Masorti Judaism

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Umbrella body of the UK Masorti (Conservative) movement, running Noam youth activities and Israel programmes

Masorti Judaism

Logo Masorti Judaism logo.png
Type Charitable company
Founded 2007-01-16 (registered)
Registration ID Registered charity 1117590; company 05890261
Headquarters Masorti Judaism, Alexander House, 3 Shakespeare Road, London, N3 1XE
Area served Throughout England, Israel, Scotland
Key people Stephen Joseph Greene (chair)
Website www.masorti.org.uk

Masorti Judaism is an umbrella body for all Masorti (Conservative) congregations in the United Kingdom. Masorti is the newest of the various Synagogue movements in Britain and its total membership, though low, constituting only 3.3% of synagogue membership in the United Kingdom in 2016, had more than doubled over the previous six years.[1] The group are part of Masorti Olami (World Masorti), which brings together up to two million Masorti and Conservative Jews in North and South America, Israel, Europe and across the world. and is an active member of their regional organisation, Masorti Europe. Masorti Judaism is a Zionist movement and as such, receives funding from the World Zionist Organisation (WZO).[2] Mercaz is the Zionist arm of the worldwide Masorti movement.[3]

On 28 July 2006, The Assembly of Masorti Synagogues was incorporated as a registered company (company no: 05890261), a private company limited by guarantee without a share capital (and with an exemption from use of the word 'Limited'). It had previously been a charitable trust. On 20 September 2012, it changed its name to 'Masorti Judaism'.[4]

It is also a registered charity (No: 1117590), registered on 16 January 2007.[5]

History

The Masorti movement in Britain was founded by Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs in the mid 1960s. Rabbi Jacobs had been minister of the New West End Synagogue, a United Synagogue congregation. However, as a result of a controversy (that became known as the Jacobs Affair), Rabbi Jacobs was denied the opportunity to continue as minister of the New West End Synagogue. This caused a number of members to defect from the New West End in 1964 and to establish the New London Synagogue in London's St. John's Wood, at which Rabbi Jacobs was installed as rabbi and minister. Rabbi Jacobs was made a CBE in 1990. The New London Synagogue became the "parent" synagogue of the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues, formed in 1985, which changed its name in 2012 to Masorti Judaism.[6]

Israel has always been central to Masorti Jewish life. However, as the modern State of Israel developed, the Israeli government refused to recognise Masorti and other non-Orthodox forms of Judaism. Masorti rabbis in Israel cannot conduct weddings or funerals, Masorti communities receive no public money, and the Israeli government has gone back on its promise to create an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall.

The World Zionist Organisation (WZO) provides crucial funding for Jewish education all over the world and, since the Israeli government only funds Orthodox institutions, it’s the only source of support for Masorti synagogues, schools, youth programs and teachers.[2]

Objects and activities

The charity's registered objects read: "3.1 TO ADVANCE THE JEWISH RELIGION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEACHINGS AND PRACTICES OF MASORTI JUDAISM. 3.2 FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION OF MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH FAITH IN SUCH WAYS AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES THINK FIT. 3.3 TO DEVELOP THE CAPACITY AND SKILLS OF THE MEMBERS OF JEWISH COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE UK IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO IDENTIFY, AND HELP MEET, THEIR NEEDS AND TO PARTICIPATE MORE FULLY IN SOCIETY. 3.4 TO ADVANCE IN LIFE AND HELP YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH: 3.4.1 THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL AND LEISURE TIME ACTIVITIES PROVIDED IN THE INTEREST OF SOCIAL WELFARE, DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE; 3.4.2 PROVIDING SUPPORT AND ACTIVITIES WHICH DEVELOP THEIR SKILLS, CAPACITIES AND CAPABILITIES TO ENABLE THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN SOCIETY AS MATURE AND RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUALS"[7]

The register describes its activities as: "Our purpose is to develop flourishing communities, rooted in traditional practice and modern values, where people can find meaning by connecting to Judaism and to each other. We build capacity for a network of communities in London, Hertfordshire and across the UK. Core activities include leadership training, community development and organising, youth work, education and thought leadership."[7]

Register classifications: Education/training, Religious Activities, Economic/community Development/employment, Recreation.[7]

