Lehachyos
UK grant-making charity under Charity Commission class inquiry
| Lehachyos
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Charity (trust) |
| Founded | 2 December 2016 |
| Registration ID | 1170523 |
| Location | Flat 2, Stroh Court, 9 Amhurst Park, London N16 5DH |
| Area served | England; Israel; United States |
Lehachyos is an England and Wales registered grant-making trust (charity number 1170523), entered on the register of the Charity Commission on 2 December 2016. It was previously named British Friends of Lehachyos. Its governing document is a trust deed dated 17 June 2016, amended on 7 February 2017.Charity Commission, LEHACHYOS - 1170523 full print Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026. The Commission records its activity as “grantmaking mainly to institutions advancing education.” In the year ending 31 March 2025 it reported income of £311,530 and expenditure of £271,352. It is not recognised by HM Revenue and Customs for Gift Aid. The register carries an inquiry alert. Lehachyos was added to the Commission’s statutory class inquiry into cashed cheques in September 2025, in the second named tranche of a probe covering 105 charities that cashed cheques worth £22 million with a company in Hackney between December 2021 and March 2023.Charlie Moloney, Commission investigates 10 further charities in £22m cashed cheques probe Third Sector, 1 September 2025. An inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Objects and activities
The objects are: (i) the prevention or relief of poverty, in particular but not exclusively in Israel, by providing grants, items and services to individuals in need or organisations working to prevent or relieve poverty; and (ii) any other exclusively charitable objects the trustees see fit, provided they are charitable under the law of England and Wales.Charity Commission, LEHACHYOS governing document Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026. Listed activities include general charitable purposes, education and training, prevention or relief of poverty, religious activities, and other charitable purposes. Beneficiaries include children and young people, elderly people, people with disabilities, and other charities. It makes grants to individuals and organisations. Areas of operation are throughout England, Israel and the United States. It does not own or lease land or property.Charity Commission, LEHACHYOS what, who, how, where Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.Charity Commission, LEHACHYOS governance Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026. The Jewish Chronicle described the charity as helping to distribute food to people in need in Israel.Katie Grant, Ten further Orthodox Jewish charities named by regulator investigating cashed cheques worth £22m The Jewish Chronicle, 1 September 2025.
People
Trustees recorded by directory listings drawing on Commission data:Charici, Lehachyos Charici, accessed 12 September 2026.
| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pinches Herzka | Appointed at formation period (c. 2016) |
| Maurice Freund | Appointed at formation period (c. 2016) |
| Menachem Greenfeld | Appointed at formation period (c. 2016) |
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-11 | Menachem Greenfeld (from 06 February 2017); Maurice Freund (from 06 February 2017); Pinches Herzka (chair) (from 06 February 2017) | [1] |
Finances
| Year end | Total income | Total expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 30 March 2021 | £398,070 | £431,640 |
| 30 March 2022 | £343,340 | £359,500 |
| 31 March 2023 | £346,700 | £332,280 |
| 31 March 2024 | £351,070 | £354,560 |
| 31 March 2025 | £311,530 | £271,352 |
The 2025 annual return and accounts were received on time. The 2024 filing was 31 days late. Reporting is currently recorded as up to date.
Archived accounts
Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:
- Accounts for the year ended 30/03/2018[2]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/03/2019[3]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/03/2020[4]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/03/2021[5]
- Accounts for the year ended 30/03/2022[6]
The accounts for 2022/23 (a download link was captured, but not the file), 2023/24 and 2024/25 were not found.
