Difference between revisions of "The West London Synagogue of British Jews"

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== Objects and activities ==
 
== Objects and activities ==
 +
[[File:West_London_Synagogue_2026_01.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The West London Synagogue building, London (2026), the charity's synagogue]]
 
The charity's registered objects read: "The objects of the charity ("Objects") are:I. to promote and foster the Jewish religion by the provision and maintenance of a public place of worship consistent with the principles, practices, values and traditions of reform Judaism;II. to promote and co-ordinate the education and religious instruction of Jews; andIII. such other charitable purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the benefit of the Jewish people in the UK, in Israel or elsewhere in the world, which are charitable according to the laws of England and Wales."<ref name="EXTRACT" />
 
The charity's registered objects read: "The objects of the charity ("Objects") are:I. to promote and foster the Jewish religion by the provision and maintenance of a public place of worship consistent with the principles, practices, values and traditions of reform Judaism;II. to promote and co-ordinate the education and religious instruction of Jews; andIII. such other charitable purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the benefit of the Jewish people in the UK, in Israel or elsewhere in the world, which are charitable according to the laws of England and Wales."<ref name="EXTRACT" />
  
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=== Land and property ===
 
=== Land and property ===
 +
[[File:West_London_Synagogue_2026_06.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Column capitals at the West London Synagogue (2026), the charity's synagogue building]]
 
The register records that the charity owns and/or leases 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 on 14 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> Candidate titles and addresses (CCOD dataset and register/accounts data):<ref name="CCOD">[[HM Land Registry]], ''UK companies that own property in England and Wales (CCOD)'' full extract, October 2026 release, matched on charitable company numbers and registered names; title numbers listed are candidates only – no title registers were purchased.</ref>
 
The register records that the charity owns and/or leases 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 on 14 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> Candidate titles and addresses (CCOD dataset and register/accounts data):<ref name="CCOD">[[HM Land Registry]], ''UK companies that own property in England and Wales (CCOD)'' full extract, October 2026 release, matched on charitable company numbers and registered names; title numbers listed are candidates only – no title registers were purchased.</ref>
 
* Seymour Place / Upper Berkeley Street, London W1 (titles 415685, 412233, 412228, 412023 registered 14-01-2016; related titles 412231, 412232, 412229 held as "Trustees of the West London Synagogue") – Synagogue premises; register records land ownership (source: register + <ref name="CCOD" />)
 
* Seymour Place / Upper Berkeley Street, London W1 (titles 415685, 412233, 412228, 412023 registered 14-01-2016; related titles 412231, 412232, 412229 held as "Trustees of the West London Synagogue") – Synagogue premises; register records land ownership (source: register + <ref name="CCOD" />)

Revision as of 05:49, 17 October 2026

Historic Reform synagogue charity with Israel among its areas of operation

The West London Synagogue of British Jews

Logo West London Synagogue of British Jews - geograph.org.uk - 1858004.jpg
Type Charitable company
Founded 2014-02-17 (registered)
Registration ID Registered charity 1155821; company 08578248
Headquarters The West London Synagogue of, British Jews, 33 Seymour Place, London, W1H 5AU
Area served Israel, Throughout London
Website www.wls.org.uk


The West London Synagogue of British Jews is a charitable company maintaining the West London Synagogue and related communal activities. Objects include fostering the Jewish religion and benefit of Jewish people in the UK, Israel or elsewhere.[1] The FY2025 trustees' report discusses communal responses to events in Israel and Gaza and states the community is "grieving for all innocent victims".[2]

Objects and activities

The West London Synagogue building, London (2026), the charity's synagogue

The charity's registered objects read: "The objects of the charity ("Objects") are:I. to promote and foster the Jewish religion by the provision and maintenance of a public place of worship consistent with the principles, practices, values and traditions of reform Judaism;II. to promote and co-ordinate the education and religious instruction of Jews; andIII. such other charitable purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the benefit of the Jewish people in the UK, in Israel or elsewhere in the world, which are charitable according to the laws of England and Wales."[1]

The register describes its activities as: "To promote and foster Judaism by the provision and maintenance of a public place of worshipTo promote and co-ordinate the religious instruction of JewsTo provide such other charitable purposes for the public benefitTo promote educational, cultural, charitable and communal activitiesTo provide burial and funeral facilities"[1]

Register classifications: General Charitable Purposes, Education/training, Religious Activities.[1]

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Israel, Throughout London.[1]

Trustees

Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[1]

