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If you are a part of the Jewish community and have made the decision to move into a care home, it is likely you will want to move into a Jewish care home.
This will enable you to live in a care home that respects your customs and practices and allows you to continue living life according to your beliefs.
Being able to express your identity and stay connected with culture and faith is crucial to our wellbeing. Secular care homes always aim to support your wishes and preferences. But in a Jewish care home, the Jewish way of life is at the heart of everything they offer.
Although Jewish care homes can provide the same services as secular care homes do, such as residential care, nursing care or dementia care, you may wonder what life is like in one and how they are different.
What to look for in a Jewish care home
Moving into a Jewish care home allows you to continue being part of your community. It enables you to celebrate your roots and festivals and enjoy Kosher food in an environment where staff and fellow residents all understand and take part in traditions without judgment.
The care you receive is provided in a way that recognises your identity and values. Staff are trained to understand Judaism, offering the reassurance that your religious and cultural needs will always be looked after. This is particularly important if your loved one is living with dementia as they may forget the principles you know they would want to live by.
Jewish care homes also organise activities and social events just like secular care homes do. However Judaism is a central part of it.
Here is a list of things to look for when choosing a Jewish care home:
Jewish life and religious practice
- Kosher food
- Level of kashrut (Orthodox supervision? which hechsher?)
- Separate meat/dairy kitchens and utensils
- Ability to accommodate different standards if needed
- Shabbat observance
- Shabbat-friendly environment (lights, lifts, doors)
- No non-essential activities on Shabbat
- Atmosphere feels calm and respectful of the day
- Festivals and calendar
- Observance of chagim (Pesach, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Chanukah, etc.)
- Special meals, rituals, and communal celebrations
- Sensitivity to fast days
- Prayer & spiritual care
- Regular services (daily / Shabbat / Yom Tov)
- On-site shul or prayer room
- Access to a rabbi or chaplain
- Respect for different levels of observance
2. Cultural sensitivity and identity
- Jewishly knowledgeable staff
- Staff trained in Jewish customs and language (e.g. Shabbat, modesty, festivals)
- Understanding of Jewish life history, including Holocaust awareness where relevant
- Language and background
- Ability to support residents who speak Hebrew, Yiddish, or other languages
- Cultural familiarity with Ashkenazi/Sephardi customs if relevant
- Respect for dignity and tradition
- Sensitivity around modesty, gender preferences in care
- Understanding of Jewish mourning practices
3. Care quality and medical support
- Personalised care plans
- Physical, emotional, and spiritual needs considered together
- Respect for religious routines within care plans
- Medical provision
- Access to GPs, specialists, dementia care if needed
- Medication management (including on Shabbat/Yom Tov where necessary)
- End-of-life care
- Understanding of Jewish perspectives on palliative care
- Respect for halachic considerations where desired
- Liaison with family and rabbinic authorities if appropriate
4. Community and social life
- Jewish communal atmosphere
- Sense of shared identity and warmth
- Opportunities for socialising around Jewish activities
- Activities & engagement
- Jewish-themed activities (music, learning, storytelling)
- Celebration of life-cycle events
- Opportunities for residents to contribute, not just receive
- Connection to wider Jewish community
- Links with local synagogues, schools, or Jewish organisations
- Visitors, volunteers, and intergenerational contact
5. Environment and practicalities
- Physical environment
- Clean, safe, homely feel
- Jewish symbols where appropriate (mezuzot, artwork)
- Accessible design for mobility needs
- Location
- Proximity to Jewish community, family, and synagogues
- Ease of visitors attending on Shabbat/Yom Tov
- Cemetery & burial arrangements
- Links with Jewish burial societies (chevra kadisha)
- Clear understanding of post-death procedures in line with Jewish law/custom
What happens in a Jewish care home?
Jewish Care, the largest health and social care organisation serving Jewish people in London and the South East of England runs care homes dedicated to helping people stay connected to their traditions and community.
Their care homes each have their own synagogue. Residents can celebrate Sabbath and festivals with family and friends. They can also receive visits from rabbis, as well as pray and enjoy homecooked Kosher food together.
Gaby Wills, director of Care Services at Jewish Care has been in the organisation for 20 years, helping Jews continue their way of life in care homes and through Jewish Care’s other living arrangements and support services. In addition to care homes, the organisation runs independent and assisted living apartments where residents can live on their own with tailored care and support always on hand.
“Our mission is to support the Jewish community. It’s really the appreciation of what is important and how we can achieve it. Every home has a synagogue and then there is the music, the jokes, the language and the jargon, the slang, the connection with the children and the Bar Mitzvahs and all those sorts of things,” Ms Wills said.
‘People want to be somewhere where they are understood’
“It is just being in a Jewish family whether it’s your own or an extended family, which I think is unique in Jewish Care. On a very basic level, people want to be somewhere where they are understood. They don’t have to question whether it’s okay or not – it will be fine. Everything that they need to have is looked after.
“One of the most important aspects that applies to everyone is the involvement in the community, and the community’s involvement in our care homes. When somebody goes into a care home, their identity, who they are, can be eroded. But because we are a small community, somebody will come up and say ‘oh, Mr so and so, you used to be my head teacher, you used to be my doctor’. This reinforce people’s identity and reassures them that they are part of the community.”
Many people who move into Jewish Care’s care homes do so to live there for the rest of their lives. Most of Jewish Care’s residents die in their care home, surrounded and supported by people who share their beliefs.
As burial within 24 hours is very important to people under the Jewish faith, Jewish Care do their best to facilitate this.
How do you find a Jewish care home?
Depending on where you live in the UK, it can be a challenge to find a strictly Jewish care home. Additionally, take into account that moving into one may come with extra costs as the provision of, for example, Kosher food is expensive.
The first place to look is carehome.co.uk, as here you will be able to search for care homes in your area and read genuine reviews about them. carehome.co.uk lists all registered care homes in the UK as well as their inspection ratings and detailed and transparent fee information. It also hosts a free expert care helpline to assist older people in their search for a care home.
However, there are options:
- Jewish Care runs 9 care homes as well as providing independent and assisted living homes in London and the South West offering tailored care and support and catering for a wide range of needs.
- Birmingham Jewish Community Care’s Andrew House is a purpose-built care home that was officially opened by Princess Diana in May 1996.
- Leeds Jewish Welfare Board runs three Kosher residential care homes in North Leeds.
- Nightingale Hammerson operates two care homes in London for Jewish men and women over the age 60.
What if there are no Jewish care homes in my area?
If there are none in your area or travelling is not an option, remember that secular care homes are obligated by their regulators to meet reasonable requirements relating to religious and cultural backgrounds. This means the care home of your choice could be able to meet some, if not all, of your religious needs.
