Charity issued with official warning over support for foreign military

The Charity Commission has issued an Official Warning to a London charity following its finding that its trustees had acted outside its purposes and failed to safeguard its best interests and reputation over a fundraising campaign in support of a soldier of the Israeli Defence Forces.

Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited (the 'Charity') was set up with the purposes of advancing the orthodox Jewish religion, advancing orthodox Jewish education, and relieving poverty and sickness.

In October 2023 the charity set up a fundraising page to raise funds for an IDF soldier stationed in Israel.  The Charity raised around £2,280 through the fundraiser before it was removed in January 2024 following the receipt of over 180 complaints to the Charity Commission.  The Charity Commission opened a compliance case into the Charity's activities in December 2023.

The case determined that the fundraising activities were outside the Charity's purposes, not capable of being charitable and, accordingly, the trustees had not acted in the best interests of the Charity.  This risked its reputation and constituted misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of charity and a breach of trust.  The Charity Commission's Official Warning imposes a number of requirements on the Charity's trustees to remedy the misconduct and/or mismanagement.

It is an accepted charitable purpose to promote the efficiency of the UK's armed forces.  But providing aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force, regardless of their diplomatic relationship with the UK, is not a charitable purpose and no charity can legally undertake such an activity.