B'nai B'rith UK

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Jewish fraternal and advocacy organisation in the United Kingdom

B'nai B'rith UK

Logo B'nai B'rith UK logo.jpg
Type Jewish fraternal organisation
Founded 3 April 1997 (registered)
Founder(s) Group including Charles G. Montefiore
Registration ID Registered charity 1061661; company 03328487
Headquarters London
Location United Kingdom
Area served Throughout London, Israel, Ukraine
Website www.bnaibrithuk.org


'B'nai B'rith UK' is the British affiliate of B'nai B'rith International, the oldest Jewish fraternal organisation in the world, founded in the United States in 1843.[1] Established with the First Lodge of England in 1910, it operates through a network of lodges focused on promoting Jewish culture, heritage, advocacy for Jewish rights, and charitable activities.[1] While sharing fraternal lodge structures with historical Jewish friendly societies, B'nai B'rith UK functions primarily as a service and advocacy organisation rather than a mutual aid friendly society providing sickness or funeral benefits.[2][3]

The organisation emphasises uniting Jews across affiliations for common purposes including combating intolerance, supporting Jewish communities, and advocating on issues affecting Jews in the United Kingdom, 'Israel', and globally.[3] It is not a religious body but a secular fraternal group welcoming members from diverse Jewish backgrounds.[3]

B'nai B'rith UK maintains active lodges across the country, organising monthly speaker meetings, social events, cultural activities, and charitable initiatives.[4] As of recent reports, lodges continue to meet regularly, including virtual sessions, and participate in broader B'nai B'rith International efforts such as advocacy and community support.[5]

History

The First Lodge of England was founded in 1910 at the home of Charles G. Montefiore in London.[1] A Manchester lodge followed in 1912, involving figures such as Israel Sieff and Chaim Weizmann.[1] During the First World War, the organisation expanded its charitable work.[1]

By 1925, six lodges existed, leading to the formation of District 15 as an umbrella body, which later became B'nai B'rith UK.[1] The group grew to twenty-seven lodges and 2,500 members by its Golden Jubilee in 1960.[1] It established initiatives like the B’nai B’rith Housing Society and Hillel Foundation.[1]

Throughout its history, B'nai B'rith UK engaged in lobbying, cultural promotion, and support for Jewish causes, including assistance during wartime and post-war periods.[1]

Lodges

B'nai B'rith UK organises its activities through local lodges, which welcome couples, single men and women, and younger members.[4] Lodges centre on monthly speaker meetings, social gatherings, and community service.[4]

Known lodges include:

Additional lodges operate in various regions, with ongoing activities reported in London, Manchester, and elsewhere.[4]

List of British lodges

B’nai B’rith Cheshire | B’nai B’rith Leeds | B’nai B’rith Radlett | Finchley & Hendon Lodge | First Lodge of England | First Unity Lodge | The Raoul Wallenberg Lodge | Shlomo Argov incorporating Edgware | Yad B’Yad Lodge | Yitzchak Rabin Lodge | Thames Lodge [8]

Relation to friendly societies

Although described in some sources as a Jewish friendly society due to its fraternal lodge structure and principles of benevolence, brotherly love, and harmony, B'nai B'rith UK does not primarily function as a traditional friendly society offering mutual insurance benefits like sickness pay or funeral aid.[2][3] It evolved as a service organisation focused on advocacy, culture, and philanthropy rather than financial mutual aid.[1]

Current activity

Lodges remain active, hosting regular in-person and virtual meetings, speaker events, and charitable work.[5] Recent activities include participation in remembrance ceremonies and international advocacy through B'nai B'rith International.[9] The organisation continues to recruit members and maintain an online presence for events and engagement.[4]

Trustees

Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[10]

Trustees of B'nai B'rith UK (register, October 2026)
Trustee Appointed Chair Other trusteeships
Eve Jacqueline Swabe 2014-03-14 —
Alan Brian Miller 2017-03-16 —
Paul Solomon 2021-05-31 —

Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)

Trustees shown in archived register pages
Capture date Trustees listed Source
2021-01-09 Martin Kudlick (from 19 May 2009); Anthony Cyril Etherton; Eve Jacqueline Swabe (from 14 March 2014); Alan Brian Miller (from 16 March 2017) [11]
2021-07-03 Martin Kudlick (from 19 May 2009); Eve Jacqueline Swabe (from 14 March 2014); Anthony Cyril Etherton; Alan Brian Miller (from 16 March 2017) [12]

At Companies House, Wendy Fireman's appointment as a director ended on 1 March 2026; the register lists three trustees.[13][10]

Companies House officers

Companies House lists 42 current and former officers of the charitable company (03328487), 3 of them active.[14]

Finances

Income and expenditure, five most recent reported years
Financial year end Income Expenditure
2021-12-31 £76,288 £92,782
2022-12-31 £173,782 £156,503
2023-12-31 £98,391 £131,020
2024-12-31 £321,460 £158,181
2025-12-31 £83,979 £171,287

Source: register annual-return history.[10]

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[15]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2015[16]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2016[17]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2017[18]
  • Accounts for the year ended 31/12/2018[19]

