Maintaining community engagement during a crisis.

In March 2020, as the UK entered its first COVID-19 lockdown, JW3 - the UK’s leading Jewish community centre - was forced to close its physical building, bringing all in-person events, classes, and activities to an immediate halt.

At the same time, the organisation was in the middle of a major transition, including the launch of a new website and CRM system. This created both an operational challenge and an opportunity to rethink how JW3 could continue to engage its audiences while they were confined at home.

I played a central role in JW3’s digital response, with responsibility for developing and delivering two new online engagement platforms: JW3-TV and JewishOnline. JW3-TV provided curated access to recorded events and original content, later evolving into a revenue-generating platform. JewishOnline brought together events and digital content from across the UK Jewish community, positioning JW3 as a central hub during the crisis.

Alongside this, JW3 successfully delivered its flagship online fundraising event, Big Night In, featuring high-profile contributors including Tracy-Ann Oberman, Boy George, Mark Ronson, and Stephen Fry, raising over £331,000.

Together, these initiatives enabled JW3 to maintain - and in some areas expand - its engagement with audiences during lockdown, while establishing new digital capabilities that continued beyond the crisis.