Café de Paris in the heart of London's West End was the glittering venue for the launch of UJIA's Ladies' Night on Monday, raising funds for Jewish youth programmes in the UK.
Three hundred women from across the generations gathered at the iconic celebrity hotspot, where the night which raised £155,000 - a 50 per cent increase on the previous year's Women's Lunch - was compèred by comedian Bennett Arron.
Guests were treated to acts including the Escala violin quartet, Paul Zerdin, winner of America's Got Talent 2015, Mon Amie girl group from The X Factor, comedian Sindu Vee and singer Simone Angel.
In her appeal to the guests, co-chair Karen Goodkind identified "the threat to the community of Jewish youth disengagement. The sad reality is that for many of our youth, the reason to remain part of an ancient community is not relevant. Jewish religious practice is not necessary, because the value of being a Jew is not valued."
She highlighted UJIA's work to overcome these challenges: "For the past 10 years UJIA has been investing in programmes that make Judaism and Israel inspiring, relevant and accessible to young people, reaching thousands in traditional settings like youth movements, as well as Jewish pupils in mainstream schools who would otherwise have no Jewish content in their daily lives."
Guest Emily Angel, 22, who has recently joined the UJIA Young Property committee, said: "It's amazing to see so many women here. I think it's important for young women to show their support for the future of the community."
Co-chair Louise Jacobs said: "We're overwhelmed with the support for this event. We've had a Women's Lunch for many years but the time for change has come and Ladies' Night makes our flagship event fresher, even more fun and also more accessible for younger, working women. The increase in how much we raised shows how much our women care about the future of this community."
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