Trustees of The West London Synagogue of British Jews (register, October 2026)
Trustee Appointed Chair Other trusteeships
Wendy Flora Pollecoff 2021-01-01 The Taurus Foundation (1128441)
Antony Pierre 2023-08-31 —
Matthew Rosedale 2023-10-09 —
Alina Weismann 2023-12-12 —
Oliver Kurer 2024-06-25 —
Amanda Warner 2024-06-25 —
Clarissa Datnow 2024-07-16 —
Marie Sarah van der Zyl OBE 2025-06-24 —
Suzanne Henrietta Korel OBE 2025-06-24 —
Emma India More Nisbett 2026-07-07 —
Giorgios Mourtzilas 2026-07-07 —
Sir Jonathan Cohen KC 2026-07-07 —
Naomi Goode 2026-07-07 —
Sarah Griffin 2026-07-07 —

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2018-01-04 Michael John Lewis; Andrew Stone; Michael Israel; Eleanor Sarah Angel; David Norman Marks; Monica Lesley Jankel; Jill Diana Todd; James Rennie Fletcher; Naomi Katherine Ter-berg; Adam Marc Sonin; Marie Van Der Zyl; David William Chapman; Orlando Ortega; Patrick Mocatta; Henry Dyson; Margaret Thurer; Katie Hyman; Henrietta Hughes; Joan Karen Arnold [3]
2021-01-08 David William Chapman (from 26 June 2018); Andrew Stone (chair) (from 13 June 2017) – also trustee of Dorothy, Emma & Spiro Latsis Benevolent Trust; Joan Karen Arnold (from 17 June 2020); Isabelle Tarsh (from 17 June 2020); Tamara Sophie Barnett (from 17 June 2020); David Scott Gasperow (from 26 June 2018); Sylvia Ruth Mingay (from 26 June 2018); Steven Howard Rowe (from 12 October 2020); Richard Malcolm Slowe (from 23 February 2020); Alison Olivia Edelshain (from 17 June 2020) – also trustee of Sarum Hall School Trust Limited; Bradley Louis Altberger (from 17 June 2020); Peter Vogl (from 17 June 2020); Margaret Thurer (from 13 June 2017); David Norman Marks (from 17 November 2015) – also trustee of The R and S Cohen Foundation, The Apax Foundation, The Weizmann Institute Foundation, The Marks Family Foundation, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Liliane Emmanuelle Chan (from 12 October 2020); Timothy Morris Angel CBE (from 17 June 2020); Lady Hannah Lowy-Mitchell (from 17 June 2020) [4]
2021-07-04 Remy Michelle Maisel (from 22 June 2021); Andrew Stone (chair) (from 13 June 2017) – also trustee of Dorothy, Emma & Spiro Latsis Benevolent Trust; Vivien Sophia Feather (from 23 March 2021); Joan Karen Arnold (from 17 June 2020); Isabelle Tarsh (from 17 June 2020); Tamara Sophie Barnett (from 17 June 2020); David Scott Gasperow (from 26 June 2018); Wendy Flora Pollecoff (from 01 January 2021) – also trustee of The Taurus Foundation; Richard Malcolm Slowe (from 23 February 2020); Sylvia Ruth Mingay (from 26 June 2018); Joseph Daniel Lennard (from 22 June 2021); Alison Olivia Edelshain (from 17 June 2020) – also trustee of Sarum Hall School Trust Limited; Bradley Louis Altberger (from 17 June 2020); Peter Vogl (from 17 June 2020); Margaret Thurer (from 13 June 2017); David Norman Marks (from 17 November 2015) – also trustee of The R and S Cohen Foundation, The Apax Foundation, The Jc Eudaimonia Foundation, The Weizmann Institute Foundation, The Marks Family Foundation, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment; Julian Bernard Markson (from 11 May 2021); Liliane Emmanuelle Chan (from 12 October 2020); Timothy Morris Angel CBE (from 17 June 2020); Lady Hannah Lowy-Mitchell (from 17 June 2020) [5]

Companies House officers

Companies House lists 89 current and former officers of the charitable company (08578248), 16 of them active.[6]

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2020-12-31 £3,403,000 £3,138,000
2021-12-31 £3,059,000 £2,690,000
2022-12-31 £3,577,000 £3,099,000
2023-12-31 £3,980,000 £3,714,000
2025-02-28 £4,070,000 £4,688,000

Source: register annual-return history.[1]

Historical finances (UK Government Web Archive)

Income and spending shown on archived register pages
Financial year end Income (£) Spending (£) Source
31 Dec 2014 2,989,000 2,436,000 [7]
31 Dec 2015 2,932,000 2,564,000 [7]
31 Dec 2016 3,131,000 3,215,000 [7]

Archived accounts

Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:

  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2014[8]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2015[9]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2016[10]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2017[11]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2018[12]

Funding in Israel

  • Synagogue and communal expenditure in London; Israel listed as an area of operation. No major Israel grant programme itemised in the FY2025 accounts extract reviewed.[2]

Israeli partners

West London Synagogue community; pastoral engagement with Israel/Gaza events.[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.

Evidence of activity beyond the 1949 armistice line
Finding Confidence
No settlement funding identified. none

Support for the IDF: No IDF funding is stated. The accounts' Israel/Gaza passage is pastoral rather than a grants programme to the IDF.[2][2]

Controversies and regulatory action

  • No Commission inquiry was found. Hansard includes historic debate on the synagogue's status under marriage law (1959). CCOD lists freehold titles at Seymour Place / Upper Berkeley Street for the company and related trustee titles.

Other registers and records

Scotland and Northern Ireland

No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (full register download of 14 October 2026 searched by name).[13] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[14]

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; results were limited to Companies House filing lists.[15]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

Grants received (360Giving data)
Date Funder Amount (£) Purpose
2017-09-28 The Rayne Foundation 150,000 Towards Interfaith and Social care programmes.
2017-10-03 Pears Foundation 20,000 Asylum Seekers Drop-In Centre
2018-06-21 The Rayne Foundation 5,000 Towards the Wall of Memory at West London Synagogue
2019-12-02 The Rayne Foundation 128,000 Towards Interfaith and Social Care Programmes, including the Asylum drop-in
2020-01-31 Pears Foundation 20,000 Asylum Seeker Drop-In Centre
2021-11-17 Rothschild Foundation 100,000 Funding for the continuation of the synagogue’s outreach programmes for asylum seekers and rough sleepers to 2023.
2022-06-13 Pears Foundation 10,000 Asylum Seeker Drop-In Centre
2023-03-01 Rothschild Foundation 500 Cost of living supplementary grant
2023-06-08 Pears Foundation 20,000 Asylum seeker drop-in centre
2025-01-27 Rothschild Foundation 500,000 Funding for West London Synagogue's sanctuary restoration project and wider development plans

No grants made by the charity are published in 360Giving data, so flows between linked charities could not be traced there.[16]

Sanctions screening

The names of current and archived trustees and Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match on full name was found; only coincidental surname matches. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[17]

Land and property

Column capitals at the West London Synagogue (2026), the charity's synagogue building

The register records that the charity owns and/or leases land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[18] Candidate titles and addresses (CCOD dataset and register/accounts data):[19]

  • Seymour Place / Upper Berkeley Street, London W1 (titles 415685, 412233, 412228, 412023 registered 14-01-2016; related titles 412231, 412232, 412229 held as "Trustees of the West London Synagogue") – Synagogue premises; register records land ownership (source: register + [19])

Parliament

Selected Hansard references
Date House Member Debate
1959-02-12 Lords LORD COHEN Marriage (Secretaries Of Synagogues) Bill[20]

A search of Hansard for 'West London Synagogue' returned 10 contributions in total; most are general references rather than discussion of the UK charity.[20]

Web archive

  • wls.org.uk: 26 yearly captures, first 2001-03-02, last 2026-02-16.[21]

The UK Government Web Archive holds 3 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".[4]

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 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.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Charity Commission, The West London Synagogue of British Jews (1155821): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 14 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  3. ↑ Register entry 1155821, contact and trustees (capture of 20180104) UK Government Web Archive.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Register entry 1155821, full print (capture of 20210108) UK Government Web Archive.
  5. ↑ Register entry 1155821, full print (capture of 20210704) UK Government Web Archive.
  6. ↑ Company 08578248: officers Companies House, viewed 14 October 2026.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Register entry 1155821, financial history (capture of 20180104) UK Government Web Archive.
  8. ↑ The West London Synagogue of British Jews accounts, year ended 2014-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  9. ↑ The West London Synagogue of British Jews accounts, year ended 2015-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  10. ↑ The West London Synagogue of British Jews accounts, year ended 2016-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  11. ↑ The West London Synagogue of British Jews accounts, year ended 2017-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  12. ↑ The West London Synagogue of British Jews accounts, year ended 2018-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  13. ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, CharityExport-14-Oct-2026.csv, downloaded 14 October 2026; keyword search of charity names for the batch found no matching Scottish registration (the only hit for "breakthrough" was Breakthrough Breast Cancer SC039058, unrelated).
  14. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 14 October 2026 (keyword searches for each batch charity name returned zero results).
  15. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'West London Synagogue' The Gazette, searched 14 October 2026.
  16. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1155821 360Giving, queried 14 October 2026.
  17. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV, version of 12 October 2026); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv, last updated 3 June 2026). Screening of 405 names (current and archived trustees and Companies House officers of the 25 batch-1 charities) carried out 14 October 2026.
  18. ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access on 14 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.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 HM Land Registry, UK companies that own property in England and Wales (CCOD) full extract, October 2026 release, matched on charitable company numbers and registered names; title numbers listed are candidates only – no title registers were purchased.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching 'West London Synagogue' Hansard, queried 14 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints).
  21. ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for wls.org.uk Wayback Machine, queried 14 October 2026.
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