Israeli Scouts Western Europe
UK charitable incorporated organisation that runs the Israeli Scouts (Tzofim) in Britain and Europe and Garin Tzabar, an aliyah programme for Diaspora Jews who enlist in the Israel Defense Forces as lone soldiers
| Israeli Scouts Western Europe
| |
|---|---|
| Logo | .jpg) Central House, 1 Ballards Lane, Finchley (2011), the charity's registered address |
| Type | Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) |
| Founded | 28 April 2014 (registered; constitution dated 24 April 2014) |
| Registration ID | 1156815 (Charity Commission); CIO CE001825 |
| Status | Registered |
| Headquarters | Central House, 1 Ballards Lane, London N3 1LQ |
| Area served | Barnet (register); chapters in London, Manchester and Cambridge and in nine other European countries |
| Services | Israeli Scouts (Tzofim) groups in Britain and Europe; Garin Tzabar Europe (aliyah and IDF enlistment programme) |
| Registration | England and Wales |
| Key people | Trustees: Hait Gilad; Anat Lea Koren Dalgleish; Eran Benyamini; Elad Sanderovich; Manuela Lea Rathaus-Alper |
| Website | www.israeliscoutseu.org |
Israeli Scouts Western Europe (ISWE) is a charitable incorporated organisation registered with the Charity Commission on 28 April 2014 (charity 1156815). It runs the UK and European branches of the Israeli Scouts movement (Tzofim) and the European arm of Garin Tzabar, a programme for young Diaspora Jews and children of Israelis who move to Israel and serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as lone soldiers.[1][2] Income in 2024 was £706,928. More than half of it (£371,066) was recorded as "Services from Tzabar Olami", the international arm of the Israeli Scouts.[3]
Objects and activities
The register describes the charity's activities as: "Educational activities for children and young adults to strengthen the connection to their local, national and international communities and identity." It classifies the charity under education/training for children and young people and gives its area of operation as Barnet. The charity has two employees and nine volunteers, is not recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid, and records that it owns or leases land or property.[1]
Under its 2014 constitution, the charity's objects include promoting "the development of young people, in particular but not exclusively Hebrew speaking young people", helping young people through leisure-time activities, and promoting equality, diversity and racial harmony.[3]
The charity's website said ISWE "involves mainly two leading projects run by Israel Scouts' Tzabar Olami – Garin Tzabar Europe and Israeli Scouts Europe (Tzofim)". It described Garin Tzabar as "a programme for young Diaspora Jews and sons and daughters of Israelis, who choose to immigrate to Israel and serve in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF)". It listed a Garin Tzabar coordinator for Europe, an office contact, and scout-group (shevet) coordinators in London (Halutz) and Amsterdam (Shavshevet).[2] The Tzofim UK site describes ISWE as the "parent organisation under which TzofimUK operate", which "maintains the non-profit status" of the UK groups.[4]
The 2024 trustees' report describes chapters in London, Manchester and Cambridge, new groups in places such as Oxford and Richmond, and chapters in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus. The report also says the charity delivers community events "including Jewish festivals celebration, Remembrance Day ceremony, and the Rabin memorial service".[3]
Trustees
| Trustee | Appointed | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|
| Hait Gilad | 5 September 2025 | None on record |
| Anat Lea Koren Dalgleish | 24 July 2023 | None on record |
| Eran Benyamini (register spelling "Eran Benyanimi") | 24 March 2022 | None on record |
| Elad Sanderovich | 1 December 2020 | None on record |
| Manuela Lea Rathaus-Alper | 12 March 2014 | None on record |
Source: register full print.[1]
The 2024 accounts list E Benyamini, E Sanderovich, M L Rathaus-Alper, A L K Dalgleish and D Amira as trustees who served during the year. They were signed on 28 October 2025 by E Benyamini and M Rathaus Alper.[3] The website named Eran Benyamini as acting chairperson, with Manuela Rathaus-Alper, Anat Koren, Daniel Amira and Elad Sanderovitz on the board.[2] The 2023 accounts record that H J Daniel, S A Saunders and C C Cohen resigned as trustees on 23 August 2023.[5]
The accounts are independently examined by FKGB Accounting Limited (Farley Kaye FCA), 201 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 4QG.[3][6]
Finances
| Year ending | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2020 | £249,660 | £191,500 |
| 31 December 2021 | £299,850 | £240,570 |
| 31 December 2022 | £411,950 | £384,420 |
| 31 December 2023 | £549,643 | £557,515 |
| 31 December 2024 | £706,928 | £669,412 |
The register rounds figures for 2020–2022 to the nearest £10; the figures for 2023 and 2024 are from the accounts.[1][3]
| Source | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services from Tzabar Olami (restricted) | £100,000 | £120,000 | £154,530 | £145,000 | £371,066 |
| Hagshama / World Zionist Organization (restricted) | £40,288 | £42,594 | £45,685 | £48,657 | £46,889 |
| UJIA grant (unrestricted) | £38,093 | £35,156 | £32,500 | £32,500 | £32,500 |
| Donations (unrestricted) | – | – | – | £26,568 | £32,308 |
| Programme revenue | – | – | – | £294,294 | £221,770 |
Sources: accounts for 2021–2024 (each with prior-year comparatives); "–" means the figure was not extracted.[3][5][7][8]
Staff costs in 2024 were £259,503, of which £231,339 was for "events and programme staff". No employee received more than £60,000. At the end of 2024 the charity held reserves of £293,097 (£276,373 restricted). The trustees say some reserves may be held "to be used as financial support for Aliya program participants who may require substantial amounts", and that the charity "turns to Israel if there are any difficulties".[3]
Funding in Israel
The accounts show no grants to Israeli organisations. The charity's link to Israel is through its programmes: Garin Tzabar participants move to Israel (see below), and its income includes services from Tzabar Olami and restricted funding from Hagshama, a department of the World Zionist Organization.[3][2]
