British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim

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Manchester trust that sends all its income, £88,750 in 2024/25, to the American Friends of a Jerusalem yeshiva

British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim

Type Trust
Founded 2017-05-11 (registered)
Registration ID Registered charity 1172995
Headquarters Manchester M8
Area served Israel
Key people Yitzchok Kramer (chair)


British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim is a trust established by a deed of 2 March 2017 and registered on 11 May 2017; its objects are the education of people of all ages "around the world", including scholarships and grants to educational organisations, and Israel is its only register area (PDF p.4–5).[1][2][3] The trustees are Yitzchok Kramer (chair), Yisroel Meir Cohen, Bill Greenbaum and Tzvi Kaplan; the principal office is in Manchester M8 (PDF p.3).[1][3] In the year to 28 February 2025 it received donations of £88,738 and paid a single grant of £88,750 (2024: £72,600) to the American Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim, a related party "by virtue of having a trustee in common"; it had net liabilities of £497 (PDF p.5–6, 8–9, 13–14).[3] Yeshivas Kodshim is a yeshiva in Jerusalem; a 2010 report names its head as Rav Tzvi Kaplan.[4][5]

Objects and activities

The charity's registered objects read: "FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION OF PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AROUND THE WORLD IN SUCH WAYS AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES THINK FIT, INCLUDING AWARDING TO SUCH PERSONS SCHOLARSHIPS, MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES OR GRANTS; OR BY GRANTS TO CHARITIES OR OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WORLDWIDE THAT PROVIDE EDUCATION."[1]

The register describes its activities as: "As detailed in the charity objects"[1]

Register classifications: Education/training.[1]

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Israel.[1]

Trustees

Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[1]

Trustees of British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim (register, October 2026)
Trustee Appointed Chair Other trusteeships
Yitzchok Kramer 2017-03-02 Yes Ahavas Torah (1074721)
Yisroel Meir Cohen 2017-03-02 Aguda Keren L'dovid (280599)
Bill Greenbaum 2017-03-02 —
Tzvi Kaplan 2017-05-18 —

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2021-01-12 Yisroel Meir Cohen (from 02 March 2017) – also trustee of Aguda Keren L'dovid; Tzvi Kaplan (from 18 May 2017); Bill Greenbaum (from 02 March 2017); Yitzchok Kramer (chair) (from 02 March 2017) [6]

It has not been established whether trustee Tzvi Kaplan (appointed 18 May 2017) is the Rav Tzvi Kaplan named as the yeshiva's head in 2010.[1][4]

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2021-02-28 £67,339 £48,450
2022-02-28 £57,267 £69,517
2023-02-28 £92,504 £97,114
2024-02-29 £71,954 £73,360
2025-02-28 £88,738 £89,421

Source: register annual-return history.[1]

Funding in Israel

  • 2024/25 grant £88,750 (2024: £72,600) to American Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim, for Yeshivas Kodshim (PDF p.13–14).[3]

Israeli partners

Yeshivas Kodshim, Jerusalem, through the American Friends of Yeshiva of Kodshim (Brooklyn, New York).[3][5] A 2010 report placed the yeshiva in the Ezras Torah neighbourhood of Jerusalem, with Rav Tzvi Kaplan as rosh yeshiva and students from North America.[4]

Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF

Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.

Evidence of activity beyond the 1949 armistice line
Finding Confidence
The yeshiva was reported in 2010 to be in the Ezras Torah neighbourhood of Jerusalem; no source places it beyond the Green Line.[4][5] Medium (partner)

Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[3]

Controversies and regulatory action

  • No Charity Commission inquiry, Official Warning or Gazette insolvency notice naming this charity was found, and its register entry shows no regulatory alert;[7] it is not among the charities named in the Commission's cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements (May, September and December 2025) or in the September 2026 statement of results.[8][9][10][11] The charities in the Commission's settlements class inquiry (opened August 2026) have not been named, so it is not known whether this charity is among them.[12]
  • Funds routed through a US charity. All grants went to the American Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim, which shares a trustee with the charity, though a note also says "The charity paid grants of £88,750 to Yeshivas Kodshim" (PDF p.13–14).[3] The American Friends body (EIN 133988433, Brooklyn) says it "PROVIDES FUNDS TO YESHIVAS KODSHIM, AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION BASED IN JERUSALEM, ISRAEL" and is "OPERATED AND OVERSEEN BY BOARD MEMBERS OF YESHIVAS KODSHIM".[5]
  • Trustees' company and governance. Workzone Manchester Ltd, of which Y Kramer and B Greenbaum are directors, donated £1,000; the report says "There are no policies for the induction or training of new trustees" and "All other office costs are borne by the trustees" (PDF p.4–5, 14).[3]

Other registers and records

Scotland and Northern Ireland

No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[13] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[14]

The Gazette

Searches of The Gazette notice feeds (all notices, insolvency and company) for the charity's name found no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice.[15]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[16]

Sanctions screening

The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[17]

Land and property

The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[18]

US counterparts (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)

Organisation EIN Latest filing year Revenue (US$) Expenses (US$)
American Friends Of Yeshiva Of Kodshim[19] 133988433 2023 3,360,265 4,076,144

The UK charity's only grant in 2024/25 (£88,750) was paid to the American Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim (PDF p.13).[3]

Parliament

Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Yeshivas Kodshim", "Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim" returned 0 contributions in total.[20]

Web archive

The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Charity reporting is 43 days late" and "Other regulators: No information available".[6]

External links

  • No current official website.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
  2. ↑ Charity Commission, British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim (1172995): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Charity Commission, British Friends of Yeshivas Kodshim (1172995): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Bomb Found Near Rav Tzvi Kaplan's Yeshiva Matzav.com, 5 November 2010, viewed 16 October 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 American Friends of Yeshiva of Kodshim Benevity Causes, viewed 16 October 2026.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Register entry 1172995, full print (capture of 20210112) UK Government Web Archive.
  7. ↑ Charity Commission, Register of Charities, charity overview page (register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/ followed by the organisation number) for each of the 25 batch-18 charities, all retrieved successfully on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section; none was shown for any of them. Sixteen registered charities showed "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)"; the Porter Foundation showed "up to date (1 day late)", The Persian Hebrew Community "up to date (48 days late)", Bernard Kahn Charitable Trust "up to date (33 days late)" and the Rabbi Yisroel Yehudah Peritz Charitable Trust "up to date (3 days late)"; Jassiane Limited showed "Charity reporting is overdue by 623 days"; The Friends of Birzeit University, The Friends of the Or Hachaim Educational Centre for Girls and John Hagee Ministries showed "Removed charity".
  8. ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
  9. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
  10. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
  12. ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
  13. ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-18 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
  14. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-18 charity names returned no matching charity).
  15. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Yeshivas Kodshim' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
  16. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1172995 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-18 screening covered 285 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the seven charitable companies, and trustees, examiners, grantees, subsidiaries and other people and bodies named in the accounts and sources read for this batch; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname match for any person was found; token matches were surname-only coincidences (for example Weiss, Cohen, Salem and Tauber) or generic words such as "Foundation", "Aid" and "People"; lists downloaded October 2026.
  18. ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
  19. ↑ American Friends Of Yeshiva Of Kodshim – Nonprofit Explorer ProPublica, viewed 16 October 2026.
  20. ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Yeshivas Kodshim" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).
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