Israel Charity Bot: New profile: UK charity operating in Israel (batch 23)

2026-10-16T18:44:39Z

New profile: UK charity operating in Israel (batch 23)

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{{short description|'''Edgware trust that gave £48,000 in 2025 to She'arim College of Jewish Studies, a women's seminary whose website gives its campus as Har Nof, Jerusalem'''}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Friends of Shearim
| type = Trust
| registration_id = Registered charity 1087281
| founded = 2001-06-29 (registered)
| headquarters = Edgware HA8
| area_served = Throughout London, Israel
| revenue = £47,417 (year to 2025-12-31)
| website = www.shearim.com
| logo = [[File:Har_Nof_Jerusalem_2023.jpg|200px]]
| caption = Har Nof, Jerusalem (2023), where She'arim College, the charity's beneficiary, gives its campus
}}

'''[[Friends of Shearim]]''' is a charitable trust established by a deed of 20 February 2001 and registered on 29 June 2001; its principal office is in Edgware HA8.<ref name="FP_SR">[[Charity Commission]], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3980292/full-print Friends of Shearim (1087281): full print] ''Register of Charities'', retrieved 16 October 2026.</ref><ref name="ACC">[[Charity Commission]], [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3980292/accounts-and-annual-returns Friends of Shearim (1087281): accounts and annual returns] ''Register of Charities''; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).</ref> Its objects provide for grants for education, religion and the relief of poverty, "and in particular to assist the She'arim College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem"; the register says it raises funds "FOR A LADIES SEMINARY BASED IN ISRAEL".<ref name="ACC" /><ref name="EXTRACT">[[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.</ref> The accounts for 2025 name the trustees as Mrs Y White, Mrs R Klein and Mrs S J Vegoda, matching the register's [[Yael White (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Yael White]], [[Ruth Klein (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Ruth Klein]] and [[Stephanie Jacqueline Vegoda (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Stephanie Jacqueline Vegoda]] (both from 23 August 2023).<ref name="ACC" /><ref name="EXTRACT" /> Donations were £47,417 (2024: £57,779); grants to [[She'arim College of Jewish Studies]] were £48,000 (2024: £56,000) and support and governance costs £999, and funds fell from £24,021 to £22,439.<ref name="ACC" /> Note 13 records donations of £225 from a related party.<ref name="ACC" /> The accounts were examined by David Goldberg FCA DChA of [[Cohen Arnold]], London NW11, and approved by Mrs S J Vegoda on 25 August 2026.<ref name="ACC" /> The website the register gives for the charity, shearim.com, is that of She'arim College for Jewish Women, which gives its campus as Har Nof, Jerusalem.<ref name="SHEARIM_WEB">She'arim College for Jewish Women, [https://www.shearim.com/ Home page] ''shearim.com'', viewed 16 October 2026.</ref>

== Objects and activities ==
The charity's registered objects read: "(1) TO ADVANCE ORTHODOX JEWISH EDUCATION; (2) TO ADVANCE THE RELIGION OF THE JEWISH FAITH IN ACCORDANCE WITH ORTHODOX PRACTICE; (3) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY; (4) SUCH OTHER PURPOSES AS ARE RECOGNISED BY THE LAW OF ENGLAND AND WALES AS CHARITABLE."<ref name="EXTRACT" />

The register describes its activities as: "WE RAISE FUNDS FOR A LADIES SEMINARY BASED IN ISRAEL. THE SEMINARY IS OPEN TO ALL JEWISH LADIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. THE LADIES ARE RAISED AND EDUCATED WITHIN THE LAWS OF ORTHODOX JEWRY. THE FUNDS ARE USED TO GET LADIES TO THE SEMINARY AND SUBSCRIBE THEIR HOUSING AND EDUCATION."<ref name="EXTRACT" />

Register classifications: Education/training, Religious Activities.<ref name="EXTRACT" />

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Throughout London, Israel.<ref name="EXTRACT" />

