A government body in the United Kingdom that deals with registered charities on Thursday demanded that a Chabad-affiliated entity that raised money for an Israel Defense Forces soldier take “remedial measures” or face regulatory action.
Chabad Rabbi Menachem Margolin, a prominent European Jewish leader, criticized the move and called it “unfortunate.”
The Charities Commission issued the warning to Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex Limited over its campaign in October 2023 to raise about £2,280 ($2,780) for a soldier serving in Israel. Roughly $,1000 went to the soldier’s pocket, and the rest was used to buy non-lethal gear for him, according to a statement by the Commission.
“It is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military,” said Helen Earner, director for regulatory services at the Charity Commission. “Our official warning requires the charity to set things right and is a clear message to other charities to stay true to their established purposes.”
Margolin, the director of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association, criticized the Commission’s move and linked it to Chabad’s long history of withstanding pressure from unsympathetic officials in the Diaspora.
“The founder of the Chabad Movement was in a Russian prison 250 years ago because he sent donations to the poor of the Land of Israel, which was then under Turkish rule and was at war with the Russians on the grounds of supporting a foreign army,” noted Margolin.
“Aside from the importance of upholding the laws on proper management of nonprofits, the announcement by the Charity Commission is very unfortunate. The U.K. should encourage any assistance to the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces, which are engaged in protecting the lives of the Jews of the Land of Israel,” he said.
The Commission’s charity specified neither how it expected the Chabad charity to “set things right” nor what would happen if this did not happen.
“Any failure by the charity to implement the requirements in the Official Warning may lead to further regulatory action,” the statement read.
On Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of Hamas terrorists and Gaza civilians invaded Israel, murdering about 1,200 people and abducting 251. Unprepared, the IDF called up reservists and deployed troops in the border area. In the initial weeks of the fighting, numerous campaigns online and elsewhere were launched in the Jewish Diaspora to help soldiers individually and collectively.
