Friends of Chortkov
Trust supporting institutions of the Chortkov Hasidic dynasty in Tel Aviv and London, whose reporting is more than 1,000 days overdue; its last accounts, for 2021, disclose a review of expenses met by companies controlled by its chair
| Friends of Chortkov
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Trust |
| Founded | 2006-06-30 (registered) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1115030 |
| Headquarters | Butler House, Tottenham Court Road, London W1T (register; the examiner's office address); the accounts give London N16 |
| Area served | Hackney, Haringey, Israel, United States |
| Key people | Michael Biberfeld (chair) |
Friends of Chortkov is a charitable trust constituted by a trust deed of 24 April 2006 and registered on 30 June 2006; its register address is at Butler House, Tottenham Court Road, London W1T, the office of its examiner, while the accounts give an address in London N16.[1][2][3] Its areas of operation are Hackney, Haringey, Israel and the United States.[1] Its objective is "to raise funds for and distribute to two educational institutions, representing the dynasty of the Chortkover Chasidim: one is named Beit Hamedresh Zlatopol Chrotov based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and the other is called Ginzei Israel Chrotkov based in London, England."[3] The register lists Michael Biberfeld (chair) and Deborah Hager (from 7 February 2023); the 2021 accounts name Rabbi Chaim Michael Biberfeld, Deborah Hager, Asher Brecher (appointed 6 October 2022) and Chanoch Henoch Teitelbaum (resigned 23 March 2023).[1][3] In 2021 income from "donations, synagogue events and catering" was £28,070 (2020: £35,325); spending was £74,076 (2020: £98,658), including rent of £25,000, event and catering costs of £9,656, donations of £20,452 and governance and administration of £18,968; funds fell to £217,235 (2020: £263,241).[3] The examiner's report, by Jeffrey Lishak of Jones & Partners Limited, is undated, and the approval and signature dates are blank.[3]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX JEWISH RELIGION AND ORTHODOX JEWISH RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN PARTICULAR (BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY) BY SUPPORTING MANAGING AND MAINTAINING THE INSTITUTE."[1]
The register describes its activities as: "This charity is used to provide small sums of monies to large numbers of individuals on either a regular or one off basis.Some of the monies also help to support a Jewish learning centre in Israel and monies have also been transferred to an Orphanage and old age homes abroad over the course of the charities existance."[1]
Register classifications: General Charitable Purposes, Religious Activities.[1]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Hackney, Haringey, Israel, United States.[1]
Trustees
Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[1]
| Trustee | Appointed | Chair | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Biberfeld | not recorded | Yes | South Tottenham Kehila Limited (1145657) |
| Deborah Hager | 2023-02-07 | Merkaz Hatorah Limited (1181702); South Tottenham Kehila Limited (1145657) |
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-07-03 | Chaim Michael Biberfeld (chair) – also trustee of South Tottenham Kehila Limited; Chanoch Henoch Teitelbaum – also trustee of Beis Chinuch Lebonos Limited | [4] |
Michael Biberfeld is also a register trustee of South Tottenham Kehila Limited (1145657); Deborah Hager of Merkaz Hatorah Limited (1181702) and South Tottenham Kehila Limited.[1]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2020-12-31 | £35,325 | £98,658 |
| 2021-12-31 | £28,070 | £74,076 |
Source: register annual-return history.[1]
Archived accounts
Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:
- Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2016[5]
Funding in Israel
- 2021: donations of £20,452 (2020: £23,352), with no recipient amounts given; rent of £25,000 (2020: £63,333) to an unnamed payee.[3]
- The register says some money also "help[s] to support a Jewish learning centre in Israel" and has been transferred "to an Orphanage and old age homes abroad".[1]
Israeli partners
"Beit Hamedresh Zlatopol Chrotov based in Tel Aviv, Israel" (spelling as in the accounts).[3]
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.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The objective places the Israeli institution in "Tel Aviv, Israel", with no address.[3] | Medium (city stated by the accounts; no address) |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[3]
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, although it shows "Charity reporting is overdue by 1081 days";[6] 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.[7][8][9][10] 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.[11]
- Expenses met by the chair's companies. A post-balance-sheet note in the 2021 accounts reads: "There is an ongoing review which has highlighted certain expenses having been met by companies under the control of C M Biberfeld which relate to Friends of Chortkov but not recorded in the charity's accounting records. These items have not been reflected in these accounts as the review continues." The trustees said they would file amended accounts if adjustments were needed; the latest accounts on the register are still those for 2021.[3][1]
- Income figures differ. The trustees' report gives total incoming resources of £31,827; the statement of financial activities gives £28,070.[3]
- Undated, unqualified examiner. The report headed "INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS UNQUALIFIED REPORT" is undated, states no professional qualification and cites the Charities Act 1993.[3]
- A company of the same name. Companies House lists Friends of Chortkov Limited (13574754), a private company limited by guarantee incorporated on 19 August 2021, with its registered office at the charity's register address in Tottenham Court Road; its officers have included Chaim Michael Biberfeld, Deborah Hager, Asher Brecher and Chanoch Henoch Teitelbaum. No source read for this profile states the company's relationship to the charity.[12][1]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 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 for the charity's name returned only Companies House filing lists; no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice naming the charity was found.[15]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[16]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found.[17]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[18]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Friends of Chortkov" returned 0 contributions in total.[19]
Web archive
The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 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 overdue by 246 days" and "Other regulators: No information available".[4]
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 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, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Friends of Chortkov (1115030): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 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 Charity Commission, Friends of Chortkov (1115030): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Register entry 1115030, full print (capture of 20210703) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Friends of Chortkov accounts, year ended 2016-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200703).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Friends of Chortkov (1115030): charity overview Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026 ("Charity reporting is overdue by 1081 days").
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ 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).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Companies House, FRIENDS OF CHORTKOV LIMITED (13574754) Find and update company information, overview and officers, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-26 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-26 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Friends of Chortkov' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1115030 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-26 screening covered 224 name strings: the 25 charity names and their other names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees, officers, examiners and other people and organisations named in the accounts and websites read for this batch, and the Companies House officers of the charitable companies; the only hits were generic words in company names (such as "Company Directors Limited") and surname-only matches, which were rejected; no person matched. Screened 16 October 2026.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in 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.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Friends of Chortkov" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).