UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers

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UK AWIS logo. Screen capture taken from ukawis.co.uk 21 September 2014.


The UK Friends of AWIS (Registered Charity No. 1084272; company No. 4094203) is the UK offshoot of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers - an organisation established in 1942 by David Ben-Gurion. It says its main objective is 'to promote the wellbeing of Israel's sons and daughters in uniform.'[1] The organisation also has a trading arm, UK AWIS Trading Limited "whose principal activity is to support fundraising for the charity [UK Friends of AWIS] through its trading activities." [2] According to Greer Fay Cashman, writing in the Jerusalem Post, UK Friends of AWIS was set up by Alice Krieger at the instigation of the then Defense Attache at the UK Israeli Embassy Brig. Gen. Itzchaki Chen in the late 1990s. [3] The organisation was incorporated on 20 Oct 2000. [4]

Activities and Projects

Mobile synagogue

UK Friends of AWIS has provided mobile synagogues to the IDF:

The Israeli Defense Force launched a mobile synagogue initiative in 2011 to allow troops to pray more comfortably as they operate the Iron Dome anti-missile system in southern Israel. The UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers (UKAWIS) has provided such mobile synagogues - which contain an ark, reader's platform and washbasin - as "a source of spiritual sustenance [for the soldiers] as they carry the weight of Israel's security on their shoulders". [5]

Injured Soldiers Fund

Provides gifts and access to recreational facilities for injured soldiers. [6]

Spirit - five day vacations for combat units

Gives IDF personnel access to five days at a recreational resort. [7]

Refurbishment of existing rest & recreation clubs [8]

IMPACT! Scholarship Project

"AWIS provides full scholarships to discharged combat unit soldiers from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds for whom higher education would otherwise be unattainable." [9]

President's Scholarships - granted to exemplary soldiers

"Each year, AWIS grants scholarships to 120 exemplary soldiers, selected by the I.D.F., at a special ceremony on Independence Day at the President's Residence. Each scholarship awaits the soldiers until their discharge and acceptance at an institution for higher learning." [10]

Jewish Awareness

"The Military Rabbinate stands beside the IDF soldiers in their efforts to strengthen the Jewish spirit.

This comprises two separate projects:

1) 'Slichot' tours for around 15,000 soldiers.

Cost: £52,500

2) 'In the Footsteps of the Maccabees' tours for around 15,000 soldiers.

Cost: £104,500" [11]

Mobile Club

Provision of mobile clubs to frontline IDF personnel. [12]


Mobile Gym

Provision of mobile gyms to frontline IDF personnel. [13]


Rest and recreation club

Provision of upgraded version of mobile clubs. [14]


UK Friends of AWIS sends much of its received donations to the Israeli parent organisation. For instance in 2012 UK Friends of AWIS sent £494,666 to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's soldiers. [15]


People

Trustees

Julian Kemble (DoB 16 January 1936) (20 October 2000 - 2014) | Zeev Remez (DoB 4 January 1956) (20 October 2000 - 2014) | Peter Sussmann (DoB 23 December 1934) (20 October 2000 - 2014) | David Tucker (Appointed 25 May 2011- 2014)

Former Trustees

Anke Adler-Slottke (20 October 2000-Resigned 14 June 2007) | Andrew Balcombe (25 September 2002 - 12 September 2006)[16] | Rachel Rogoff (DoB 9 February 1958) (4 September 2007 - 17 May 2011)

Funding

UK Friends of AWIS receives a large amount of funding from a number of charitable trusts:

A M Charitable Trust

The The A M Charitable Trust (no 260991) disburses grants to organisations with a particular focus on Jewish causes including conservative and zionist recipients as well as on health related causes. As well as supporting UKAWIS, the trust has also supported the controversial Israel based Jerusalem Foundation which is implicated in construction activity on Israeli occupied territory in East Jerusalem in contravention of international law. It has also supported Israel lobby groups and organisations involved in attempting to counter Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns such as WIZO UK and the Weizmann Institute Foundation.

C H (1980) Charitable Trust

The C H (1980) Charitable Trust (no 256283) has supported conservative zionist organisations such as the UK based Anglo-Israel Association and the Israel-Diaspora Trust. Like the AM Charitable Trust it has also funded the Jerusalem Foundation. In addition it has given money to Stanley Kalms' Traditional Alternatives Foundation which then passed money to the Centre for Social Cohesion.

