Chabad of Golders Green

Chabad of Golders Green is a Chabad-Lubavitch affiliated outreach centre located in Golders Green, north-west London, United Kingdom. It operates under the registered charity Tzivos Hashem UK (Charity Commission number 1163714). The centre was formally established in January 2016 by Rabbi Yossi Simon and Chanie Simon. Its stated mission is:

In January of 2016, Rabbi Yossi and Chanie Simon, in addition to running Tzivos Hashem UK since 1996, established Chabad of Golders Green for all and any Jewish needs - regardless of religious background, affiliation or financial status. Chabad of Golders Green is dedicated to serve every Jew with Ahavat Yisrael and unconditional love. Our broad spectrum of programs strive to ensure Jewish continuity and identity through increasing Jewish education, pride, knowledge, practice and commitment. The Chabad House provides a “Home away from Home” for all Jews in a warm and friendly environment.

The premises are located at 156 Golders Green Road, London NW11 8HE. This article provides a detailed examination of the organisation’s history, activities, leadership, controversies (with particular focus on child sexual abuse related issues), and a comprehensive timeline.

History

Chabad-Lubavitch activity in the United Kingdom dates to the 1970s–1980s, with significant growth following the directives of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the Rebbe) to establish permanent outreach centres (Chabad Houses) in major cities. Rabbi Yossi Simon and Chanie Simon arrived in London in 1996 to establish the British branch of Tzivos Hashem, the Rebbe’s international children’s organisation focused on Jewish identity and mitzvah observance among young people. After nearly two decades of youth programming, the couple founded Chabad of Golders Green in January 2016 as a broader community centre serving the Golders Green Jewish population. The new entity quickly established daily minyanim, weekly shiurim, Shabbat meals, holiday events and youth activities. The centre remains governed by the charity Tzivos Hashem UK. Recent financial statements show annual income in the range of £300,000–£400,000+ (e.g., £426,790 income for year ending 30 September 2024). In October 2024 the centre completed and dedicated a new sefer Torah in memory of victims of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, an initiative that received wide communal support.

Activities

Chabad of Golders Green organises programmes in three main categories:

Youth Programmes

• Weekly children’s groups during Shabbat morning services
• Interactive sessions on Jewish holidays, history and mitzvot
• Tzivos Hashem camps, workshops and special events
• After-school and Sunday programming for children and teenagers

Adult Education

• Weekly Tanya shiurim (Chassidic philosophy classes)
• Parshat Hashavua classes
• Women’s learning groups (Wednesday evenings)
• Morning mysticism and Kabbalah study sessions
• Pre-holiday and festival preparation classes

Community Services

• Daily Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv minyanim
• Shabbat and Festival services with communal meals
• Large public Chanukah menorah lightings at Golders Green station (part of the 40+ year local tradition)
• Friday night dinners open to all
• Support for lifecycle events (brit milah, bar/bat mitzvah, weddings, funerals)
• Pastoral care, food packages and financial assistance for families in need
• Mitzvah Tank street outreach (tefillin, mezuzah checking, public mitzvah promotion)

The centre also participates in national Chabad UK solidarity events, particularly following the October 2023 launch of Al Aqsa Flood and the subsequent genocide in Gaza.

People Involved

Key Leadership and Staff

Name	Role	Notes
Rabbi Yossi Simon	Founder & Director	Established Tzivos Hashem UK 1996; leads Chabad of Golders Green since 2016
Chanie Simon	Co-Director	Oversees women’s programming, family events and youth activities
Rabbi Schneur Zalman Keselman	Resident Rabbi	Leads services, shiurim and community pastoral work
Chaya Mushka Keselman	Programme Coordinator	Supports youth, women’s and family programming
Dr Bunim Weinbaum	Community Outreach	Provides medical advice and welfare support
Tzirel Weinbaum	Programme Staff	Assists with events and community programming

Trustees of Tzivos Hashem UK

Name	Position	Date Appointed (latest known)
Elimelech Yitzchak Sufrin	Chair	27 November 2014
Philip Jeffrey Collett	Trustee	Re-appointed September 2025
Aleksey Boruch Josef Vilensky	Trustee	Mid-2020s

The charity’s constitution allows for up to four trustees. Financial oversight and governance are managed by this board.

