Our History

World Jewish Relief was founded in 1933 to support Jews in Nazi occupied Europe. Since then, we have been providing life-saving and life-changing action to those in crisis.

1933 – 1948: Rescuing Jews from Nazi persecution

We are proud of the role we played in supporting Jews before, during and after the Holocaust, under the name the Central British Fund (CBF) for German Jewry. In 1938, we rescued almost 10,000 mostly Jewish children on the Kindertransport before war broke out. We provided them with housing and education on their arrival in the UK. Over the course of this period, we rescued over 65,000 Jews fleeing Nazi persecution.

From 1956: Evacuating global Jewish communities from crises

We helped thousands of Jews to escape life-threatening situations. We were quick to respond when crises emerged, such as in Egypt, Czechoslovakia and Ethiopia. During the Suez Crisis for example, we brought 622 Jewish families to safety in the UK.

From 1989: Working in Eastern Europe

When the Iron Curtain collapsed in 1989, our attention turned to Eastern Europe where its 2 million Jews had plunged into extreme poverty. Since then we have rebuilt Jewish communities, improved living conditions for elderly and vulnerable Jews, and helped a younger generation find sustainable employment.

From 2004: Becoming a global humanitarian agency

In December 2004 we launched our first Emergency Appeal following the Boxing Day Tsunami. During our relief efforts, we supported thousands of people in Sri Lanka, and have since become the Jewish community’s leading global humanitarian agency.

From 2016: Supporting refugees arriving in the UK

We launched our Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP) in response to the growing refugee crisis. We have been helping refugees arriving in the UK, including those from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine to learn English, find employment and integrate into their new lives.

2022 – Today: Our Ongoing Response to the Ukraine Crisis

February 2022 marked the start of our unparalleled response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We used our trusted network of local partners across Ukraine, developed over 30 years of working in the country, to deliver rapid and effective relief. We focussed our efforts in Ukraine itself, accessing hard to reach communities and vulnerable people on the front-line of the conflict, where the need is greatest.

In 2022, World Jewish Relief USA was born to support the global projects of World Jewish Relief, the UK Jewish community’s humanitarian agency. The launch of World Jewish Relief USA is a marker of the organization’s bold ambition to dramatically expand the scale of its work over the next decade.

Latest News

War In Israel

8th Oct 2023, Uncategorized

Early on Saturday 7th October, during the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, terrorists attacked Israel, killing thousands and taking hundreds of people hostage. Simchat Torah is traditionally one of the most joyous days in the Jewish calendar, and instead, this day will be remembered forever for all the wrong reasons.

Morocco Earthquake appeal

11th Sep 2023,

Late at night on 8th September, Morocco was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake which has already caused over 2,500 deaths, injured many more and affected over 300,000 people.

Our History

22nd Feb 2023,

We were founded in 1933 to support Jews in Nazi occupied Europe. Since then, we have been providing life-saving and life-changing action to those in crisis.

World Jewish Relief USA presents at the Clinton Global Initiative September meeting

20th Nov 2023, Uncategorized

On September 18-19, World Jewish Relief USA attended the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) September meeting with hundreds of changemakers, policy makers and organizations. Rabbi Dina Brawer, Executive Director of World Jewish Relief USA took to the stage to tell the inspiring story of Bishnu, a 58-year-old father from Mahottari, Nepal, and to announce a commitment to action on behalf of World Jewish Relief.