Accessibility Work for us Jewish life Easy Read

Stir fry, egg noodles, crispy tofu and a salad of Chinese cabbage and sweetcorn with a soy, lime, chilli and ginger dressing could be lunch at any top restaurant. In fact, it’s from the menu at Kisharon Noé School.

Catering Manager Jana Gocover with her team, Judy Wise and Vangel ‘Vani’ Tsani cook for 90 every day – 77 pupils with the remainder, teachers and other staff. 

Cooking for children with disabilities presents culinary challenges: some need their food ground to aid digestion, are gluten or dairy free or on a limited diet which can preclude all foods except potato, rice, pasta or noodles. 

Those able to enjoy the four-week rotating menu get to sample dishes that reflect Jana’s career which included jobs at Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill, with the luxury Seabourn Cruise Line and at The Soho Hotel. 

On a day celebrating the US, children were served Virgin Pina Coladas made with pineapple juice, coconut milk and coconut flakes, there are spicy salad dressings with yoghurt and harissa and sometimes salty or sweet popcorn. 

Mostly, dessert is fruit but on Tu B’Shevat Jana created a cake in the shape of a tree with pomegranate seeds for leaves and sliced kiwi ‘grass’. On Yom Ha’atzmaut pupils tucked into a cake that was blue and white.

Jana admits she misses travelling the world of luxury liners and smart hotels but much prefers having normal working hours and no working weekends, particularly since the birth of her daughter, Olivia two years ago. 

Jana cooks from fresh wherever possible and recalls rolling 140 falafel which she made from scratch for Yom Ha’atzmaut. There was also homemade baba ganoush and humous. 

Jana says: “I love to eat. I’m a big foodie and everyone wonders why I’m so small when I eat so much.”

What though is Jana’s personal favourite dish? She says:  “It’s pizza!”

Salted Caramel Cheesecake recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:

For the cheesecake filling:

For the caramel topping:

Method:
  1. Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
  2. In a food processor or Ziploc bag crush cookies into fine crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse until combined. Press into bottom of 9-inch (23cm) springform pan. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Set aside while making the filling.
  3. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
  4. Make the filling: In a large bowl beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at the time, beating to combine after each addition. Do not over beat. Add vanilla extract, sour cream, heavy cream, salt and beat until smooth. Add cornstarch and lemon zest, beat until incorporated. Do not over beat.
  5. Bake the cheesecake: Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. Pour the filling over the crust, place the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 50-65 minutes or until the edge is set but the centre jiggles slightly. Turn off the heat and leave it another hour in the oven. Let cool to room temperature for one hour, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  6. Make the salted caramel topping: place the sugar into a saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick golden brown coloured liquid as you continue to stir. Once all the sugar has melted and turned golden in colour, remove the sauce pan from heat, add in the butter right away. Stir quickly until the butter is incorporated. Then add in the room temperature heavy cream and stir quickly again to incorporate everything together.
  7. Add salt and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Allow to cool.

Neil ran a fundraising stall and is to start volunteering with the homeless charity Emmaus thanks to the support of Kisharon Langdon staff.

Neil, in supported living for 15 years, said: “Growing up in Watford, I remember seeing people living rough and I wondered why not much was done to help them.”

Neil’s empathy for the homeless remained constant and he often donated his own money to support the cause. 

Aidan Metcalf, Community Enterprise and Employment Skills Manager said: “We decided to visit local homeless charity Emmaus Mossley and Neil loved it. After conversations, we decided to do a fundraiser which means Neil can be involved in supporting the homeless in a safer manner. While doing this, we met several people involved with the charity and Neil now has the opportunity to volunteer for Emmaus Salford. The fundraising is in Neil’s name”

Planters, lavender bags, sunflowers and other items created by Kisharon Langdon people were sold at the fundraising event. 

Neil, who will also help decide how Emmaus spends the proceeds of his fundraising, added: “I am very excited to be doing this.”

