Two Jewish mothers recognised for launching special needs school
search

The latest Jewish News

Read this week’s digital edition

Click Here

Two Jewish mothers recognised for launching special needs school

Ali Durban and Sarah Sultman recognised for their work setting up the Gesher school at the Topland Group's lunch this week

Ali Durban and Sarah Sultman (centre) recognised for their work setting up Gesher school, alongside  the Lord Levy and Natasha Kaplinsky. Credit: Blake Ezra Photography  .
Ali Durban and Sarah Sultman (centre) recognised for their work setting up Gesher school, alongside the Lord Levy and Natasha Kaplinsky. Credit: Blake Ezra Photography .

Two Jewish mothers who opened a Jewish centre of excellence for children with additional needs and challenges last year have received this year’s Topland Group Business Luncheon Award at Grosvenor House Hotel.

Ali Durban and Sarah Sultman teamed up after meeting six years ago in a school playground. Both had sons with special educational needs (SEN) and both felt there needed to be a Jewish school that better served their children and others like them.

The ambitious pair set off on a mission to create what what later become Gesher, which finally opened its doors in London last September.

“We didn’t just want a school but an outstanding school, the very best in class,” they said. “For us it soon became apparent our plan wasn’t just about opening a school but developing a movement across the community.”

They have since won several accolades, including being nominated for the Community Initiative Award at Jewish News’ Night of Heroes, and this week accepted the Topland Award 2018 on behalf of the school’s pupils.

“It is incredible to be recognised but for us it’s the children who are the unsung heroes, this award should really be for them,” they said.

The award and luncheon, which raises money for Jewish Care, is sponsored by property investment group Topland and held in memory of Phillip Greenwold, a former patron who did so much for the awards over so many years.

Recent past winners include former JFS pupil turned mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin, and Mavis Hyman, who channelled her family’s grief at the loss of her daughter in the 7/7 London bombings into the Miriam Hyman Foundation Trust.

Explaining what motivated them, Ali described Gesher as being there for the “invisible children, those who slip through the net,” with their educational experience before Gesher likened to fitting “a square peg in a round hole”.

Accepting the award, Ali said: “This demonstrates to us that there are people who understand, who want to support our vision and to ensure these young people get the best start and chance in life as well as playing an active role in our community.”

She added: “It really wasn’t easy to get people on board at the start but we never doubted that we would get there in the end. Our story proves that everything is possible if you put your heart and head into it.”

Listen to this week’s episode of the Jewish Views podcast! 

Support your Jewish community. Support your Jewish News

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.

read more: