Difference between revisions of "Ezer Viznitz Foundation"
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{{short description|'''UK Orthodox Jewish grant-making charity under Charity Commission inquiry'''}} | {{short description|'''UK Orthodox Jewish grant-making charity under Charity Commission inquiry'''}} | ||
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Revision as of 13:05, 12 September 2026
UK Orthodox Jewish grant-making charity under Charity Commission inquiry
| Ezer Viznitz Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Type | Charity (trust) |
| Logo | |
| Founded | 28 May 2015 |
| Founder(s) | |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | 1161881 |
| Status | |
| Headquarters | |
| Location | 121 Clapton Common, London E5 9AB |
| Area served | Hackney; Haringey; City of Salford; Belgium; Israel; United States |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | |
| Website | |
| Remarks | |
Ezer Viznitz Foundation is an England and Wales registered grant-making charity (number 1161881), entered on the register of the Charity Commission on 28 May 2015 and governed by a trust deed dated 29 December 2014.[1][2] It reports that it provides aid to families in personal or social distress and supports local community projects.[3] In the year ending 31 March 2025 it reported income of £4,665,384 and expenditure of £4,935,630.[4]
The charity was added in September 2025 to the Charity Commission statutory class inquiry into 105 charities that cashed cheques worth £22 million with a company in Hackney between December 2021 and March 2023.[5] The register still carries an inquiry alert. An inquiry is not a finding of wrongdoing.[3]
Activities
The objects in the governing document are the advancement of education according to the Orthodox Jewish faith; the relief of financial hardship, generally or individually, by grants of money for items, services or facilities; and any other exclusively charitable objects the trustees see fit under the law of England and Wales.[1]
The main recorded method of carrying out those purposes is grant-making. Listed activities include general charitable purposes, education and training, and the prevention or relief of poverty. Beneficiaries include children and young people, other charities or voluntary bodies, and the general public. It makes grants to individuals and to organisations and provides advocacy, advice or information.[6] Areas of operation recorded on the register are the London Borough of Hackney, the London Borough of Haringey, the City of Salford, Belgium, Israel and the United States.[6]
Trustees’ accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 state that during that year the charity made grants totalling £3,404,953 to individuals and £141,207 to organisations.[7]
The charity reports no trading subsidiaries and that trustees receive no remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity. It is not recognised by HM Revenue and Customs for Gift Aid.[3]
People
Trustees listed on the Charity Commission register:[8]
| Name | Role | Date appointed | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanoich Muller | Chair | 28 May 2015 | None on record |
| Rachel Stern | Trustee | 3 March 2021 | None on record |
| Yakov Babad | Trustee | 12 December 2014 | None on record |
The 2023 trustees’ report names C. M. Muller, C. Muller and Y. Babad as trustees and gives the principal address as 121 Clapton Common, London E5 9AB.
Finances
Income is recorded as donations and legacies only.
| Year ending | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2021 | £929,934 | £1,153,102 |
| 31 March 2022 | £3,166,246 | £2,915,369 |
| 31 March 2023 | £3,773,795 | £3,634,719 |
| 31 March 2024 | £4,068,770 | £4,210,626 |
| 31 March 2025 | £4,665,384 | £4,935,630 |
Grants to institutions recorded on the register included £479,390 in the year to 31 March 2024 and £58,980 in the year to 31 March 2025. Charity reporting is recorded as up to date.
Charity Commission inquiry
In May 2025 the Charity Commission opened a statutory class inquiry after an unannounced HM Revenue and Customs visit to a company in Hackney found that 105 charities had cashed cheques with that company 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. In September 2025 the Commission named a second tranche of ten charities, including Ezer Viznitz Foundation, Satmar Nursery Trust, Lehachyos, 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. Charities under the inquiry were ordered not to issue cheques without the Commission’s prior consent.Lee Harpin, More Strictly Orthodox charities named in £22m cheque cashing inquiry Jewish News, 2 September 2025. The Commission said it would examine how the charities transferred funds, how trustees oversaw what happened to funds exchanged for the cheques, whether the cash was used to support the charities’ purposes, and how trustees determined that the transactions were in each charity’s best interests. On 9 September 2026 the Commission removed four charities from the class inquiry — The Z.S.V. Trust, Bnois Jerusalem Schools, Forty Limited and Friends Of Yeshiva Daas Sholem Shotz — after finding they had issued open cheques but were undertaking charitable activities in line with their purposes.Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026. Ezer Viznitz Foundation was not named among those removed, and its register entry still records that an inquiry has been opened.
Contact
Principal address (2023 accounts): 121 Clapton Common, London E5 9AB Register correspondence address: Raffingers LLP, Unit 19-20 Bourne Court, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 8HD Telephone: 07903 116215 Charity number: 1161881
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 CommissionCharity Commission
- The Rehabilitation Trust
- Chasdei Dov Trust
External links
Charity Commission register entry for Ezer Viznitz Foundation
Notes
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Charity Commission, EZER VIZNITZ FOUNDATION - 1161881 governing document Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.
- ↑ Find that Charity, Ezer Viznitz Foundation Find that Charity, accessed 12 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Charity Commission, EZER VIZNITZ FOUNDATION - 1161881 Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, EZER VIZNITZ FOUNDATION - 1161881 financial history Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.
- ↑ Civil Society, 10 more charities investigated as part of £22m cashed cheques probe Civil Society, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Charity Commission, EZER VIZNITZ FOUNDATION - 1161881 what, who, how, where Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.
- ↑ Ezer Viznitz Foundation, Report of the trustees and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 Charity Commission accounts filing, 2023.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Trustees EZER VIZNITZ FOUNDATION Register of Charities, accessed 12 September 2026.