Support for the Israeli military
Garin Tzabar. The charity runs the European arm of Garin Tzabar.[2] Garin Tzabar describes itself as an "Aliyah Program Supporting Lone Soldiers Since 1991" and as "part of Tzofim Olami, the global organisation of the Israeli Scouts movement". It offers young Jewish adults aged 18 to 24 support "from pre-Aliyah preparations to moving to Israel, settling in, serving in the IDF, and beyond". Before enlistment it "guarantees a streamlined and expedited enlistment process", and it provides board and accommodation during service. It reports more than 400 participants a year, about 1,200 currently serving lone soldiers, soldiers in more than 40 army units, and that 89% of men and 40% of women with a combat medical profile serve in combat positions. Preparation seminars are held abroad before participants move to Israel.[9]
The Jerusalem Post reported in August 2024 that more than 300 new immigrants were expected to enlist through Garin Tzabar during the Gaza war, including 11 from Great Britain. It reported that the programme is supported by the Defence Ministry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry and Masa.[10]
Spending. In ISWE's accounts, Garin Tzabar is a separate programme with its own restricted fund. In 2024 its direct costs were summer seminars of £10,622, £10,256 and £12,026, winter seminars of £19,657 and £1,317, and general programme costs of £39,110. Support costs were also allocated to each seminar.[3]
| Year | Opening balance | Incoming | Expended | Other | Closing balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | – | £139,055 | £114,916 | – | £24,139 |
| 2022 | £100,423 | £154,530 | £104,896 | – | £150,057 |
| 2023 | £164,856 | £129,500 | £76,354 | – | £218,002 |
| 2024 | £219,402 | £380,020 | £180,249 | −£142,800 ("change in status") | £276,373 |
Each year's opening balance differs from the previous year's closing balance, and the accounts do not explain the differences. For 2024 the accounts say: "A donor with restricted funds owing to the Charity paid £142,800 in cash in 2024. The restricted status has been released by the donor in writing."[3][5][7][8]
Other links. The Tzofim UK FAQ says the UK groups' shinshinim are "young graduates of Tzofim movement from Israel, chosen to be young emissaries in the UK" under a Jewish Agency and Tzofim programme, and that they "postpone their military service by 1 year".[4] The UJIA grant to the charity (£32,500 a year in 2022–2024) is shown as unrestricted, so it is not attributed to Garin Tzabar.[3]
| Finding | Grading |
|---|---|
| Garin Tzabar participants live in host communities (for example kibbutzim) across Israel and serve in IDF units; the accounts and website name no specific places, so activity beyond the Green Line is not established.[9][3] | Not established |
Prior scrutiny
Web searches found no Charity Commission action, complaint or press investigation concerning ISWE. The register shows "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)".[1]
Other registers and records
- No match was found on the Scottish Charity Register (register export of 14 October 2026) or in the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland charity-details file (20 October 2026).
- 360Giving records no grants received or made under GB-CHC-1156815.[11]
- Searches of The Gazette and of Hansard for "Israeli Scouts" and "Garin Tzabar" returned no notices or contributions concerning the charity.[12]
Web archive
- israeliscoutseu.org has captures in the Internet Archive from 2019 to May 2026; the /about page was captured several times between August 2025 and May 2026.[13]
See also
- United Jewish Israel Appeal
- Jewish Agency for Israel
- Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
- Bnei Akiva UK
External links
- Official website (archived)
- Tzofim UK
- Garin Tzabar
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Charity Commission, Israeli Scouts Western Europe (1156815): full print Register of Charities, accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Israeli Scouts Western Europe, About (Israeli Scouts Western Europe-side), archived by the Wayback Machine on 11 May 2026; the live page returned "not found" on 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Israeli Scouts Western Europe, Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024, note 2 and note 10, from accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, downloaded 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tzofim UK, FAQ (Tzofim UK-side), accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Israeli Scouts Western Europe, Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023, from accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, downloaded 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Israeli Scouts Western Europe, Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020, from accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, downloaded 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Israeli Scouts Western Europe, Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022, from accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, downloaded 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Israeli Scouts Western Europe, Annual report and unaudited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021, from accounts and annual returns Register of Charities, downloaded 21 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Garin Tzabar, Garin Tzabar – Aliyah Program Supporting Lone Soldiers Since 1991 (Garin Tzabar-side), accessed 21 October 2026.
- ↑ Hundreds of soldiers to join IDF during war through Garin Tzabar, The Jerusalem Post, August 2024.
- ↑ 360Giving API: GB-CHC-1156815 360Giving, queried 21 October 2026 (response "Not found").
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: "Garin Tzabar" Hansard, queried 21 October 2026 (0 results; "Israeli Scouts" also 0).
- ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for israeliscoutseu.org/about Wayback Machine, queried 21 October 2026.