Friends of Orchos Torah
North London CIO passing its income to Yeshivas Orchos Torah in Israel
| Friends of Orchos Torah
| |
|---|---|
| Type | CIO |
| Founded | 2018-06-21 (registered) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1178879 |
| Headquarters | Melinek Fine Llp, Winston House, 349 Regents Park Road, London, N3 1DH |
| Area served | Israel |
| Key people | Daniel Theodore Klein (chair) |
Friends of Orchos Torah is a charitable incorporated organisation registered on 21 June 2018; its only register area is Israel.[1] Its trustees, all appointed on 21 June 2018, are Daniel Theodore Klein (chair), Aryeh Yehudah Melinek, Mendel Silber and Leiv Levison; its register address is in London N3, and its accounts are prepared by Weissbraun Emanuel of London NW11 (PDF p.1).[1][2] Its object is Orthodox Jewish religious education, "particularly by assisting the Yeshivas Orchos Torah in Israel" (PDF p.3). In the year to 30 September 2025 income was £141,466 (2024: £64,639) and grants to Yeshivas Orchos Torah £154,000, leaving funds of £38 (PDF p.6–7, 9).[2]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH FAITH IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY MAKING GRANTS TO RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS WHICH FURTHER THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH FAITH:- I. BY EDUCATING YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR RELIGIOUS OBLIGATIONS AND THUS ENABLING THEM TO FULFIL THEIR RELIGIOUS DUTIES ANDII. BY PROVIDING COURSES AND OTHER TRAINING TO LEAD TO RABBINICAL DIPLOMAS, TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS LEADERSAND IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY TO THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATIONAL NETWORK IN ISRAEL KNOWN AS ORCHOS TORAH."[1]
The register describes its activities as: "TO FURTHER EDUCATION BY SUPPORTING INSTITUTIONS FOR THE RELIGIOUS TRAINING OF JEWISH YOUTH"[1]
Register classifications: Religious Activities.[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]
| Trustee | Appointed | Chair | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aryeh Yehudah Melinek | 2018-06-21 | Ateres Beis Yaakov Limited (1189564); British Friends of the Chazon Ish Institutions (286986); Gateshead Yeshiva Alumni Limited (261875); Havinenu (1207230); Legadel (1154487); Nafshainu (1197004); Nwlj Schools Planning Committee (1197033); The Bl Minyan (1169519); Veshinantom (1210828) | |
| Daniel Theodore Klein | 2018-06-21 | Yes | The Beit Midrash Trust (1009673) |
| Mendel Silber | 2018-06-21 | — | |
| Leiv Levison | 2018-06-21 | Areivim (1125655); Beis Brucha Ltd (1131109); Friends of Dr Adler's Surgery (1191581); Friends of Kupat Hakahal Kirhyat Sefer (1113041); Ponevez Institutions Bnei-Braq Israel (1123051); Project S E E D (281307); Taharos Beiyun (1151822); The Friends of Yeshivas Brisk (1005809); Torah Vodaas Limited (1092266) |
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-17 | Leiv Levison (from 21 June 2018) – also trustee of Torah Vodaas Limited, Friends of Dr Adler's Surgery, Areivim, Friends of Kupat Hakahal Kirhyat Sefer, Taharos Beiyun, Ponevez Institutions Bnei-Braq Israel, Project S E E D; Daniel Theodore Klein (chair) (from 21 June 2018) – also trustee of The Beit Midrash Trust, Kisharon; Aryeh Yehudah Melinek (from 21 June 2018) – also trustee of The Bl Minyan, Ateres Beis Yaakov Limited, Gateshead Yeshiva Alumni Limited; Mendel Silber (from 21 June 2018) | [3] |
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-09-30 | £258,555 | £223,401 |
| 2022-09-30 | £179,551 | £211,015 |
| 2023-09-30 | £1,599,768 | £1,596,855 |
| 2024-09-30 | £64,639 | £66,402 |
| 2025-09-30 | £141,466 | £154,061 |
Source: register annual-return history.[1]
Funding in Israel
- FY2025 grants to Yeshivas Orchos Torah £154,000 (2024: £66,359) (PDF p.9).[2]
Israeli partners
Yeshivas Orchos Torah. A directory of Torah institutions lists a yeshiva named Orchot Torah at 10 Shlomo A'melech St., Bnei Brak; the link rests on the name, and the accounts do not say which institution or branch received the grants.[4][2]
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.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| A yeshiva named Orchot Torah is listed in Bnei Brak; no activity beyond the Green Line is stated.[4][2] | Medium |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[2]
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;[5] 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.[6][7][8][9] 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.[10]
- Funds run down. Grants exceeded income and the year ended with funds of £38 (PDF p.6–7).[2]
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).[11] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[12]
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.[13]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
US counterparts (ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer)
| Organisation | EIN | Latest filing year | Revenue (US$) | Expenses (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Friends Of Orchot Torah Drav Shteinman Inc[17] | 464160517 | 2023 | 3,502,820 | 3,691,703 |
These US organisations share the name or beneficiary of the UK charity; no financial flows between them and the UK charity were established.
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Friends of Orchos Torah", "Orchos Torah" returned 0 contributions in total.[18]
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 up to date" and "Other regulators: No information available".[3]
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Charity Commission, Friends of Orchos Torah (1178879): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Register entry 1178879, full print (capture of 20210117) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Torah Index, Orchot Torah torahindex.com, retrieved 16 October 2026 (directory entry: address "10 Shlomo A'melech St.", Bnei Brak 51118, Israel; administrator Rav Yakov Virzavinski).
- ↑ 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-15 charities, all retrieved successfully on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section; none was shown for any of them. Nineteen registered charities showed "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)"; The Kolel Limited showed "up to date (85 days late)" and Practical Compassion for Destitute Children "up to date (2 days late)"; Lionel Black Charitable Trust, Friends of Horim Establishments Tel Aviv and Arad, Prayer for Israel (326132) and The Maurice Wohl Charitable Trust showed "Removed charity".
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ 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").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-15 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-15 charity names returned no matching charity; the only result, for "Donkey", was an unrelated Belfast organisation).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Orchos Torah' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1178879 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-15 screening covered 227 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the three charitable companies and of J. E. Joseph Trustee Company Limited, directors of the dissolved Friends of Horim company (01966551), and trustees, executive-committee members, examiners and other people 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 Hassan, Friedman, Cohen and Sabah) or the generic words "Company Limited"; lists downloaded October 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ American Friends Of Orchot Torah Drav Shteinman Inc – Nonprofit Explorer ProPublica, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Orchos Torah" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).