MDA UK Bridge to Israel Awards – 27^th April 2026

Taglit-Birthright Israel has for over two decades brought young Jewish people from across the world to Israel on free ten-day educational trips, fostering a connection between diaspora communities and the Jewish state.

After briefly suspending its programme following the 7th October attacks, it resumed trips in January 2024 – bringing over 43,000 participants from around the world, including young British Jews, on its various programmes in the period since. At a time of rising antisemitism on campuses and growing pressure on Jewish students to distance themselves from Israel, that decision to continue sustained a vital bridge at a moment when it mattered most.

Birthright’s recent partnership with MDA UK has also seen it break new ground. By powering MDA UK’s January 2026 Volunteering Mission – and opening that trip to participants of any background aged 18 and over – Birthright enabled a broader cross-section of people to experience MDA’s lifesaving work in Israel firsthand, creating a new generation of advocates who might otherwise never have had such an opportunity.

In the days following the events of 7th October, Eddie and Ronit Hammerman, along with Josh Moont and Lara Lipsey of Borehamwood & Elstree United Synagogue, founded the Borehamwood Vigil.

Every Friday for two years, the Borehamwood Vigil assembled in Borehamwood Boulevard – come rain or shine. Those present held shoes, posters and orange balloons to represent those murdered and taken hostage. Among them, week after week, were Mike and Lisa Marlowe – parents of Jake Marlowe, who was murdered at the Nova festival while rescuing fellow festivalgoers.

For many in the community, the weekly gathering became a point of connection and comfort at an extraordinarily painful time. The vigil was broadcast internationally, attended by the Chief Rabbi, and became a model of visible, sustained communal solidarity – continuing without interruption until the return of the last hostage. The organisers also welcomed representatives from MDA to speak to the assembled community about the vital humanitarian support MDA was providing in Israel. The team have since launched Voices of the Vigil, a monthly event continuing to support Israel and the Jewish community. 

As the Chief Rabbi said: “I have no doubt that in the annals of the Jews of this country, special mention will be made of this Friday vigil as an example of British Jewry at its finest.“

This shortlisting recognises four people who showed up every single week, and the community that gathered around them, until the last hostage came home.

Heidi Bachram and Adam Ma’anit founded Brighton’s Yellow Ribbon Campaign in the immediate aftermath of the 7th October attacks. For Adam, the attacks were deeply personal. His niece Maayan, aged 18, was murdered by Hamas in her home on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, and her father – Adam’s cousin Tsachi – was taken hostage into Gaza.

From November 2023, they worked tirelessly to keep the hostages in the public eye — organising a daily vigil and public memorial in Palmeira Square, believed to be the only daily vigil of its kind in the UK. The memorial was subjected to over fifty acts of vandalism and completely destroyed on five separate occasions; each time, they rebuilt it. Among other awareness-raising events, including projecting photos of the hostages onto the Brighton cliffs, the vigil continued until the last hostage was home.

For many in Brighton’s Jewish community, what Heidi and Adam built was more than a vigil – it was a point of unity and connection, maintained over two years at considerable personal cost. MDA UK is proud to recognise that dedication tonight.