Chabad of Elstree and Borehamwood
Chabad-Lubavitch centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, run by the registered charity The Chai Center, trading as the Jewish Life Centre (charity 1174613), a charitable incorporated organisation registered in 2017
- The registered name of the charity (1174613) is The Chai Center, which holds the charity details, including the trustees table. The charity trades as the Jewish Life Centre; Chai Center, The Jewish Life Centre, Jewish Life Centre and Chabad of Borehamwood & Elstree redirect here.
| Chabad of Elstree and Borehamwood
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Registered charity (charitable incorporated organisation) |
| Founded | 12 September 2017 (registered charity) |
| Registration ID | 1174613 (Charity Commission) |
| Status | Registered charity (registered 12 September 2017); accounts to 31 July 2025 filed (register, 11 November 2026) |
| Headquarters | Jewish Life Centre, Unit 12E, Keystone Passage, Borehamwood Shopping Park, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 4PR (register contact address) |
| Location | Borehamwood and Elstree, Hertfordshire |
| Area served | Borehamwood and Elstree |
| Services | Education, children's and youth programmes, adult learning, special-needs support |
| Registration | England and Wales |
| Key people | Adam Simon Brandman; Abraham Braun; Paul Ian Jayson (trustees) |
| Website | jewishlifecentre.org |
Chabad of Elstree and Borehamwood is the local centre of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement in Borehamwood and Elstree, Hertfordshire, run by the registered charity The Chai Center (number 1174613), a charitable incorporated organisation registered on 12 September 2017 and based at Unit 12E, Keystone Passage, Borehamwood Shopping Park, Borehamwood WD6 4PR.[1][2] The register describes it as "a community-based organisation dedicated to promoting education, culture, and values in an inclusive & welcoming environment".[1]
That is the name used in the Chabad.org directory and by the Federation of Synagogues.[3][4] The centre's website brands the operation as the Jewish Life Centre (also written The Jewish Life Centre), which is the trading name given in the charity's accounts.[5] The Charity Commission register records the charity under the name The Chai Center.[1] The Jewish Communities and Records – UK (JCR-UK) site describes the centre as "Chabad of Borehamwood & Elstree".[6]
For the year to 31 July 2025 the charity reported income of £411,932 and expenditure of £273,847.[7] Its accounts say that it has secured a ten-year lease from Hertsmere Borough Council on the former bank premises at 80 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, which it plans to convert into a new community centre at a capital cost of about £1.5 million.[5]
History
The charity was registered on 12 September 2017 as a foundation CIO, under a constitution incorporated on 30 June 2017.[1][8][5] As a CIO it is registered with the Charity Commission only and has no number at Companies House.[9] Its object is "the advancement of the Orthodox Jewish faith in accordance with the teachings and principles of Chabad in particular for people living in Borehamwood and Elstree", by providing "educational programs and social activities".[8] Income rose from £125,090 in the year to 31 July 2021 to £411,932 in the year to 31 July 2025.[7]
The Jewish Communities and Records – UK (JCR-UK) site describes the centre as "Chabad of Borehamwood & Elstree", founded in 2011, with Rabbi Chaim Hoch and Leah Hoch as co-directors from May 2011, and says that it is supported by the registered charity The Chai Center (1174613), operating as The Jewish Life Centre. It says that the centre has been at the Jewish Life Centre in Keystone Passage, Borehamwood, since March 2019, and that its events were previously held in the rabbi's house, in a marquee in his garden and at Aberford Hall, Aberford Road, Borehamwood.[6]
Premises and property
The register address is Unit 12E, Keystone Passage, Borehamwood Shopping Park, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 4PR, and the register records that the charity holds land.[2][9] The accounts for the year to 31 July 2025 describe a planned move to 80 Shenley Road, Borehamwood: a ten-year lease from Hertsmere Borough Council of the former bank premises, to be converted into a three-storey centre of about 6,000 square feet internal space with 2,000 square feet outdoors, including space for youth and children's programmes, adult education, a nursery and sensory room, a lounge and kitchen. The trustees give the capital cost as about £1.5 million, to be raised by a fundraising campaign, with a construction programme of nine to ten months and the building expected to open in the 2026–27 financial year.[5]
Activities
The accounts describe the centre as focused on creating opportunities for local Jewish people to take part in "the various experiences Jewish life has to offer", with "a strong focus" on informal opportunities for people outside the Jewish community. They list youth activities, festival and Sabbath activities, adult education, social services and Judaica services and publications; programmes for children in the Jewish schools of Hertsmere; and the Friendship Circle, which engages teenagers in volunteering with children who have special needs and which the trustees say has grown significantly.[5] The register gives 150 volunteers and records £6,000 of income from two government grants.[1]
Governance
The centre is run by the registered charity The Chai Center (number 1174613), a charitable incorporated organisation. The register lists three trustees. Charity particulars, including the trustees table, are set out on that page.[1][10]
Finances
The register gives the following figures.
| Year ended | Total income | Total expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 31 July 2021 | £125,090 | £123,968 |
| 31 July 2022 | £226,270 | £216,120 |
| 31 July 2023 | £244,170 | £235,864 |
| 31 July 2024 | £297,845 | £291,107 |
| 31 July 2025 | £411,932 | £273,847 |
In the year to 31 July 2025 income was £411,932, all shown as donations and legacies (£385,127 unrestricted and £26,805 restricted), against expenditure of £273,847 (£85,271 on raising funds and £188,576 other), a surplus of £138,085. Total funds rose from £65,188 to £203,273, including £13,100 of restricted funds. Cash at bank was £102,136 (2024: £14,820); tangible fixed assets were £110,607 (£67,205); and bank loans falling due after more than one year were £8,674.[5] The accounts for the year to 31 July 2021 were received 3 days late; the later four sets were on time.[11]
See also
External links
- Jewish Life Centre (website listed on the register)
- Borehamwood Chabad, JCR-UK (link carried over from the previous page)
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Chai Center (1174613) Register of Charities, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Chai Center (1174613) – contact information Register of Charities, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Chabad.org, Chabad of Elstree and Borehamwood Chabad.org directory, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Federation of Synagogues, Chabad of Elstree and Borehamwood federation.org.uk, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 The Chai Center, trading as the Jewish Life Centre, Report of the trustees and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2025 (independent examiner's report dated 29 May 2026), as filed with the Charity Commission, obtained from the register's accounts and annual returns page, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jewish Communities and Records – UK, Chabad of Borehamwood & Elstree JCR-UK (page amended June 2026), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public data extract: annual return history (extract dated 11 November 2026), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Chai Center (1174613) – governing document Register of Charities, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public data extract: charity (extract dated 11 November 2026), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Chai Center (1174613) – trustees Register of Charities, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission for England and Wales, The Chai Center (1174613) – accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, accessed 11 November 2026.