Areas of operation recorded on the register: Throughout England, Israel, Scotland.[7]

People

Professional Team

Matt Plen – Chief Executive | Rachel Slan – Deputy Chief Executive | Anna Kinchuck – Finance Manager | Martha Limburg – Communications Manager | Michael F. Hewitt-McEyeson – Office Manager & Administrator | Nina Fine – Noam Alumni Coordinator | Lucy Cohen – Noam Director | Gabi Rosenberg – Noam Mazkira | Isabel Bard – Movement Worker | Baruch Gilinsky – Movement Worker | Samuel Danker – Movement Worker and Marom Fieldworker[8]

Trustees

Leonie Fleischmann – Co-Chair | Moira Hart – Co-Chair | David Caplan – Treasurer | Miriam Farbey | Joel Fenster | Stephen Greene | Clare Levy | Adam Rose | Emma Rozenberg | Simon Samuels[9]

Current trustees (Charity Commission register, October 2026)

Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[7]

Trustees of Masorti Judaism (register, October 2026)
Trustee Appointed Chair Other trusteeships
Stephen Joseph Greene 2020-09-08 Yes —
Jonathan Wiseman 2023-09-03 —
Harry Kelly 2024-09-19 —
Paul Harris 2024-09-19 —
Yoni Stone 2024-09-19 —
Judith Williams 2025-09-17 The Winchester Project (1055059)
Ruti Amal 2025-09-17 —
Vikki Lee Bullon 2025-09-17 —
Claire Balkind 2026-09-17 —

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2021-01-08 Clare Levy (from 08 September 2020); Miriam Benchetrit (from 26 September 2017); Miriam Farbey (from 17 September 2019); David Caplan (from 08 September 2020); Simon Samuels (from 01 September 2016); Leonie Fleischmann (from 26 September 2017); Joel Fenster (from 08 September 2020); Moira Greta Hart (chair) (from 08 September 2020); Adam Rose (from 01 September 2019) – also trustee of Jewish Council for Racial Equality, B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation; Stephen Joseph Greene (from 08 September 2020); Emma Rozenberg (from 01 September 2019) [10]
2021-07-02 Clare Levy (from 08 September 2020); Miriam Farbey (from 17 September 2019); David Caplan (from 08 September 2020); Simon Samuels (from 01 September 2016); Leonie Fleischmann (from 26 September 2017); Joel Fenster (from 08 September 2020); Moira Greta Hart (chair) (from 08 September 2020); Stephen Joseph Greene (from 08 September 2020); Adam Rose (from 01 September 2019) – also trustee of Jewish Council for Racial Equality, B'nai B'rith Hillel Foundation; Emma Rozenberg (from 01 September 2019) [11]

Companies House officers

Companies House lists 69 current and former officers of the charitable company (05890261), 11 of them active.[12]

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2021-08-31 £1,159,010 £1,132,972
2022-08-31 £1,518,844 £1,538,634
2023-08-31 £1,392,989 £1,408,738
2024-08-31 £1,305,995 £1,285,256
2025-08-31 £1,335,578 £1,288,624

Source: register annual-return history.[7]

Archived accounts

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

  • Accounts for the year ended 31/08/2014[13]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/08/2015[14]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/08/2016[15]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/08/2017[16]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/08/2018[17]

Funding in Israel

  • 2025 Israel-related activity: an Israel Tour for 57 sixteen-year-olds (summer 2025, with four Israeli teenagers through Mosaic Teens); plans for a leadership trip to Israel subsidised by £39,000 from an individual donor; onboarding an Israeli Shaliach from Noam Israel; a £7,353 grant received from Masorti Olami for Noam.[18]

Israeli partners

Noam Israel, Masorti Olami and "our European and Israeli counterparts".[18]

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
Not established.[18] Low

Support for the IDF: No IDF funding is stated. Activities are youth, education and community programmes.[18]

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;[19] 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.[20][21][22][23] 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.[24]
  • World Zionist Organization elections. The 2025 report lists among its achievements that it "Ran a successful campaign for the World Zionist Organisation's elections for the Masorti UK 'Our Israel' slate".[18]

Other registers and records

Scotland and Northern Ireland

The register lists Scotland among the charity's areas of operation (the accounts mention student activity in Edinburgh), but no entry for Masorti Judaism was found on the Scottish Charity Register (full register download of 14 October 2026 searched by name).[25] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[26]