Funding in Israel

  • 2025 humanitarian aid £75,488 (2024: £67,957), covering Israel, Ukraine and Eastern Europe; scholarships £20,000; advocacy £37,121; Jewish identity £18,777; BBYO £10,000; B'nai B'rith International £595 (PDF p.14).[20]
  • Restricted funds in 2025: Qiryat Gat fund – income £10,174, spent £18,600, transfer in £5,000, closing balance £25,110; Israel Emergency Appeal – income £6,000, spent £26,050, transfer in £20,050 (PDF p.17).[20]

Israeli partners

The report says that "Fund raising has continued at previous levels to help disadvantaged individuals and families in the township of Qiryat Gat"; no Israeli organisation is named (PDF p.5).[20]

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
The accounts place the Israel humanitarian work in the township of Qiryat Gat; nothing in the sources places it beyond the Green Line (PDF p.5, 17).[20] High

Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[20]

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;[21] 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.[22][23][24][25] 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.[26]
  • Inconsistent figures. The report gives 2024 expenditure as £151,181, while the notes give £158,181; it describes "eight Lodges" on one page and "six branches (lodges)" on another (PDF p.4–6, 14).[20]
  • Israel appeal funded from legacies. The Israel Emergency Appeal received £6,000 in 2025 and spent £26,050; the difference of £20,050 was transferred in, and the designated legacy fund shows a transfer out of £25,050 (PDF p.17–18).[20]

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).[27] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[28]

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.[29]

Grants recorded by 360Giving

Grants received (360Giving data)
Date Funder Amount (£) Purpose
2005-04-29 The National Lottery Heritage Fund 1,055 "B'Nai B'Rith Uk Have Been Awarded A Grant That Will Allow Them To Carry Out A 60th Anniversary Of The End Of Ww2 Street Party. The Event W
2005-04-29 The National Lottery Community Fund 17,300 B'Nai B'Rith UK have been awarded a grant that will allow them to carry out a 60th anniversary of the end of WW2 street party. The event wi

No grants made by the charity are published in 360Giving data, so flows between linked charities could not be traced there.[30]

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. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[31]

Land and property

The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[10] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[32]

Parliament

Hansard exact-phrase searches for "B'nai B'rith United Kingdom", "B'nai B'rith UK", "Bnai Brith UK" returned 0 contributions in total.[33]

Web archive

  • bnaibrithuk.org: 12 yearly captures, first 2015-01-09, last 2026-01-09.[34]

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 up to date" and "Other regulators: No information available".[11]

See also

External links

Official website

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 B'nai B'rith UK, Our History B'nai B'rith UK, accessed 19 February 2026.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Manchester Jewish Museum, Have you ever heard of the B'nai B'rith? Facebook, 5 September 2025.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 B'nai B'rith UK, About B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith UK, accessed 19 February 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 B'nai B'rith UK, Lodges B'nai B'rith UK, accessed 19 February 2026.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 B'nai B'rith UK, Calendar B'nai B'rith UK, accessed 19 February 2026.
  6. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK, Yad B'Yad Lodge B'nai B'rith UK, accessed 19 February 2026.
  7. ↑ Oxfordshire Heritage Search, B'NAI B'RITH (THE OXFORD LODGES) Heritage Search, accessed 19 February 2026.
  8. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK Joining a Lodge
  9. ↑ Bnai Brith UK, Bnai Brith UK Facebook, accessed 19 February 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 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.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Register entry 1061661, full print (capture of 20210109) UK Government Web Archive.
  12. ↑ Register entry 1061661, full print (capture of 20210703) UK Government Web Archive.
  13. ↑ Companies House, B'NAI B'RITH UNITED KINGDOM (03328487) Find and update company information, overview and officers, viewed 16 October 2026.
  14. ↑ Company 03328487: officers Companies House, viewed 16 October 2026.
  15. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK accounts, year ended 2014-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  16. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK accounts, year ended 2015-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  17. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK accounts, year ended 2016-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  18. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK accounts, year ended 2017-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  19. ↑ B'nai B'rith UK accounts, year ended 2018-12-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200105).
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 Charity Commission, B'nai B'rith UK (1061661): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
  21. ↑ 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 each of the 25 batch-19 charities, all retrieved successfully on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section; none was shown for any of them. Twenty-two registered charities showed "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)"; British Friends of Ramoth Jerusalem showed "Charity reporting is overdue by 1691 days"; Leibovici Charitable Trust and Friends of Bereaved Families Forum (1118221) showed "Removed charity".
  22. ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
  23. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
  25. ↑ 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).
  26. ↑ 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").
  27. ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-19 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
  28. ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-19 charity names returned zero results).
  29. ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'B'nai B'rith UK' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
  30. ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1061661 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
  31. ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-19 screening covered 358 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the eight charitable companies, and trustees, examiners, grantees and other people and bodies named in the accounts and sources read for this batch; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname match for any person was found; token matches were surname-only coincidences (for example Miller, Gold) or generic words in organisation names (Trust, Ltd, Limited).
  32. ↑ 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.
  33. ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "B'nai B'rith UK" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).
  34. ↑ Internet Archive CDX index for bnaibrithuk.org Wayback Machine, queried 16 October 2026.
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