Learning disability is no barrier when it comes to helping others.   People we support are contributing to society in a variety of volunteering projects across the community.

These projects include: 

Talya, supported by Kisharon Langdon, reads stories to pupils at St Martin’s Preparatory School in Mill Hill every week. Kisharon Langdon people also collected and sorted toiletries for Sebby’s Corner, a charity for families in need. Rachel Ucko, Head of Jewish Living and Community, said: “I am proud of our work showing that the help we give isn’t limited to Jewish charities.”

In one of the biggest volunteering jobs tackled every week, people we support  package rice or pasta, separate and pack household goods like sponges and soups and count out candles for the families in need who are helped by the United Synagogue’s Chesed department.

Organisers of the JTrade B2B Expo for local entrepreneurs, which took place last month at Alexandra Palace, were helped by the enterprise team – made up of people we support – who packed the 2,500 branded bags given out visitors in just three days.

Hundreds of Jewish primary school children in this summer’s Etgar inter-school quiz will have their paper drinking cups labelled by the enterprise team, who volunteered at the Etgar offices in Hendon to get the job done. In one hour alone, the team labelled an incredible 1,288 cups!

Every month the team fills 800 bags with croutons, cutlery and a get well card for hospital patients who receive Bedside Kosher meals.

Also, residents of Sandringham Jewish Care home were helped to get into the Shavuot spirit after making flower pictures when people we support paid them a visit.

Rachel Ucko said: “People regard those supported by a charity as recipients of aid, but I want to change that narrative and show that learning disability is no barrier – we have the ability to give back.” 

Three men supported by Kisharon Langdon are in for a big adventure on this month’s 284-mile bike ride from London’s Liverpool Street station to Amsterdam, and their ‘pilots’ will be with them all the way. 

Dieter Stein, Lee Clements and Ben Miller, (Kisharon Trustee and Governor of Langdon College), are highly experienced cyclists and pilots for Marc, Ted and James, either taking the front saddle of Marc and Ted’s tandems or pedalling alongside James, who is riding solo.

Sitting front in a tandem takes strength, coordination, trust and above all many hours of practise, says Dieter, a Kisharon Langdon fundraising cyclist for 12 years.

“Your sense of balance is different, and if one pedals without the other, you get bruised and bloody calves or shins. As for your turning circle – its like an oil tanker!”

Physically, it’s tougher as tandems are heavier than the weight of two bikes and pilots can find themselves pedalling for two riders. Dieter added: “When cycling alone, you stand up to push harder when going uphill, but that’s impossible on a tandem. Of course, downhill you go faster!”

Despite the upcoming hard slog, Dieter says: “It is so rewarding. Marc is a lovely man and so is Ted – sometimes he just can’t stop chatting – and James’s buddy will definitely need to remind him to ride safely!”

Marc, Ted and James practise every Sunday morning – except when their favourite football team is playing.

Marc says it’s the camarderie of the Kisharon Langdon cycling family he’s looking forward to most on the ride and he’s pleased the route isn’t too hilly. “It’s going to be a good ride and I’ve never been to Amsterdam.”

After four long and tiring days of cycling, participants will tour the Jewish highlights of Amsterdam before flying home. Marc, James and Ted have a joint fundraising page. You can support them here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/james-marc-ted-velo

An Australian on a mission to run the world’s six major marathons was one of nine runners who raised more than £30k for Kisharon Langdon in this year’s London Marathon. 

Australian Danny Harris joined Dan Schauer from the US and Naftali Levene, at yeshiva in Israel, in crossing oceans to take part.

Expressing heartfelt thanks to Danny (3:29:31), Naftali (3:39:13) and Dan (3:40:02), Fundraising Manager Emma Nagli said: “We are immensely grateful for the worldwide support this has brought us.”

