The Charity Commission has handed a Jewish charity an official warning after it promoted a fundraising appeal that aimed to raise money in support of soldiers in a foreign military.
Mizrachi (UK) Israel Support Trust, known as Mizrachi UK, received the warning this week after the regulator investigated concerns from International Centre for Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) earlier this year.
After investigating the ICJP’s complaint, which suggested the appeal’s money would support the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the regulator found that the charity had indeed promoted a fundraising campaign “for other organisations” on its website and Facebook page.
The commission found that the appeal’s purpose, specifically “the raising of funds to provide equipment to soldiers in a foreign military”, was not one that furthered Mizrachi UK’s objects for the public benefit.
It noted that while the charity’s resources were used to promote the appeal, there was “no evidence” that its funds were also used in doing so, but it nonetheless concluded that “promoting the appeal was not in the charity’s best interests, and it risked the charity’s reputation”.
The charity, which promotes education in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, was also found to have failed to document its decision-making in relation to the appeal and failed to follow its policies and procedures to manage the risks of fundraising and sending funds internationally.
This was considered by the regulator to constitute a failure to manage the charity’s resources responsibly.
The commission therefore said that “a breach of trust or duty or other misconduct and/or mismanagement” had been committed in connection with the charity, and issued it an official warning.
Mizrachi UK was ordered to ensure that all of its activities, including fundraising, “are in furtherance of its objects for the public benefit”, in addition to implementing an adequate monitoring policy to effectively manage risk in all areas of its grant funding, and to ensure that trustees follow due diligence guidelines.
The commission also ordered the charity to review its policies and procedures relating to fundraising and to ensure that they are adequate.
Earlier this year, another charity was given an official warning by the regulator after it was found to have launched a fundraising appeal for an IDF soldier.
Civil Society has contacted Mizrachi UK for comment.
