Beit Rehovot Messianic Jewish Synagogue
Messianic congregation in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, registered as a Scottish charity (SC038529)
| Beit Rehovot Messianic Jewish Synagogue
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Charity (constitutional form "Other") |
| Founded | 3 August 2007 |
| Registration ID | SC038529 (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator) |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | 15 Larch Place, East Kilbride, GLASGOW G75 9HQ (trustee address) |
| Location | East Kilbride |
| Area served | South Lanarkshire |
| Services | Advancement of religion |
| Registration | Scotland (OSCR) |
| Key people | Ruth Fleischer; Julie Chalmers; Heather Beattie (trustees) |
Beit Rehovot Messianic Jewish Synagogue is a Messianic congregation in East Kilbride registered as a Scottish charity, number SC038529, on the Scottish Charity Register from 3 August 2007. The register gives its address, a trustee address, as 15 Larch Place, East Kilbride, GLASGOW G75 9HQ, and its purpose as "the advancement of religion and the humanitarian work of Judaism across the world by prayer, encouragement and financial support as is appropriate". Its main operating location is South Lanarkshire.[1] Its 2025 annual report says it "was recognised as a Scottish Charity with effect from the 03.03.07"; the register gives 3 August 2007.[2]
The object recorded on the register begins "Our purpose is to glorify G-d by: I. Serving as a living testimony of Messiah Yeshua within the Jewish Community of which we are a part; and encouraging Messianic Outreach within Scotland, all parts of the United Kingdom and across the world". It also includes "Standing with the State of Israel against a hostile world" and states that "we reject any attempt towards ecumenical dialogue or co-operation, as contrary to the revealed word and will of Adonai".[1]
Activities
The 2025 annual report lists "Weekly Shabbat Services, Bible Studies, collection of voluntary funds in support of humanitarian work. Promoting positive contact between Jews and Gentiles."[2]
Dispute with the Community Security Trust
On 18 September 2009 The Jewish Chronicle published a report by Robyn Rosen that the "Beit Rehovot Messianic Jewish Congregation", which met weekly at a community hall in East Kilbride, had reported an "alarming" rise in antisemitism, including verbal abuse and threatening behaviour from youths. The paper said the group had formerly met at the Mossneuk Community Hall in Mossneuk, which had been "daubed in graffiti" the previous weekend, including the words "Jews' night tonight lads, get your Jew cap on." It quoted Asher Kramer Chalmers, "who leads the group" and who, the paper said, "styles himself Rabbi", as saying that more than a dozen incidents had occurred in the past year and that the police had been called a number of times. According to the paper, Chalmers said that members who wear kippot had been "bombarded with abusive comments", and that he believed the abuse was "a direct result of the demonisation of Israel and Jewish people". The report ended: "But the Community Security Trust (CST) has distanced itself from the group, not considered halachically Jewish."[3]
The Community Security Trust disputed this account three days later. In a statement on its website dated 21 September 2009, CST said the sentence "risks misrepresenting CST's position in regard to these incidents", which it said was "guided by the apparent motivation of the incident perpetrator, not the Jewish status of the victim". It quoted its leaflet Definitions of Antisemitic Incidents and said it would record incidents as antisemitic "even where the incident victims are not Jewish" if there was evidence of antisemitic motivation or language. CST published the text of a letter it said it had sent to The Jewish Chronicle for its next edition. In the letter CST said that after the paper's reporter brought the incident to its attention, its northern office "discussed it directly with local Police, Scottish Jewish community leadership and Glasgow CST", and that "We all agreed that the graffiti would be recorded and treated as an antisemitic incident as it was clearly so in its content and motivation, regardless of the targeted group proclaiming Jesus ('Yeshua') to be the 'Messiah of Israel'". CST's letter continued: "So, this was certainly not a case of CST 'distancing' itself from an antisemitic incident. Indeed, CST does not make halachic judgements as to the Jewishness of antisemitic incident victims." It said that "it seemed obvious that the Police were not only best qualified to deal with the case: but that they were already fully doing so", and that CST had forwarded local media coverage of the incident to the reporter.[4]