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.[27]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

Grants received (360Giving data)
Date Funder Amount (£) Purpose
2009-12-18 The National Lottery Community Fund 10,000 This charity will use funding to train and develop volunteer leaders who work within the local community and affiliated synagogues. This wil
2011-12-15 The National Lottery Community Fund 9,800 This is a project by a charity in Barnet, serving beneficiraries across England. The group will use the funding to deliver leadership and co
2014-05-21 The National Lottery Community Fund 8,035 Not Available
2017-02-08 The National Lottery Community Fund 7,780 The group will use the funding to provide training and support for leaders of local Jewish communities on outreach and community building sk
2018-05-14 The National Lottery Community Fund 8,388 The charity will provide volunteers with community engagement training. This will enable them to bring people from the Jewish community toge
2020-06-18 The National Lottery Community Fund 50,000 Masorti Judaism is a network of 14 local Jewish community groups which provides members with multiple opportunities for meeting cultural act
2021-05-01 John Lyon's Charity 4,000 Rebuilding young community: holiday day camps
2022-01-28 John Lyon's Charity 4,600 Noam Jewish Youth Leadership Centre
2022-04-06 City Bridge Foundation 90,800 £90,800 over four years (£24,400; £24,600; £19,100; £22,700) towards the costs

of running emerging leaders? courses, a leaders? network, an

2022-04-13 The National Lottery Heritage Fund 98,560 "Sharing the UK's Jewish liturgical heritage"
2023-05-04 John Lyon's Charity 4,800 Rebuilding community - school holiday day camps
2024-07-11 John Lyon's Charity 3,000 Building community - school holiday day camps

No grants made by the charity are published in 360Giving data, so flows between linked charities could not be traced there.[28]

Sanctions screening

The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[29]

Land and property

The register records that the charity owns and/or leases land or property.[7] No title registers were purchased.[30] Candidate titles and addresses (CCOD dataset and register/accounts data):[31]

  • Register records land ownership. CCOD hits for 'Masorti' relate to separately constituted congregations (South Herts and Edgware Masorti, St Albans Masorti) and are excluded – Register (source: register)

Parliament

A search of Hansard for 'Masorti Judaism' returned 1 contribution in total; most are general references rather than discussion of the UK charity.[32]

Web archive

  • masorti.org.uk: 28 yearly captures, first 1999-04-21, last 2026-01-03.[33]

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".[10]

Members

New London Synagogue | New Essex Masorti Synagogue | Mosaic Masorti Synagogue | Liverpool Masorti Synagogue | Edgeware Masorti Synagogue | Ohel Mo'ed | Elstree & Borehamwood Masorti | Kol Nefesh Masorti Synagogue | St Albans Masorti Synagogue | New North London Synagogue | New Stoke Newington Synagogue | Leeds Masorti | Oxford Masorti Group | Havurah | Masorti Olami

Noam Masorti youth

Noam is Masorti Judaism’s Zionist Youth Movement. Noam's ideology consists of five branches. They are Masorti Judaism, Zionism, Kehillah (community), Hagshama Atzmit and Gemillut Chasadim.

These were devised at the first ever Noam Veida (annual conference) in the early 1990s and have been added to and revised ever since. The most sweeping changes came at Veidot 2003, 2005 and 2016, at which all five branches were completely rewritten to reflect the members’ views, with the Zionism branch being the focus of the 2016 changes.

There were more ideological shifts at 2011’s Veida, in which Democracy and Hadracha were amended and rewritten to become Democratic Community and Hagshama respectively. In 2014 the Tikkun Olam branch was renamed Gemillut Chasadim. In 2017 the Democratic Community and Hagshama branches were renamed Kehillah and Hagshama Atzmit respectively.[34]

People

Georgie Friend - Mazkira (Secretary) | Hannah Arnaud - Movement Worker and Marom Fieldworker | Baruch Gilinsky - Movement Worker | Gabi Rosenberg - Movement Worker | Lucy Cohen - Noam Director | Lucy Pearl - Finance Manager

Programmes

Noam runs numerous programmes. These include summer camps, tours of Israel, annual Veida (ideological conference), winter camps, Kaytana (day camp for children) and organising gap years (drachim) in Israel.[35]

website: https://noam.org.uk

Marom – Students and young adults

Marom is the Masorti organisation for students and young adults. It runs programmes in local communities and on university campuses throughout the UK with the aim of connecting "young adults with meaningful Jewish life on their own terms while developing the leaders of the future."