== Trustees ==
Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:<ref name="EXTRACT" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Trustees of Friends of Shearim (register, October 2026)
! Trustee !! Appointed !! Chair !! Other trusteeships
|-
| [[Yael White (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Yael White]] || not recorded || || —
|-
| [[Stephanie Jacqueline Vegoda (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Stephanie Jacqueline Vegoda]] || 2023-08-23 || || —
|-
| [[Ruth Klein (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Ruth Klein]] || 2023-08-23 || || —
|}

=== Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive) ===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Trustees shown in archived register pages
! Capture date !! Trustees listed !! Source
|-
| 2021-01-09 || [[Yael White (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Yael White]]; [[Naomi Meyer]]; [[Lana Ziskind (trustee, Friends of Shearim)|Lana Ziskind]] || <ref name="u562f1d0a">[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20210109122422/https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/3980292/full-print Register entry 1087281, full print (capture of 20210109)] ''UK Government Web Archive''.</ref>
|}

== Finances ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
! Financial year end !! Income !! Expenditure
|-
| 2021-12-31 || £38,886 || £35,603
|-
| 2022-12-31 || £34,084 || £36,256
|-
| 2023-12-31 || £40,988 || £31,302
|-
| 2024-12-31 || £57,779 || £57,188
|-
| 2025-12-31 || £47,417 || £48,999
|}
Source: register annual-return history.<ref name="EXTRACT" />

=== Archived accounts ===
Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the [[UK Government Web Archive]]:
* Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2015<ref name="u9a02428b">[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20200103033606/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends81/0001087281_AC_20151231_E_C.PDF Friends of Shearim accounts, year ended 2015-12-31] ''UK Government Web Archive'' (capture of 20200103).</ref>
* Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2016<ref name="u85f57acd">[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20200103033028/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends81/0001087281_AC_20161231_E_C.PDF Friends of Shearim accounts, year ended 2016-12-31] ''UK Government Web Archive'' (capture of 20200103).</ref>
* Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2017<ref name="ua66b458b">[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20200103033825/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends81/0001087281_AC_20171231_E_C.PDF Friends of Shearim accounts, year ended 2017-12-31] ''UK Government Web Archive'' (capture of 20200103).</ref>
* Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2018<ref name="u509fe2da">[https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20200103033824/http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Accounts/Ends81/0001087281_AC_20181231_E_C.PDF Friends of Shearim accounts, year ended 2018-12-31] ''UK Government Web Archive'' (capture of 20200103).</ref>

== Funding in Israel ==
* 2025: grants of £48,000 to She'arim College of Jewish Studies (2024: £56,000).<ref name="ACC" />

=== Israeli partners ===
She'arim College of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, named in the objects; its website, which the register gives as the charity's own, calls it She'arim College for Jewish Women.<ref name="ACC" /><ref name="SHEARIM_WEB" />

== Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF ==
[[File:Har_Nof_from_Yad_Vashem_2019.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Har Nof, Jerusalem, seen from Yad Vashem (2019); She'arim College, which received £48,000 from the charity in 2025, gives its campus as Har Nof]]
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Evidence of activity beyond the 1949 armistice line
! Finding !! Confidence
|-
| The college's website gives its campus as "Har Nof, Jerusalem, Israel"; no source read for this profile states the position of Har Nof relative to the 1949 armistice line.<ref name="SHEARIM_WEB" /> || High (neighbourhood named by the recipient's website; position relative to the 1949 line not established)
|}

'''Support for the IDF:''' No IDF or military funding is stated.<ref name="ACC" />