| Year to 31 March | Donations | Expenditure | Grants to institutions | Grants to individuals | Funds at year end |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | £282,813 | £278,559 | £208,384 | £45,953 | £8,935 |
| 2021 | £398,071 | £431,642 | £215,471 | £172,782 | (£24,636) |
| 2022 | £343,344 | £359,504 | £185,132 | £140,544 | (£40,796) |
The examiner was Sugarwhite Meyer Accountants Ltd of Stamford Hill, and the accounts were signed by Pinches Herzka as trustee. The 2021 report says that "due to a long term loan grantmaking was increased by over 50%"; the balance sheet shows a £50,000 bank loan repayable in two to five years, which had fallen to £46,750 by March 2022, leaving the charity with negative funds. In 2022 the trustees described the charity as carrying out its objects "by publishing religious booklets and grantmaking". No trustee was paid or claimed expenses.[4][5][6]
Funding in Israel
- FY2019: donations £362,411; grants £345,290 – to institutions £244,832 (Noam Ho'Emuno £177,055, Reb Shayele's Tzedokes £20,985, Shalvas Hanefesh £8,399, Yetev Lev £6,483 and others under £6,000 £31,910) and to individuals £100,458 (p.5, 7–8).[7] The 2016–18 accounts show grants of £100,994, including Noam Ho'Emuno £53,863.[8] The batch-6 Powerbase profile of Toirem (1206622) records, from Toirem's accounts, a £12,000 grant to "Lehachyos".
- FY2020: grants £254,337 – to institutions £208,384 (Noam Emunah £118,215, Bnos Melochim £9,390, Amud Hatzdoko £9,863, Yetev Lev £7,105, Chaveirim £6,820 and others under £6,000 £56,991) and to individuals £45,953.[4]
- FY2021: grants £388,253 – to institutions £215,471 (Noam Emunah £166,325, Bederech Kovod £15,000, "ZSV" £10,000, Netzach Charitable Trust £6,600, Amud Hatzdokoh Trust £6,400 and others under £6,000 £11,146) and to individuals £172,782. A relative of a trustee received a grant of £15,000 "towards his work helping lower income large families"; the relative is not named.[5]
- FY2022: grants £325,676 – to institutions £185,132 (Noam Emunah £145,084, Amud Hatzdokoh Trust £16,228 and others under £5,000 £23,820) and to individuals £140,544.[6]
- None of the 2020–2022 accounts says in which country the recipients are based; Israel is not mentioned in them.[4][5][6]
Israeli partners
Noam Ho'Emuno, Shalvas Hanefesh and Yetev Lev are named without locations in the 2019 accounts.[7] The 2020–2022 accounts name Noam Emunah (the largest recipient each year), Bnos Melochim, Yetev Lev, Amud Hatzdoko(h), Chaveirim, Bederech Kovod and Netzach Charitable Trust, also without locations; whether Noam Emunah is the same body as the Noam Ho'Emuno of 2019 is not stated.[4][5][6]
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 |
|---|---|
| No place is named for any recipient in the 2018–2022 accounts.[6] | Not established |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated in the 2019 to 2022 accounts.[7][6]
Charity Commission inquiry
The class inquiry began after an unannounced HM Revenue and Customs visit to a company in Hackney found that 105 charities had cashed cheques with it to a value of £22 million between December 2021 and March 2023.Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025. Ten charities were named in May 2025. On 1 September 2025 the Commission named a further ten, including Lehachyos, Ezer Viznitz Foundation, Satmar Nursery Trust, Dover Sholem Community Trust, Friends of Yeshiva Daas Sholem Shotz, Vyoel Moshe Charitable Trust, The Z.S.V. Trust, United Talmudical Associates Ltd, Forty Limited and Bnois Jerusalem Schools. The Commission ordered charities under inquiry not to issue cheques without its prior consent. It said it would examine how funds were transferred, trustee oversight of cash obtained from cashed cheques, whether spending furthered charitable purposes, and how trustees decided the transactions were in each charity’s best interests. On 9 September 2026 four charities from the same September 2025 tranche — The Z.S.V. Trust, Bnois Jerusalem Schools, Forty Limited and Friends Of Yeshiva Daas Sholem Shotz — were removed from the inquiry after findings of misconduct and/or mismanagement over open cheques, while the Commission was satisfied they were undertaking charitable activities in line with their purposes. Lehachyos was not among those four, and its register entry still records that an inquiry has been opened.Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026.