Controversies

The principal controversy linked to Chabad of Golders Green centres on the January 2018 public celebration of a sefer Torah sponsored by convicted child sex offender Menachem Mendel Levy.

Menachem Mendel Levy Sefer Torah Incident (2017–2018)

In 2014 Menachem Mendel Levy was convicted at Wood Green Crown Court of two counts of sexual assault against Yehudis Goldsobel, beginning when she was 14. He was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. After his release, Menachem Mendel Levy commissioned a new sefer Torah. On 1 January 2018 Chabad of Golders Green hosted a large hachnasat sefer Torah celebration attended by over 1,000 people. Menachem Mendel Levy was publicly honoured, carried on shoulders and presented with a commemorative plaque by Rabbi Yossi Simon. Yehudis Goldsobel criticised the event on social media:

"A Sefer Torah dedication is a lovely thing, but how can a community of people ignore the fact that the person donating it is a convicted sex offender? Does this not somehow tarnish this mitzvah? I would think so."

Manny Waks issued a strong public condemnation:

"What about Mendel’s courageous victim, Yehudis Goldsobel? Yehudis Goldsobel endured years of abuse, first by Mendel, and then by the local Chabad community in which she was raised. How about standing with her, rather than with her abuser?... This is just disgraceful on so many levels."

Following the backlash, Rabbi Yossi Simon issued a statement on 7 January 2018:

"In light of the public nature of this celebration, and how it has come to be perceived as a celebration of this individual, we have decided not to house this sefer Torah when we move into our premises. We have also asked news outlets that published the donor’s article to remove it from their sites. We can only imagine the further anguish this matter has caused the victim, and our hearts go out to her and her family."

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis publicly criticised the event, stating that Menachem Mendel Levy appeared to be seeking “public acclaim” and that such actions would “never find support within our community.” The incident echoed findings of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2013–2017), which examined multiple cases in Chabad institutions in Melbourne and Sydney and identified patterns of inadequate response, shunning of victims and misuse of concepts such as mesirah and lashon hara. No criminal proceedings or Charity Commission enforcement action was taken directly against Chabad of Golders Green or Rabbi Yossi Simon in relation to the 2018 event.

Broader Contextual Issues

Golders Green has seen separate high-profile sexual offence allegations against other Orthodox rabbis (not affiliated with Chabad of Golders Green), including long-running proceedings against Rabbi Chaim Halpern (arrested 2013; new charges authorised 2024). Globally, Chabad communities have faced multiple documented child sexual abuse cases and institutional response criticisms since the 1980s, most notably in Australia, New York and Israel.

Timeline

Date	Event	Details
1996	Tzivos Hashem UK founded	Rabbi Yossi Simon & Chanie Simon begin youth work in London
2013	Yehudis Goldsobel speaks publicly	Reports abuse by Menachem Mendel Levy and subsequent community shunning
2014	Menachem Mendel Levy convicted	Sentenced to three years for sexual assaults
January 2016	Chabad of Golders Green established	Formal launch of community centre
2016–2017	Daily minyan and expanded activities	Regular services and programming introduced
Late 2017	Menachem Mendel Levy commissions sefer Torah	Preparations for completion and dedication
1 January 2018	Public sefer Torah celebration	Over 1,000 attendees; Menachem Mendel Levy honoured at Chabad of Golders Green
7 January 2018	Rabbi Yossi Simon announces reversal	Centre will not house the sefer Torah
9 January 2018	Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis condemns event	Public statement criticising the “stunt”
January 2018	Widespread media coverage	The Jewish Chronicle, The Jerusalem Post, Jewish News, Manny Waks blog
2019–2022	Routine programming continues	No major new public controversies reported
October 2023	Hamas attacks on Israel	Centre joins UK Jewish solidarity events
October 2024	New sefer Torah dedicated	Scroll completed in memory of 7 October victims
December 2024 – January 2025	40th anniversary Chanukah lighting	Major public event at Golders Green station
September 2025	Trustee re-appointment recorded	Philip Jeffrey Collett re-appointed
February 2026	Current status	Centre continues regular weekly services, shiurim, youth programmes and holiday events

See also

• Chabad-Lubavitch
• Tzivos Hashem
• Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse