The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to a London charity over a fundraising campaign in support of an Israeli Defence Forces soldier.

The regulator said it received more than 180 complaints about the fundraising campaign run by the Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex, a charity that aims to advance the orthodox Jewish religion, education and relieve poverty.

The charity set up a fundraising page in October 2023 to raise funds for a soldier of the Israeli Defence Forces stationed in northern Israel. 

The page, which was removed in January last year, raised about £2,280.

Of the funds raised, £937 was sent directly to an individual soldier and the regulator said the charity’s trustees were unable to account for how these funds were spent.

The remaining funds were spent on non-lethal military equipment purchased by the trustees and sent to the same soldier in Israel, the regulator said.

The commission opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity in December 2023, which determined that the fundraising activity was outside of the charity’s purposes and not capable of being charitable.

It said no charity could legally provide aid or military supplies to any foreign armed force.

The regulator said the charity’s trustees had failed to act in the best interests of the organisation and its reputation, which amounted to misconduct and/or mismanagement, as well as breach of trust.

The charity has been issued with an official warning by the regulator, which requires the trustees to remedy the misconduct. A failure to implement these requirements may lead to further regulatory action, the commission said.

Helen Earner, director of regulatory services at the Charity Commission, said: “It is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military.

“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.”

Since October 2023, the regulator has opened more than 200 regulatory cases relating to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, involving charities with different positions on the conflict, and has made more than 40 referrals to the police.

The trustees of Chabad Lubavitch said: "Following our full cooperation with the Charity Commission after this matter was raised with them, the commission has as a matter of course issued an official warning concerning a fundraising appeal that briefly took place following the horrific events of 7 October 2023.

"Whilst that is regrettable, we accept the commission’s findings regarding an activity that went beyond the scope of the charity’s purposes.

"We acknowledge that in facilitating a campaign to provide warm clothing and the like, however
briefly and however modest its results, the charity exceeded its purposes and we are grateful for
the guidance provided by the Charity Commission to ensure that this won’t happen again."