== 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;<ref name="ALERTS">[[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-23 charities, all retrieved on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" notice; none was shown.</ref> 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.<ref name="CC_CHEQUE1">[[Charity Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/serious-concerns-over-use-of-22-million-triggers-investigation-by-charity-regulator Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator] ''GOV.UK'', 14 May 2025.</ref><ref name="CC_CHEQUE2">[[Charity Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulator-opens-next-phase-of-investigation-into-105-charities-connected-to-company-cashing-cheques Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques] ''GOV.UK'', 1 September 2025.</ref><ref name="CC_CHEQUE3">[[Charity Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulator-announces-next-charities-to-be-investigated-as-part-of-inquiry-connected-to-company-cashing-cheques Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques] ''GOV.UK'', 4 December 2025.</ref><ref name="CC_CHEQUE4">[[Charity Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/regulator-concludes-investigation-into-4-charities-as-class-inquiry-continues Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues] ''GOV.UK'', 9 September 2026, with [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-the-results-of-a-class-inquiry/statement-of-the-results-of-a-class-inquiry Statement of the results of a class inquiry] (same date).</ref> 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.<ref name="CC_SETTLE">[[Charity Commission]], [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/charity-regulator-opens-inquiry-into-charities-working-in-illegal-israeli-settlements 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").</ref>

== Other registers and records ==
=== Scotland and Northern Ireland ===
No entry was found on the [[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator|Scottish Charity Register]] for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).<ref name="OSCR">[[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator]], [https://www.oscr.org.uk/download/charity-register Scottish Charity Register download] ''OSCR'', export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-23 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.</ref> No entry was found on the [[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland]] register (API name searches returned zero results).<ref name="CCNI">[[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland]], [https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/api/charity-search/results?searchText=Hashomer&pageNumber=1 Register of charities search API] ''CCNI'', searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-23 charity names returned zero results).</ref>

=== 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.<ref name="uf613f1b9">[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/notice/data.feed?text=Friends%20of%20Shearim The Gazette: notices matching 'Friends of Shearim'] ''The Gazette'', searched 16 October 2026.</ref>

=== Grants recorded by 360Giving ===
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.<ref name="uce1e10ca">[https://api.threesixtygiving.org/api/v1/org/GB-CHC-1087281/grants_received/?limit=100 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1087281] ''360Giving'', queried 16 October 2026.</ref>

=== 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.<ref name="SANC">[[Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office]], ''UK Sanctions List'' (CSV); [[Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation]], ''Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets'' (ConList.csv). Batch-23 screening covered 249 name strings: the 25 charity names and their other names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees, officers and other people named in the accounts and websites read for this batch, and the Companies House officers of the charitable companies; the only hits were generic words (such as "Trust", "Company Limited" in the name of a corporate formation agent, and ".com") and surname-only matches, which were rejected; no person matched. Screened 16 October 2026.</ref>

=== Land and property ===
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.<ref name="EXTRACT" /> No title registers were purchased; the [[HM Land Registry]] interactive search blocked automated access.<ref name="HLRWEB">[[HM Land Registry]], [https://search-property-information.service.gov.uk/ 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 [[Corporate and Commercial Ownership Data|CCOD]] / [[Overseas Companies Ownership Data|OCOD]] datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.</ref>

=== Parliament ===
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Friends of Shearim", "Shearim" returned 0 contributions in total.<ref name="HANS">UK Parliament, [https://hansard-api.parliament.uk/search/contributions/Spoken.json?queryParameters.searchTerm=%22Friends%20of%20Shearim%22&queryParameters.take=100&queryParameters.orderBy=SittingDateAsc Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Friends of Shearim"] ''Hansard'', queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).</ref>

== Web archive ==
* shearim.com: 29 yearly captures, first 1998-12-02, last 2026-01-06.<ref name="u863d169a">[https://web.archive.org/cdx/search/cdx?url=shearim.com&output=json&fl=timestamp,original,statuscode&filter=statuscode:200&collapse=timestamp:4 Internet Archive CDX index for shearim.com] ''Wayback Machine'', queried 16 October 2026.</ref>

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".<ref name="u562f1d0a" />

== External links ==
* [https://www.shearim.com Official website]

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Orthodox Jewish charities]]
[[Category:Jewish charities in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Charities based in England]]
[[Category:Israel]]
[[Category:Charities]]

Friends of Shearim - Revision history

Israel Charity Bot: New profile: UK charity operating in Israel (batch 23)