Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 1.1.22 To 31.12.22
Charity name: Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue
Charity registration number: 1185624
Objectives and Activities
According to our constitution, the synagogue’s objectives and activities are as follows:
To advance the Jewish religion for the benefit of the public in particular but not exclusively by:
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maintaining and upholding the faith and observance of Traditional Judaism;
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the holding of prayer meetings;
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conducting marriage ceremonies for persons of the Jewish faith;
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providing facilities and accommodation for Hebrew and religious instructions for children of the Jewish faith
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providing public celebration of religious festivals;
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any such other activities charitable in law which the trustees consider will generally foster the spirit and practice of Traditional Judaism
The main activities undertaken by the synagogue in relation to the above purposes, during the period of 1.1.22 – 31.12.22, have been:
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Conducting prayer services for Shabbat and all Jewish festivals.
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Educational activities including classes and talks in the synagogue as well as online.
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Distribution of kosher food (through the ‘Ko-op’); items needed for the observance of Shabbat, Jewish festivals (such as Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Chanukah, Pesach and Shavuot); and other aspects of Jewish life; in particular to those who are more vulnerable and therefore have been unable to attend the synagogue in person.
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Installing a large-scale Menorah on the public highway opposite Leytonstone tube station for Chanukah in December 2022, as well as organising an accompanying menorah-lighting and music event open to all members of the public; additionally two smaller menorahs were placed at Tesco in Gainsborough Road, Leytonstone and on Orford Road, Walthamstow.
The trustees have ensured the above has been carried out in accordance with guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Additional information (optional)
The synagogue is entirely volunteer-run apart from a nominal fee paid to the Rabbi for preparing Torah readings for prayer services. We have begun paying for cleaning, waitressing and additional security guards when funds have been granted for specific events such as communal Friday Night Meals. We have also engaged the services of an accounting firm, Andy Nash Accounting, which specialises in small charities. However, the majority of tasks including building maintenance and repairs, cleaning, cooking, distribution and deliveries, administration, fundraising and accounts are still carried out by volunteers.
Achievements and Performance
The main achievements during this period are as follows:
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As we emerged from the Covid-19 Pandemic, the community has continued to grow in numbers and maintain all activities with greater numbers attending services and in-person activities.
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We have continued to prioritise keeping our congregants safe by implementing robust Health & Safety protocols in keeping with government advice.
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We made efforts to ensure continuation of educational activities by adapting our talks and classes so that they could take place online, while also maintaining contact with members who are unable to access online services.
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In March 2022 we again distributed a ‘Seder Night Kit’ for Pesach, and throughout the year we continued regular weekly deliveries of Kosher food to local households.
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In December 2022 over 300 people attended our public menorah lighting in Leytonstone despite it taking place on the same day as the World Cup Final and extremely cold snowy and rainy conditions.
Financial Review
During this period, the charity ended the year with a gain of £11,824.21. We were assisted financially by several one-off grants, including, two Council Grants for Cost of Living in April and December 2022, a Warm Spaces Grant of £4,980 and Community Kitchen Grant of £5,000 in December 2022, a Lottery Grant of £5,050 received in December 2022, and Chanukah Funding from Waltham Forest Council totalling £5,000. The Synagogue was also used as a Polling Station for the second time in June 2022, earning us a fee of £2,500. In addition we received a Government Grant for Security which we claim on a monthly basis against guarding invoices, totally £4,602.70.
Meanwhile, our usual sources of income were still reduced compared to prePandemic, including:
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Communal Friday Night service and meals
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Communal Seder Night service and meal
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General fundraising events
The synagogue does not have a specific Reserve Fund as our modest income and resources mean we do not currently have the ability to accrue reserves. We keep a regular operating amount in the Current Account of approximately £15,000 to ensure sufficient funds are available for our ongoing costs. Although the balance in the Current account at 31.12.22 was £28,460.82 this was due to receipt of the Warm Spaces and Community Kitchen grants which were administered for events
throughout the Winter of 2022-2023. Our principle source of funds is through membership fees and donations from our regular congregants. Our principle annual fundraiser is the Kol Nidre Appeal, from which we raised £2,414.00 during this period, a decrease of 13% compared to 2021.
