a cancer wellness centre. You feel like you’re in a luxury spa,” Alex continued. “Just talking about being here today gives me goosebumps. It’s nice being on the other side and being able to be here in a fully supportive capacity.”

Malky Rosenberg, who is based in Stamford Hill and co-founded kosher gourmet distributor Kernel & Co. Popcorn with her husband two years ago, turned to Chai after her father was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023. Malky said: “Chai is so supportive of the people around the person with cancer…They understand Jewish family life. Decisions about treatment and timing sometimes have to be considered alongside Yom Tov and important family occasions. With a Jewish organisation, you don’t have to explain why those things matter so much to you.”

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Stallholder Claudia Chalfen, founder of Bushey-based fashion upcycling business RockUrStyle, received counselling from Chai after her sister was diagnosed with a rare stage four T-cell lymphoma, all the while coping with their late father’s liver cancer.

“It was amazing to just be able to talk and say things that you couldn’t say to someone else,” said Claudia, who runs her business with her daughter, Coco. “Being here today is amazing. There’s a real feeling of community. Here, you know that someone has either been through something themselves or, unfortunately, everyone knows somebody who has.”

Stall-holder Claudia Chalfen RockUrStyle (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

A teacher for 30 years at Kerem primary school, Chai client Anna Goldfarb – who designed Chai’s vibrant Rosh Hashanah card this year – was diagnosed with cancer in May last year.

“We’re together with other people going through cancer and we talk, we banter, and…we can switch off. You never forget what’s happening, but for a little while, you have that space,” Anna said of the organisation’s services. “I’m so proud that I’m helping to make money for charity…It’s a pleasure to be able to give something back.”

Stallholders also expressed gratitude to the gift sale for boosting their businesses. Sophie Blutstein, who runs a handbag business from her north-west London home, said: “For a small and relatively new business like mine, the community is really important and being here today feels amazingly powerful.”

Aside from shopping, there was also no shortage of opportunities to eat. Kosher caterer Ben Tenenblat, whose all-day brunch café sold shakshuka to attendees and pizza to the sale’s after-school visitors, said: “Chai is an amazing charity and one I’m incredibly proud to support. The gift sale always brings so many people from across the community together, all while raising vital funds for Chai’s work.”

Caterer Ben Tenenblat's brunch stand (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Attendees enjoyed an artisan food market replete with smoked salmon, whisky and honey cakes from Tony Page, who has been donating to Chai for 15 years. The kosher caterer said: “There is a happy atmosphere at the gift sale. There’s a happiness in knowing that by going, you’re supporting such a worthwhile cause. I have clients who buy 20 or 30 cakes because they want to support Chai.”

ChaiShopper with TP Honey Cakes (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Chairman Louise Hager MBE said: “There is something very special about seeing businesses from across our community choosing to support Chai in this way, particularly when, for some, that support comes from a very personal connection to cancer or to Chai itself. They are not simply coming here to sell their products; they are helping us raise vital funds and giving back to an organisation that may have supported them or somebody they love.”

Keep Me Sweet stall at Chai Cancer Care (Photo: Alexandra Taibel/Chai Cancer Care)[Missing Credit]

Louise concluded: “At its heart, the gift sale is about community looking after community. It is a wonderful day of shopping and celebration ahead of Rosh Hashanah, while every stallholder and every person who comes through our doors is helping Chai continue to be there for thousands of people and their families.”