Beis Medrash Elyon
Beis Medrash Elyon is a Strictly Orthodox, Charedi independent school for boys aged 11-15. It is run by Mechinah Golders Green Limited (charity number: 1136822; Company number 06972996). The charitable objectives are “the advancement of Jewish religious education and education generally, in particular by the provision of grants and facilities not required to be provided by the local education authority, to Jewish schools in London. The charity exists to advance education, in particular, the Beis Medrash Elyon school. Charity reporting is overdue by 152 days[1]
People
Trustees
| Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | Reporting status of other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen David Hirsch Adler | Trustee | 19 June 2023 | None on record | |
| Avrohom Yodaiken | Trustee | 19 June 2023 | None on record | |
| Nathan Gabriel Gutmann | Trustee | 19 June 2023 | None on record | |
| Avraham Nae | Trustee | 15 December 2015 | None on record | |
| Samuel Joseph Chontow | Trustee | 27 October 2011 | Achim Charity | Received: on time |
The Achim Charity’s objectives are to “advance Orthodox Jewish education to advance Orthodox Jewish religious practice. The relief of poverty such other purposes as are recognised by the law of England and Wales as charitable”.
Directors
The Mechinah Golders Green Limited company has overdue accounts. The Directors are as follows:
| Name | Correspondence address | Role | Position | Date of birth | Appointed on | Resigned on | Nationality | Country of residence | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samuel Joseph Chontow | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Active | Director | April 1974 | 27 October 2011 | Present | United Kingdom | England | Book keeper |
| Nathan Gabriel Gutmann | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Active | Director | June 1977 | 14 December 2015 | Present | British | United Kingdom | Director |
| Stephen David Hirsch | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Active | Director | July 1964 | 19 June 2023 | Present | British | United Kingdom | Company Director |
| Abraham Nae | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Active | Director | August 1986 | 19 June 2023 | Present | British | United Kingdom | Company Director |
| Avrohom Yodaiken | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Active | Director | October 1984 | 19 June 2023 | Present | British | United Kingdom | Company Director |
| Anthony Joseph Adler | 9 Limes Avenue, London, England, NW11 9TJ | Resigned | Director | May 1961 | 19 February 2013 | 21 June 2019 | British | United Kingdom | Director |
| Anthony Joseph Adler | 9 Limes Avenue, London, England, NW11 9TJ | Resigned | Director | May 1961 | 27 July 2009 | 15 August 2012 | British | United Kingdom | Director |
| Alexander Meir Markovic | 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London, United Kingdom, NW6 2EG | Resigned | Director | June 1971 | 10 May 2012 | 8 September 2015 | British | United Kingdom | College Principal |
Both Anthony Joseph Adler and Avrohom Yodaiken (Avrohom Nissim Yodaiken were formerly directors of Shiras Devorah High School Ltd (Shiras Devorah High School) which was dissolved on 23 March 2021 and registered at the Woodside Park Synagogue[4]
Anthony Joseph Adler is also the Secretary and Director of Beis Soroh Schneirer of Golders Green Limited / Beis Soroh Schneirer school (company number 03277365). He was a former director of Beis Chinuch Primary School Limited/ Edgware Jewish Girls - Beis Chinuchand and resigned on 1 September 2022.[5]
Samuel Joseph Chontow is the director of several businesses that provide child day-care activities. These include: Gummy Bears Ashton Ltd (company number 14319577), Gummy Bears Rochdale Ltd (14070939) Company status Active, CS Nurseries Ltd (13820591), and Barnowls Shirley LTD (09573738) formerly registered as Nitemares Limited.[6]
The school
“Elyon boys have always taken their studies seriously, but their enthusiasm was generally reserved for Kodesh – religious studies, due to most of the boys eventually spending the remainder of their unmarried life (after graduating Elyon) in Yeshivah. The ethos of the school is that the most precious commodity we have in life is time; therefore it should be used to its maximum, in all subjects.” [7]
Headteacher: Rabbi Yaakov Lang Deputy Headteacher: Mark Garfield. Mark Garfield was formerly the Deputy Headteacher, Assistant Headteacher, Inclusion Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Menorah Foundation School (Sep 2018 - Dec 2021). Interestingly, he was the Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion Manager at Akiva School between Nov 2013 - Jul 2018. During this time, he was on secondment as the Interim Deputy Head for two days a week alongside his role at Akiva at the Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School. He serves as a trustee and warden at the Edgware Adath Yisroel Congregation Limited where he is “part of the leadership team ensuring the smooth operations of the organisation.” Menahel (Head of Religious Studies): Rabbi Zvi Lebovics, an American citizen.