Charity Commission register
- Cheque-cashing class inquiry. Lehachyos (1170523) was among the 105 charities added in September 2025 to the Commission's statutory class inquiry into charities connected to a company cashing cheques;[9] the removed charity's register page still shows a regulatory alert that the Commission has opened an inquiry.[10] It was not among the four charities whose investigations were concluded in September 2026.[11] The charities in the August 2026 settlements class inquiry have not been named.[12]
- Removed during an open inquiry. The charity was removed from the register as not operating on 22 September 2026, while the inquiry remained open; its accounts for 2021–2025 can no longer be downloaded from the register (archived copies of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 accounts were found).[13][10]
- Grant to another inquiry charity. FY2019 grants included £20,985 to "Reb Shayele's Tzedokes"; Reb Shayale's Tzeduke (1158689) is in the same class inquiry (December 2025 phase); the identity of the two was not confirmed (p.8).[7][14]
- Grant to "ZSV". FY2021 grants included £10,000 to "ZSV"; The Z.S.V. Trust (named in the same class inquiry in September 2025) has a similar name, but the accounts give no charity number and the identity of the two was not confirmed.[5][9]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 15 October 2026, downloaded 15 October 2026 and searched by name).[15] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[16]
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.[17]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[18]
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.[19]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[20] No title registers were purchased.[21]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Lehachyos" returned 0 contributions in total.[22]
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".[1]
Contact
Address: Flat 2, Stroh Court, 9 Amhurst Park, London N16 5DH Telephone: 020 3745 3789 Email: lehachyos@gmail.com Charity number: 1170523
See also
Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator British Jewish charities investigated by the Charity Commission
External links
Charity Commission register entry for Lehachyos lehachyos.org (listed by Charity Choice)
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Register entry 1170523, full print (capture of 20210111) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Lehachyos accounts, year ended 2018-03-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200106).
- ↑ Lehachyos accounts, year ended 2019-03-30 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200702).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Charity Commission, Lehachyos: financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2020 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 22/06/2022 (register download; received by the Commission 24 January 2021; the register dates the year end 30 March).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Charity Commission, Lehachyos: financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2021 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 22/06/2022 (register download; received by the Commission 3 February 2022; the register dates the year end 30 March).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Charity Commission, Lehachyos: financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2022 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 10/07/2023 (register download; received by the Commission 31 January 2023; the register dates the year end 30 March).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Charity Commission, Lehachyos: accounts for the year to 31 March 2019 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 02/07/2020 (the charity was removed on 22 September 2026 and its accounts for 2021–2025, listed on the live register, can no longer be downloaded; the 2020–2022 accounts were later found in the archive, see Archived accounts; page numbers are the accounts' printed page numbers).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Lehachyos: accounts for the period to 30 March 2018 UK Government Web Archive, capture of 06/01/2020.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Charity Commission, Lehachyos (1170523): charity overview Register of Charities, viewed 15 October 2026 ("Regulatory alert Removed charity ... The Charity Commission has opened an inquiry into the charity", linking to the GOV.UK announcement of 1 September 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), both retrieved 15 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026, retrieved 15 October 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Charity Commission, Lehachyos (1170523): governance Register of Charities, viewed 15 October 2026 ("02 December 2016: Standard registration 22 September 2026: Removed (Does not operate) ... Other names: BRITISH FRIENDS OF LEHACHYOS (Previous name)").
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026, downloaded October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-10 charity names and their other names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 15 October 2026 (keyword searches for each batch-10 charity name returned no relevant result; the search for "Kosov" returned only an unrelated removed charity, Kosova Support Group, showing that the API was answering).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Lehachyos' The Gazette, searched 15 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1170523 360Giving, queried 15 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-10 screening covered 337 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages (UK Government Web Archive), Companies House officers of the charitable companies and of related companies named in the accounts (including Pinlee Investments, Calvert Estates, Kendleville, Pidom Export, Faircastle, Hatzlocho, Localtrent, Ardina, Ridgesave, Portford, Wilkincroft and Pandor Estates), and trustees, lenders, donor companies and grant recipients named in the accounts read for this batch; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname match for any person was found; the only token matches were generic company words ("Services Limited" in the name of a corporate secretary) and surname-only coincidences; lists downloaded October 2026.
- ↑ 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), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK, accessed 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.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Lehachyos" Hansard, queried 15 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).