Structure, Governance and Management
Our governing document is a Constitution which may only be amended at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary Meeting, duly convened and by a majority of members present and voting. The charity is constituted as a CIO.
Appointment of charity trustees:
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(1) Elected charity trustees
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(a) At every annual general meeting of the members of the CIO, one-third of the elected charity trustees shall retire from office. If the number of elected charity trustees is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third shall retire from office, but if there is only one charity trustee, he or she shall retire;
(b) The charity trustees to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment. If any trustees were last appointed or reappointed on the same day those to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree among themselves) be determined by lot;
(c) The vacancies so arising may be filled by the decision of the members at the annual general meeting; any vacancies not filled at the annual general meeting may be filled as provided in sub-clause (d) of this clause;
(d) The members or the charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee, whether in place of a charity trustee who has retired or been removed in accordance with clause 15 (Retirement and removal of charity trustees), or as an additional charity trustee, provided that the limit specified in clause 12(3) on the number of charity trustees would not as a result be exceeded;
(e) A person so appointed by the members of the CIO shall retire in accordance with the provisions of sub-clauses (a) and (b) of this clause. A person so appointed by the charity trustees shall retire at the conclusion of the annual general meeting next following the date of his appointment, and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining which of the charity trustees is to retire by rotation at that meeting.
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | LAWS |
| Registered charity number | 1185624 |
| Charity’s principal address | 2 Fillebrook Road Leytonstone E11 4AT |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for wholeyear |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhilipSchryber | Chairman | |||
| Ruth Schryber | Secretary& Treasurer | |||
| Isar Rosenberg | Security | |||
| Yakov Korer* |
- Yakov Korer was appointed as a 4th trustee at Board Meeting of 16/07/2023
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date |
Ruth Louise Dvorah Schryber |
|
|---|---|---|
Secretary & Treasurer |
||
| 29/10/2023 | ||
| 29/10/2023 |
Profit and Loss
Leytonstone Synagogue For the year ended 31 December 2022
| Profit and Loss Leytonstone Synagogue For the year ended 31 December 2022 |
Profit and Loss Leytonstone Synagogue For the year ended 31 December 2022 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | |
| Receipts | |
| One-off donations 14,883.96 |
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| Membership income 11,032.10 |
|
| Grants 29,132.70 |
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| Legacies and in memoriam 1,000.00 |
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| Total Receipts 56,048.76 Payments |
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| Event costs 15,787.89 |
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| Fundraising costs 61.07 |
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| Rabbi fees 8,140.00 |
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| Federation dues 3,996.00 Premises |
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| Premises costs - gas/electricity 2,574.58 |
|
| Premises costs - maintenance 1,896.35 |
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| Premises costs - security 5,531.94 |
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| Premises costs - water 209.95 |
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| Kitchen Supplies 662.39 |
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| Total Premises 10,875.21 People costs |
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| Staff costs - contractors and temporary staff 1,282.43 |
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| Total People costs 1,282.43 Administration |
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| General costs - bank charges 69.60 |
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| General costs - office sundry expenses 211.56 |
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| General costs - printing and photocopying 124.00 |
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| General costs - stationery costs 517.57 |
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| Sundry expenses 192.00 |
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| Total Administration 1,114.73 Governance costs |
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| Governance costs - insurance costs 2,711.71 |
|
| Total Governance costs 2,711.71 |
|
| Total Payments 43,969.04 |
|
| Net income/(expenditure) 12,079.72 2022 |
|
| 1. Asset and liabilities | |
| Cash at bank and in hand 28,802.07 |
27 Oct 2023 Page 1 of 2
Receipts and payments report Leytonstone Synagogue
Profit and Loss
2022
| Amounts due at year end | (78.34) |
|---|---|
| Total Asset and liabilities | 28,723.73 |
27 Oct 2023 Page 2 of 2
Receipts and payments report Leytonstone Synagogue
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Leytonstone and Wanstead Synagogue
On accounts for the year 31/12/2022 Charity no 1185624 ended (if any) Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 12 / 2022 .
- Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Date: 29/10/2023 Signed: Name: Sam Gold Relevant professional ACCA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 96 Melford Road London E11 4PS
October 2018
1
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
October 2018
2
IER