The biggest ever Mitzvah Day began this morning with members of a Hertfordshire shul hosting lunch for Hare Krishna worshippers.

Radlett United Synagogue also invited a number of elderly residents as congregants adopted this year's Mitzvah Day theme of inter-generational outreach. 

It was revealed earlier this year that L’dor Vador ( 'from generation to generation') would be the first ever overarching theme of Mitzvah Day. 

Elderly Radlett residents were seen teaching young members of Radlett United shul to knit, as volunteers from a broad age range made woolly hats for premature babies in the neonatal unit at nearby Watford General Hospital. 

Members of the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple, which was established by Beatles member George Harrison, also enjoyed a lunch hosted by shul members. 

Sandeep Sidana, from Bhaktivedanta Manor, told the JC: "Events like these are really important. It's great for the Jewish community here to invite us and it helps to show how similar we all are. 

"We all have a spiritual connection and we both have practices which are quite similar."

A choir of young Radlett United members also performed for guests at this morning's event, which was attended by Oliver Dowden, the local MP. 

Rabbi Jonathan Hughes, the shul's minister, said: "It is so good to see so many people here together. 

"So many people from different faith groups have come together to make a connection with our community.

"The essence of a mitzvah is to make a connection with others."

Elsewhere, Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue (EHRS) sent members out on a range of community outreach programmes this morning. 

Members visited the New Hope homeless sanctuary in Watford to hang bunting and help maintain its garden, while others helped to clean Norwood's Kennedy Leigh family centre. 

Those who stayed at the shul cooked soup for a nearby homeless shelter, collected food for a Wembley food bank and collected buttons for a Holocaust remembrance art project. 

Marian Cohen, who helped to organise EHRS' Mitzvah Day, said: "It's so important to look outside of our shul and go out and do work in the community. 

"That's why Mitzvah Day is so important. Obviously we should think about others every day of the year but it really helps to show our children the importance of being outward-looking."