The Jewish Chronicle published the letter on its letters page on 25 September 2009 under the heading "Messianic Jews". It was signed by Mark Gardner, CST's Director of Communications, who wrote that the paper's report that CST had "distanced itself" from the group "risks misleading readers about our response". He repeated that "this was certainly not a case of CST 'distancing' itself from an antisemitic incident. Indeed, CST does not make halachic judgments as to the Jewishness of antisemitic incident victims."[5] The same page carried a letter from Miriam Dub describing "Messianic Jews" as "missionaries in disguise".[6]
CST's Antisemitic Incidents Report 2009, published in 2010, recorded 30 antisemitic incidents in Scotland that year, including 14 in Glasgow and seven in Edinburgh. The report does not mention East Kilbride or the congregation.[7]
Sunday Mail report, 2011
On 20 March 2011 the Sunday Mail published a report by Stephen Stewart that "Former student minister Ronald Chalmers" had "resurfaced in Scotland, calling himself Rabbi Asher Kramer and leading a breakaway synagogue in Lanarkshire". The paper said Chalmers had been "ordained as a Messianic Jewish rabbi two years ago" and was "leading a small band of followers based in an East Kilbride community centre". It did not name the congregation. In 2009 The Jewish Chronicle had named Asher Kramer Chalmers as the leader of the Beit Rehovot congregation in East Kilbride.[3]
According to the Sunday Mail, Chalmers, then 47, had left the Free Presbyterian church of Ian Paisley "in disgrace in 1992" and was jailed for three years in December 1992 after being found guilty of indecently assaulting an 11-year-old boy in Finaghy, south Belfast. The paper said four further counts of sexual abuse involving a 16-year-old boy "were not proceeded with", and that the trial judge, Sir Robert Porter, had described the offence as an "appalling and shameful" betrayal of trust. It also said that in the 1980s Chalmers had been "a prominent Scottish Tory" in the Conservative Party and a former chairman of the Eastwood Young Conservatives Association.[8]
The paper said Chalmers had been "kicked out of the Union of British Messianic Jewish Congregations last year over concerns about his behaviour". It quoted the organisation's leader, Rabbi Dr Yehoshua Scott, as saying that Chalmers had led a UBMJC congregation "between 2006 and last July", had told its leadership of his past and had "professed his innocence", and that "We were stunned to find out the true nature of his offences and have severed all ties with him." Chalmers told the paper: "Everyone here knows about the things that happened in the past. I live a very open life and I do not keep secrets from anyone", and "I didn't appeal against my conviction or sentence for legal reasons."[8]
Trustees
| Name | As given in the 2025 annual report |
|---|---|
| Ruth Fleischer | Rabbi Dr Ruth Fleischer |
| Julie Chalmers | Mrs Julie Chalmers; signed the report for the "Leadership Committee" |
| Heather Beattie | Mrs Heather Beattie |
Sources: the register[1] and the 2025 annual report.[2]
Finances
For the year to 30 September 2025 the charity received £23,342.87: tithes and offerings of £10,473.66, donations of £8,250 and Gift Aid of £4,619.21. It paid out £16,210.75, of which £15,600 was salary and £420.75 hall hire, and held a balance of £22,807.87.[2]
| Financial year ended | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2022 | £18,567 | £14,950 |
| 30 September 2023 | £18,716 | £15,628 |
| 30 September 2024 | £17,936 | £16,602 |
| 30 September 2025 | £23,343 | £16,211 |
See also
- Jewish charities in Scotland
- Community Security Trust
- Union of British Messianic Jewish Congregations
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Beit Rehovot Messianic Jewish Synagogue (SC038529) Scottish Charity Register, accessed 30 October 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Beit Rehovot Messianic Synagogue, Trustees' Annual Report and Receipts and Payments for the Year Ending 30.09.25, published on the Scottish Charity Register by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, accessed 30 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Robyn Rosen, Scottish messianic community hit by flood of abuse The Jewish Chronicle, 18 September 2009, p. 19, accessed 30 October 2026.
- ↑ Community Security Trust, Antisemitic incidents in East Kilbride and CST's response, CST blog, 21 September 2009, accessed 30 October 2026.
- ↑ Mark Gardner, "Messianic Jews" (letter), The Jewish Chronicle, 25 September 2009, p. 36.
- ↑ Miriam Dub, letter, The Jewish Chronicle, 25 September 2009, p. 36.
- ↑ Community Security Trust, Antisemitic Incidents Report 2009, 2010, p. 31, accessed 30 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Stephen Stewart, Sex abuse preacher resurfaces in Scotland as rebel rabbi Sunday Mail, 20 March 2011, accessed 30 October 2026.