Edgware anaesthetist and Hatzola doctor wins prestigious award
Dr Asher Lewinsohn wins Government's volunteering award and apologises to family for 'many missed dinners'
An anaesthetist from Edgware who helps Jewish emergency ambulance charity Hatzola has been awarded a coveted British Citizen Award for Volunteering.
Dr Asher Lewinsohn, a Senior Registrar specialising in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care within the NHS, was one of 29 individuals recognised last week at a prestigious ceremony at the Palace of Westminster.
Lewinsohn helped establish the Edgware branch of Hatzola, where he now acts as lead trainer and senior medical officer. The charity provides a 24/7 emergency ambulance response service for the community and has worked with London Ambulance Service and first responders.
He is also a critical care response doctor for East of England Ambulance Service as part of the BASICS Herts Volunteer Group, where he helps on some of the most serious 999 calls such as roadside emergency surgical procedures.
The British Citizen Awards (BCAs) are awarded twice annually, after being launched in January 2015 to recognise exceptional individuals who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on society. Winners receive a Medal of Honour, inscribed with the words ‘For the Good of the Country’.
Describing it as “a fantastic surprise and an incredible honour,” he said: “I don’t think any of us do voluntary work for recognition, but to receive something like this and to know that our work is valued and appreciated is truly a heart-warming and humbling experience.”
He added: “There have been many missed bed times, dinners, appointments and family gatherings that I have either failed to turn up to or have dashed out in the middle of to attend a call, so thanks to my incredible family not only being supportive of that, but picking up the pieces at a moment’s notice.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
