A EALING rabbi is to live on just £1 a day in an attempt to raise awareness of global poverty.
Rabbi Janet Burden of Ealing Liberal Synagogue in Lynton Avenue, West Ealing will be joining hundreds of people around the country for the Live Below the Line challenge.
She will be raising money and awareness for anti-poverty initiatives carried out by Tzedek (Jewish Action for a Just World), which is a UK-based Jewish charity.
Rabbi Burden said: "One pound is the UK equivalent of the extreme poverty line. Living on so little will give us a glimpse into the challenges faced by the 1.4 billion people who have no choice but to live below the line every day for everything - food, medical care, transport, education, everything."
She said she was prompted to take part because of her years of experience working with Oxfam, adding: "We need to raise awareness of global poverty and to remind ourselves how lucky we are. There are of course people in the UK who live on very little, not just overseas.
"When you do something like this it really makes you think about what that means and I hope helps us to be more compassionate and supportive. I started with a vegetable stir fry, planned to have porridge most days and Matzot (unleavened bread used over Passover) instead of bread.
“I made a stock for soup out of vegetable peelings. Being vegetarian makes it easier. I know how to cook well without meat. The trick is to use lots of spices, herbs and seasonings."
Rabbi Burden will spend five days living off £1 a day. To support her efforts visit www.livebelowtheline.com/me/janetburden