Other runners were Mischa Kowall (4:44:58), Ollie Lenga (4:49:46), David Nezri (4:18:07), Clark Norton, Daniel Rodin (5:14:15) and Yomi Cohen (4:08:03). Emma added: “We are deeply thankful for their dedication and effort. Their commitment to Kisharon Langdon fills us with pride and their achievements benefit the members and individuals we support.” 

Danny, Chief Financial Officer of Australian security firm, ESS, said: “While I didn’t grow up in London, I have always felt a connection to the city, as it’s home to family and friends. I’m currently on a mission to complete the six world major marathons, and London’s marathon has always been on my list.

“The decision to run for Kisharon Langdon was driven by my commitment to support causes that make a significant impact within communities I care about. Learning about the organisation’s dedicated efforts to support the Jewish community, especially in providing educational and life opportunities to those with learning disabilities, resonated deeply with me. Knowing that I have friends and family who would greatly benefit only strengthened my resolve to participate.”

Rachel Ucko, winner of an award for Outstanding Individual on Mitzvah Day, is “an unsung hero – the invisible glue that holds our community together,” said Richard Franklin, Kisharon Langdon Chief Executive.

He was speaking after the awards event at South Hampstead Synagogue, when Kisharon Langdon also picked up a Beneficiary Charity Award which is presented to organisations that deliver exceptional work. As well as these, Kisharon Noé School was nominated for an Outstanding Youth Achievement Award for a joint project with Etz Chaim Primary School in Mill Hill.

“While we don’t work to receive awards, it is very nice to receive one,” admitted Rachel, Kisharon Langdon Head of Jewish Living and Community, who organised a series of projects on Mitzvah Day. These included collecting and sorting toiletries for Sebby’s Corner, a charity for families in need, flower arranging with Jewish Care residents, a football match with young Jewish adults and organising a collection for Food Bank Aid with pupils from Etz Chaim.

She said: “People regard those supported by a charity as recipients of aid, but I want to change that narrative and show that learning disability is no barrier – we have the ability to give back. 

“I am proud of our work with Sebby’s Corner, showing that the help we give isn’t limited to Jewish charities. This is very important to me.”

Rachel, one of two recipients of an Outstanding Individual award – the other was chef Jasvinder Singh – had no idea who nominated her and had to return in a hurry from a Kisharon Langdon site in Manchester after a very persuasive phone call inviting her to the awards event that evening. 

Award winners were decided partly by votes from the public and the decisions of a Mitzvah Day panel.

Photo: Mitzvah Day founder Laura Marks with Outstanding Individual award winners, Rachel Ucko and Jasvinder Singh

As many as 100 soldiers, pilots, sailors, reservists and other Jewish servicemen and women serving in the British Armed Forces opened boxes of Pesach goods packed by Kisharon Langdon. 

Inside the boxes were grape juice, matzo serviettes, snacks and other gifts for the festival. Pesach-themed toys and cupcake kits were packed for families with children. 

The HM Armed Forces Jewish Community commissioned the packages for Pesach from Kisharon Langdon – for the fourth year in a row – for Jewish servicemen and women across the UK and overseas.

The response from recipients showed the boxes were gratefully received. ‘Thank you for the lovely Pesach care package received today. It’s so greatly appreciated.’ ‘Thank you so much for the Pesach package. All the sweets have have already disappeared.’ ‘As we were just going out the postman gave me a box. Thanks for the Pesach gift.’

The order was welcomed too by the Kisharon Langdon enterprise team – people with learning disabilities whose job it is to buy, pack and post the whole consignment. 

Aviva Braunold, Learning and Development Lead, said that while the personal details of customers in all delivery jobs were highly confidential, work for the armed forces was governed by even higher controls. 

She said: “The enterprise team learned about data protection, as well as everything else!”

The enterprise team – there are 28 members in all – shopped for the items, packed the cartons, worked out the cost of postage according to weight and delivered the boxes to the post office.  The boxes were tailored to the needs of individual families with children receiving items appropriate for their age. 

“The enterprise team were very excited and look forward to do this for many months in advance,” Aviva added.

