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MDA UK Bridge to Israel Awards – 27th April 2026

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We are very excited to announce that our inaugural MDA UK Bridge to Israel Awards will be held in London on Monday 27th April 2026.

Mirroring the humanitarian work of MDA in Israel and around the world, each year these Awards will recognise those within the UK whose work and effort brings us closer to Israel and, likewise, those in Israel whose work towards the Diaspora is particularly noteworthy.

The Awards are about:

  • Brilliant humanitarian work;
  • Building and supporting MDA Stations and work across Israel;
  • Promoting volunteering, first responders, emergency support at the toughest of times;
  • MDA as the very best of Israel.
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Nivi Feldman recipient of the first Bridge to Israel Award presented by former hostage, Dr Shoshan Haran

Read our Press Release here
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Our Award Categories

The very first Award – announced at MDA UK’s annual campaign dinner in November 2025 – was presented to Nivi Feldman, the lead for the UK Hostages Families Forum, in tribute to her amazing work over the past two years.

13 further Awards will be presented at the Ceremony which will be open to invited guests from across both MDA UK’s supporter base but also the media, political, philanthropic, business and diplomatic communities.

Readers of the Jewish News – our media partner for 2026 – can also share their nominations for Community Organising below.

Award Categories

The full Award categories are as follows:

Award Category Criteria
Culture & the Arts Awarded to an individual within the culture & arts sector.
Campaigning Awarded to an individual or group who campaign at a grassroots level.
Social Media Influencer Awarded to an individual, account or organisation for their social media output.
Jake Marlowe z”l Award for Young Impact In memory of Jake Marlowe z”l who was murdered on 7/10. Decision made together with Lisa & Mike Marlowe.
Corporate Impact Awarded to an organisation or business.
Community Organising Awarded to an individual, organisation or projects for organising the community to build bridges with Israel.
Red Shield Award for Humanitarian Services Recognising MDA’s role in the Red Cross movement, awarded to an individual, group or organisation for their humanitarian work that builds bridges with Israel.
Allies in Faith Awarded to a faith leader or faith group of any religion.
Campus Award Awarded to a student, in conjunction with UJS.
Philanthropy Awarded to an individual for their philanthropic support for Israel.
International Awarded to a non-UK resident or group.
MDA Bridge to Israel Awarded to a person or team within Magen David Adom that has contributed to creating strong bridges between Israel and the UK and/or rest of the world.
Lifetime Achievement Awarded to an individual, group or organisation for their contribution at a latter time of their career.

Nominate for the Community Organising Award with The Jewish News

Awarded to an individual, organisation or projects for organising the community to build bridges with Israel.

Applications close: 16:00 | Friday 13 March 2026

Nominator's Name
Nominee’s name
I am happy for MDA UK to contact me on this matter if neccessary.

Our Judging Panel

We are privileged to welcome an esteemed group of judges from across the philanthropic, business, arts and faith communities to decide our 2026 Award winners.

The panel comprises:

Neil Blair Neil is a founding partner of The Blair Partnership and literary agent to both J.K. Rowling and Robert Galbraith. He is involved in a number of charitable causes, including Stand With Us, JW3, and The Atlas Foundation, and is a Trustee of the Donmar Warehouse.
Charlotte Grundman A notable philanthropist and campaigner, Charlotte is a Partner at Capital-B with over 20 years’ experience in the banking and asset management sector.
Russell Jacobs MDA UK’s current Chair of Trustees among a number of other charitable roles, Russell is a former international tax lawyer and Partner at Milbank LLP based between the UK and Israel and has recently made Alyiah.
Blair Jacobson A dedicated voice and supporter for a variety of philanthropic causes within the Community and more broadly, Blair has built a highly successful career in finance. He is currently Partner and Co-President of Ares Management Corporation.
Anna Josse Among her many charitable and philanthropic contributions, Anna is CEO and Co-Founder of Prism the Gift Fund. She built her career in high-tech industry and remains a Director of Regent Capital.
Edward Misrahi Edward has built a career over decades in global finance including as a partner at Goldman Sachs and more recently as founder and Chief Investment Officer of Ronit Capital. A committed philanthropist, he has been heavily involved in Jewish and Israeli charities including as a former chair of BICOM.
Maya Orr An award-winning marketing and communications professional, Maya founded her own talent agency, BNOC, to connect and celebrate individuals with inspiring impact and influence. Through this, she has helped to bridge relationships between the UK and Israel through visits and other campaigning work.
Robert Rinder MBE (Chair) A former criminal barrister, Robert is now a well-known broadcaster, media personality and Sunday Times bestselling author. In 2020, he was awarded an MBE for services to Holocaust education.
Tim Vince A major advocate for Christian education, Tim is Director of Christian Education Europe and is a presenter on Revelation TV, spreading the teachings of the Bible. A longstanding friend to Israel, he has also organised and led the Church Without Walls Israel tours since the early 2000s.
Elizabeth Wigoder A Trustee of The Wigoder Family Foundation, Elizabeth has been a champion for charitable causes within and beyond the Jewish Community. She is also a patron of The Du Boisson Dance Foundation, which supports both the London Vocational Ballet School (LVBS) and West London School of Dance (WLSD).
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About Towards Machratayim

These Awards form a key component of MDA UK’s five-year campaign Towards Machratayim – which will culminate in Magen David Adom’s Centenary in 2030.

Machratayim – Mak-hra-tai-yim – ‘the day after tomorrow’ – reflects the need for hope, healing and a better future which we can all be proud to support.

Thus, Towards Machratayim is designed as an umbrella for new and existing initiatives, supporting MDA UK to raise funds for MDA not only through emergencies and conflict, but also for the time of recovery and a positive future.

Find out more about Machratayim

Fundraising for MDA’s life-saving work

All funds raised by the ceremony will go towards the amazing work of MDA, including through the generosity of our sponsors.

We are delighted that our 2026 Award sponsors include hotel-chain Isrotel and IT services firm Cardonet, with more being lined up across the full set of categories. 

For more information on MDA's life-saving work click here