Family Foundations Trust

The Family Foundations Trust (also known as the Mintz Family Foundation) is a London based foundation, run by Richard Mintz a UK based property investor.

G R P Charitable Trust

The G R P Charitable Trust has supported conservative zionist organisations such as the UK based Anglo-Israel Association and the Israel-Diaspora Trust and the Jerusalem Foundation. In addition it has given money to neoconservative think tanks such as Civitas and the Henry Jackson Society and to other foundations such as Stanley Kalms' Traditional Alternatives Foundation and the Institute for Policy Research - both of which have then passed money to neoconservative and neoliberal think tanks such as the Centre for Social Cohesion, Open Europe and the Centre for Policy Studies. Between 2008 and 2013 the Trust gave £26,000 to the Politics and Economics Research Trust a charity that mainly raises funds for the Taxpayers' Alliance.




Donors to the UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers in £ sterling [17]
Organisation 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Total 2005-2013
A M Charitable Trust ? ? ? 2,000 0 0 0 2,000 ? 4,000
C H (1980) Charitable Trust ? ? ? 0 2,000 0 0 0 0 2,000
Family Foundations Trust 0 0 0 25,000 21,000 15,000 15,000 10,200 10,000 96,200
G R P Charitable Trust 0 0 0 0 0 2,000 2,000 0 2,000 6,000
The Peltz Trust 0 0 1,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 1,000
Phillips & Rubens Charitable Trust 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,500 2,500 0 5,000
The R and S Cohen Foundation 0 3,000 0 0 0 0 7,650 0 0 10,650
Stanley and Zea Lewis Family Foundation 0 0 0 0 0 200 0 0 0 200
The Wigoder Family Foundation[18] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,000 0 2,000
Specific known donations total 0 3,000 1,000 27,000 23,000 17,200 27,150 16,700 12,000 127,050
Total income declared by UK AWIS 54,693 455,667 540,990 713,655 648,966 544,965 532,129 649,859 ? -
Total income sent to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers 74,000 455,118 434,242 518,995 547,059 408,629 410,229 494,666  ? 3,342,938

See Also

Contact

235 Old Marylebone Road
London, NW1 5QT
Tel:020 3210 3060
Email: ukawis@ukawis.net
Web: ukawis.co.uk
Web Archive ukawis.co.uk
Address Circa 2002:
87A Bell Lane
Hendon
London
NW4 2SA.
Telephone 0208 203 7135
Fax 0208 203 6918
e-mail ukawis@hotmail.com[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ UK Friends of AWIS About. Accessed 24 August 2014.
  2. ↑ 'UK Friends of the Association For the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers Trustees' Report and Consolidated Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2012', Charity Commission, Accessed 11 September 2014.
  3. ↑ Greer Fay Cashman, 'Friday Grapevine', Jerusalem Post, 18 August 2006, accessed 15 September 2014.
  4. ↑ Companies in the UK UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers. Accessed 24 September 2014.
  5. ↑ Oliver Wainwright, 'Russian army introduces the flying Orthodox church-in-a-box', The Guardian, 2 April 2013, accessed 14 September 2014
  6. ↑ UKAWIS Website Injured Soldiers Fund. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  7. ↑ UKAWIS Website Spirit - five day vacations for combat units. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  8. ↑ UKAWIS Website Refurbishment of existing rest & recreation clubs. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  9. ↑ UKAWIS Website IMPACT! Scholarship Project. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  10. ↑ UKAWIS Website President's Scholarships. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  11. ↑ UKAWIS Website Jewish Awareness. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  12. ↑ UKAWIS Website Mobile Club. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  13. ↑ UKAWIS Website Mobile Gym. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  14. ↑ UKAWIS Website Rest and recreation club. Accessed 1 October 2014.
  15. ↑ UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers Trustees' Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2012.
  16. ↑ UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers Trustees' Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2005.
  17. ↑ Data compiled from filings at the Charity Commission and UK Friends of the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers Trustees' Report and Consolidated Financial Statements 2005 - 2012.
  18. ↑ According to the annual report of the foundation the donation was made to the Association for the Wellbeing of Israel's Soldiers rather than to UK AWIS. However, the donation is included under 'UK Grants' so it is assumed that the donation is to UK AWIS rather than to the Israeli parent organisation.
  19. ↑ UK Friends of AWIS About, Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 20 October 2002 on 22 September 2014.
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