Marom Students is led by a team of volunteer campus reps who run activities including Shabbat dinners, Egalitarian Services, study sessions, social events and volunteer projects. It organises guest speakers to come to various campuses and work with the Masorti rabbis, along with other organisations to provide Jewish learning opportunities and pastoral support for all students.[36]

Affiliations

  • Noam Masorti - Noam is Masorti Judaism’s Zionist Youth Movement.
  • Marom - Marom, the Masorti organisation for students and young adults.
  • Masorti Olami - Masorti Olami is the international umbrella organization for Masorti Judaism, founded in 1957 with the goal of making Masorti Judaism a force in the Jewish world.
  • Mercaz - Mercaz is the Zionist arm of the worldwide Masorti movement. It's aim is to defend religious pluralism, democratic values and minority rights in Israel. It also works to secure vital funding for Masorti Judaism’s educational work in the UK, Israel and around the world.
  • Jewish Leadership Council - member

Contact

website: masorti.org.uk
Address: Alexander House, 3 Shakespeare Road, London N3 1XE
Tel: +44 (0)20 8349 6650
email: hello@masorti.org.uk

Notes

  1. ↑ Jewish News, Issue No. 1010, 6 July 2017, pp. 1, 4, quoting report by Board of Deputies Policy Reseach, carried out between April and September 2016.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fighting for the Jewish people’s soul: Masorti Judaism at the 2020 World Zionist Congress, Masorti Judaism. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Mercaz – Masorti for Israel, Masorti Judaism. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  4. ↑ Masorti Judaism Profile, Companies House. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  5. ↑ Masorti Judaism Profile, Charity Commission. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  6. ↑ Masorti Judaism History, JCR-UK. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 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.
  8. ↑ Our Team, Masorti Judaism. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  9. ↑ Trustees, Masorti Judaism. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Register entry 1117590, full print (capture of 20210108) UK Government Web Archive.
  11. ↑ Register entry 1117590, full print (capture of 20210702) UK Government Web Archive.
  12. ↑ Company 05890261: officers Companies House, viewed 14 October 2026.
  13. ↑ Masorti Judaism accounts, year ended 2014-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200104).
  14. ↑ Masorti Judaism accounts, year ended 2015-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200703).
  15. ↑ Masorti Judaism accounts, year ended 2016-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200703).
  16. ↑ Masorti Judaism accounts, year ended 2017-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200703).
  17. ↑ Masorti Judaism accounts, year ended 2018-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200703).
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Charity Commission, Masorti Judaism (1117590): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 14 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  19. ↑ 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 every charity in batches 1–7 (175 pages, all retrieved successfully on 15 October 2026) and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section. Alerts appeared only for Mifal Hachesed Vehatzedokoh (1139320), Ezer Viznitz Foundation (1161881), BC Trust (1155555), Vyoel Moshe Charitable Trust (327054) – all named in the cheque-cashing class inquiry – and The Gevurath Ari Torah Academy Trust (1003102).
  20. ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
  21. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
  22. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ 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").
  25. ↑ 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-3 charities found no matching Scottish registration.
  26. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 14 October 2026 (keyword searches for each batch-3 charity name returned zero results).
  27. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Masorti Judaism' The Gazette, searched 14 October 2026.
  28. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1117590 360Giving, queried 14 October 2026.
  29. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-3 screening covered 409 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages and archived full-print register pages (UK Government Web Archive) and Companies House officers of the 12 charitable companies; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually; lists downloaded October 2026. (Corrected 14 October 2026: the first run omitted the 21 names found only on archived full-print pages; the re-screen found no match.)
  30. ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK, accessed 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.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching 'Masorti Judaism' Hansard, queried 14 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints).
  33. ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for masorti.org.uk Wayback Machine, queried 14 October 2026.
  34. ↑ Noam's ideology, Noam. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  35. ↑ Noam Programmes, Noam. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  36. ↑ Marom – Students and young adults, Masorti Judaism. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
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