Across the Jewish community, there are extraordinary organisations quietly changing lives every single day. They support older people living alone. Families facing illness. Children needing specialist care. People struggling emotionally behind closed doors. Those living with disability, grief, crisis, mental health challenges or financial hardship.
Often, we realise how vital these services are only when somebody we love suddenly needs them.
And behind so many of these services is something many people rarely think about: legacy giving.
A gift in a will is not simply a financial donation. It is one of the most powerful ways a person can continue caring for their community long into the future. It is a statement that says: “The future of this community matters to me”.
Across the Jewish community, legacy gifts help fund essential medical, health, welfare and care services. They support charities providing mental health support, hospice and end-of-life care, rehabilitation services, disability support, social care, home care, children’s services, emergency assistance and wellbeing programmes that help thousands of people every year.
These gifts do not just help charities survive. They help them grow, innovate and plan boldly for the future.
At a time when demand for support services is rising rapidly, that long-term planning has never been more important.
Families are under pressure. Mental health challenges are increasing. More people are balancing work, caring responsibilities and financial stress. People are living longer, which also creates greater need for community care and support.
Alongside this, many in the Jewish community are also navigating an atmosphere of growing uncertainty, fear and antisemitism.
For some, it has created anxiety, isolation and a stronger awareness of just how important community support and connection really are. And yet, historically, difficult periods have also reminded us of something powerful: We are stronger together.
When communities come together, support one another and plan for the future collectively, resilience and strength grows.
Charities are responding to increasingly complex needs every day.
Legacy giving gives them the confidence to think beyond today’s crises and to build support for future generations.
And what makes this so inspiring is that legacy giving is not only for the wealthy. Some of the most meaningful gifts come from ordinary people who simply wanted to help secure the future of the causes they cared about. A percentage gift in a will, no matter the size, can eventually support thousands of people over many years.
One person’s decision today can help fund counselling sessions, specialist care, respite support, meals, transport, therapies, medical equipment, home visits or emergency services for countless families in the future.
That is the incredible ripple effect of legacy giving.
Like the butterfly effect, one seemingly small decision can create far-reaching impact far beyond what we can immediately see. A single legacy gift can go on to touch lives, strengthen services and support future generations in ways the donor may never fully realise.
That is what makes it so powerful.
It is also deeply connected to Jewish values:
- Responsibility
- Compassion
- Community
- Looking after one another
- Thinking beyond ourselves
- Ensuring future generations inherit a strong, caring and resilient community.
There is something incredibly hopeful about that. Legacy giving is not about endings. It is about continuity. It is about creating something that lasts beyond us.
At Jewish Legacy, we are working with charities across the community to make these conversations more open, positive and accessible. For too long, legacy conversations have often happened quietly or too late. We want people to understand the extraordinary impact these gifts make while also removing some of the fear or discomfort that can surround the subject. Because when people understand the impact, they are often inspired by what is possible.
The reality is that many of the organisations people value most today exist in their current form only because previous generations planned ahead and invested in the future.
Now it becomes our turn. Every generation shapes the strength of the next. And in a world that can often feel uncertain, legacy giving is one of the clearest ways we can invest in hope, care, resilience and continuity.
Healthy futures are not created by accident. They are created by communities willing to think long-term, support one another and build something bigger than themselves. That is exactly what legacy giving makes possible.
Gina Ross is chief executive of Jewish Legacy