Nineteen recommendations have been made by the Buckland Review of Autism Employment to help people with autism find and stay in work.

Currently, only three in ten are in work, mainly due to stigma and lack of understanding about the needs of autistic people.

The review by Sir Robert Buckland MP, calls for new initiatives to support job seekers and employers including IT systems that meet the needs of autistic people, training packages for autistic staff and support groups where those in work can support job seekers.

Autistic people, charities, support groups and companies contributed to the review which found that autistic people are often paid less than mainstream employees. People with autism were usually at a disadvantage from the start as routine job interviews were situations in which they rarely excelled. Employers too often failed to explain the role they were recruiting for clearly and explicitly.

The review, supported by the charity Autistica, recommended the Autistica Neurodiversity Employers Index which explains how companies can include autistic people. It suggested that big employers should test ideas for employing people with autism which then were rolled out to smaller companies.

A five-year time frame was set out for businesses and government to work together to achieve the aims of the review.

Gardening is therapeutic for those with learning disabilities, says Poppy Fishman.

“It’s satisfying to see plants grow and to learn to tend them. Students are very inquisitive,” says Kisharon Langdon’s Horticulture Team Leader who heads the growing project at the vegetable garden at Childs Hill Library.

Onions, shallots and garlic which have overwintered in the beds are ready to be harvested soon and more crops like broad beans have just been planted.

In her one session a week at Kisharon Langdon, Poppy oversees a project which produces a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in six small beds and three troughs. Its success though relies on strict daily watering duties during the growing season.

Raspberries, artichokes, lavender, beetroot and herbs are just some of the produce grown, which is either cooked and eaten by the students or enjoyed by grateful staff.

Students work hard at the garden all year round creating new beds, adding compost and dividing plants but on bitterly cold days this winter they built a bug hotel to attract insects and visited a garden centre to choose crops for the year ahead.

Work to repair a polytunnel destroyed in a winter storm has been completed in time for the spring season at Kisharon Langdon’s gardening project in Manchester.

“The main aim for this spring is to teach what combination of plants complement each other to grow and thrive,” said Lee Clegg Community Activity Link Worker.

Sow, Grow and Cook, a new project, teaches students how to sow and  maintain vegetables and herbs to produce crops that can be used for cooking, encouraging them to have a healthy and balanced diet.

At Manchester there are other mouths to feed too – a resident tortoise named Squirtle after the turtle in the Pokemon video games –  and rabbits.

Lee adds: “We do focus on plants that the rabbits and our tortoise can eat and also wildflowers that attract insects and bees.”

“I’m honoured to be nominated,” said Library Manager Neha Dhakar at The Barnet Care Awards 2023/24 ceremony at Hendon Town Hall, where Barnet recognised its best care service staff.

Neha won the Activity Organiser Award for her exceptional talent in creating jobs for people of all abilities, broadening their individual learning and development.

The jobs are giving Kisharon Langdon members work experience and benefitting the local community.

Together with Development and Learning Lead Aviva Braunold, Neha developed a project to give warm packs to people living locally who were struggling to pay winter heating bills. Around 120 packs of warm clothing were prepared by Kisharon Langdon members – doing the shopping, making sure the kit met individuals’ specifications and making sure they were ready for collection by the grateful recipients.

In addition, the library runs English at Tea Time, aimed at refugee children and others with language difficulties from the local community, and offers free English language classes led by a volunteer on Wednesday afternoons.

Nominating Neha, Helen Sowa, Kisharon Langdon Director of Operations said:  “The library programmes go beyond activity. They allow those we support to give back to the local community, while enhancing their own lives through skills development, socialising and work experience.”

Neha paid tribute to Aviva and Sarah Sharlott, Head of Community Opportunities and Social Enterprise. She said:

“It’s great to get recognised for the work we do in the library. While the name on the nomination is mine, this award is shared by all our volunteers and Sarah and Aviva who’ve contributed to the creation and delivery of our multidimensional offer.”

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