Abigail Mann is a 55-year-old lawyer, and member of St Albans Masorti Synagogue. Daughter of Liberal rabbi Alan Mann, she grew up at the heart of communal life.
Volunteering has been omnipresent throughout her life. This year marks the 40th anniversary of her first award-winning fundraising project for victims of famine in Ethiopia.
Abigail founded Minutes for Miles, which, so far, has succeeded in supporting over 40 different refugees to pass their UK driving test. She also helps refugees into employment has initiated a scheme for refurbishing laptops that are then distributed amongst refugees.
She is passionate about taking both Jewish and Holocaust education into schools into areas of the country where pupils, and very often teachers, may never have met a Jew before.
What do you get out of volunteering and communal organisation work?
I enjoy meeting a variety of people, ranging from selfless volunteers, and astonishingly generous donors, to appreciative beneficiaries.
Is there a specific, defining moment that made you so passionate about working with people of all backgrounds?
The reduction of schools recognising Holocaust Memorial Day shows the need for the various Jewish Life and Holocaust education programmes that I coordinate in rural areas, where Antisemitism may be higher due to people’s only experience of Jews being from misinformation or social media. With the growth of antisemitism, I believe it is ever more important to engage with other faiths and secular communities. I may be achieving more for the Jewish community working outside it, than within.
How do you measure success or impact in the kind of work that you do?
It’s motivating to see the impact that passing a driving test can have on a refugee. It enables them to gain employment, independence and take their place in society.
The effect that volunteering can have on someone is equally lifechanging. Often Jewish volunteers are wary about the people they meet [outside the Jewish community]. It was emotionally rewarding for me as I witnessed an Orthodox volunteer building relationships with Afghan refugees, who showed him immense gratitude when he taught them English, mentoring them successfully through their driving theory test.
Without the social action projects, my interfaith programme would never have built up the trust that made it possible to welcome both a rabbi and an imam to a Shabbat dinner.
What keeps you going during tough or discouraging times?
I draw on the wisdom of the Holocaust survivors around whom I grew up. I reflect on the strength they found to survive unimaginable atrocities before going on to rebuild their lives. We have recently witnessed the courage of the hostages in Gaza. As a community we cannot lose hope or shy away.
What has been your main source of inspiration for all your volunteer work?
I believe it is in my genes. Both of my grandmothers were heavily involved in charitable work. My father was a voluntary communal Rabbi, alongside full-time employment.
What have been the most rewarding projects or initiatives you've been part of?
Numerous. Ranging from teaching female refugees to drive, providing them with independence that can change the entire family dynamic, to watching 160 Syrian refugees brought together for an outing in the Lake District, meeting people they knew but thought had perished in the conflict.
However, hugely personal to me has been the setting up of the NHS blood donation clinic at my synagogue.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get seriously involved in volunteering or charity work?
Find something you are passionate about, as it is not always easy to step out of your own environment but do ensure you have the safeguarding of a charity behind you.
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