The school was previously rated as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted but has since received an upgrade. The Deputy Head, Mark Garfield shared that: “We are delighted with improvements made over the last two years and we feel the school is on an upward trajectory. We have made tremendous progress.” But he expressed frustration that “under the current guidelines for relationships and sex education, it is very difficult for a Charedi secondary school to get a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted”.[8]
In 2021, during the third national lockdown, the school flouted Covid-19 restrictions and took pupils for a barbecue on Hampstead Heath. Furthermore, |Rabbi Yaakov Lang, headteacher at the Beis Medrash Elyon school, faced a criminal prosecution for organising a bonfire night gathering with about 75 pupils. Just a few months earlier, the £6,000-a-year orthodox Jewish school in West Hendon had been admonished by Ofsted for a two-day trip to Llandudno in Wales “in clear breach of guidance”.[9][10]
"Beis Medrash Elyon in Hendon was criticised for a lack of "breadth and balance" in the secular curriculum, a lack of "impartial advice" about future careers, and "insufficient opportunities" to learn about life in Britain."[11]
Funding
The school secured £447,165 of funding using the Charity Extra platform. They described the school as: “Beis Medrash Elyon was established 23 years ago as a Torah moisod, providing a pure and safe environment for boys from homes seeped in the spirit of Torah and yiras Shamayim. The school is renowned for providing a high standard of limudei kodesh together with a sound secular education.
The boys have access to the highest calibre of Rebbeim and Mashpiim, who carefully guide them through their most important and formative years. The staff and student body are led by their inspirational מנהל - Rav Hershel Lebovics who understands and works with each and every talmid in the school to bring the very best out of them both in learning and in מידות טובות . The mission of this wonderful מוסד has always been to educate our boys in a rarified תורהדיק atmosphere, to prepare them for life in yeshiva and to interact with the outside world in a safe, responsible and constructive manner, creating a קידוש השם whichever path in life they may take. The many outstanding students, bochurim, yungerleit and choshuva balebatim are a testament to the success and importance of BME in our community.“
One of the matchers of the campaign was The Benzi Dunner Schools Trust (BEST).[12]
General Information
Address: 233 West Hendon Broadway, West Hendon, London, NW9 7DH Local authority: Barnet Headteacher/Principal: Rabbi Yaakov Lang Age range: 11 to 16 ID: URN: 140492, DfE number: 302/6007 UKPRN: 10070532 Propritetor’s name: Anthony Adler[13]
https://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/a-british-community-under-threat-from-the-state-part-1/
Notes
- ↑ https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A9604018&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=4047834
- ↑ https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/4047834/trustees
- ↑ https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06972996/officers
- ↑ https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/11457094/filing-history
- ↑ https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/06257999/officers
- ↑ https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/XCn4qk5NXJmAa19ItsxxDqC9obw/appointments
- ↑ https://archive.is/FpK0F
- ↑ https://archive.is/DZp4b
- ↑ https://archive.is/CDSB2
- ↑ https://archive.is/6rQ4a#selection-507.0-507.67
- ↑ https://archive.is/FLRD7
- ↑ https://archive.is/8xa5y
- ↑ https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/140492#school-dashboard
