At its annual distribution event this past Sunday, the North-West London “Chomesh L’Chinuch” Community Initiative distributed £270,000 to 30 local Jewish schools representing over 10,000 pupils. This brings the total amount collected and distributed to local schools by Chomesh L’Chinuch to over £1,800,000.
This year’s event was once again partnered with Achisomoch Aid Company (AAC), the leading UK Jewish donor advised charity, which likewise supports chinuch organisations including NW London schools. Achisomoch recently distributed £300,000 to NW London Jewish schools, bringing the total amount distributed to NW London Schools to £570,000.
The event was held at the Miriam Rachel Wohl Hall at Golders Green Beth Hamedrash and was attended by Rabbonim and representatives of the Kehillos which have adopted Chomesh L’Chinuch: Golders Green Beth Hamedrash, Hendon Adass, Beis Yisroel, Beis Shmuel, Edgware Adath and Beis Yissochor Dov. Also present were the governors and delegates of the local Jewish schools.
Unfortunately, our local Moisdos HaChinuch continuously struggle to cover their significant annual budgets, and especially now, they find themselves facing overwhelming challenges. Significant rises in inflation and energy have impacted our schools in two ways. Firstly, by increasing school costs, both for staff and expenses, and secondly, making it more difficult to collect fees from parents whose disposable income has significantly diminished. Schools are anticipating their shortfall to increase over the coming year by several million pounds. Our schools need our help more than ever.
Chomesh L’Chinuch was set up as an innovative shul-based solution to this communal problem. Shul members are encouraged to prioritise and allocate one-fifth (a ‘Chomesh’) of their Tzedokah distributions to the local schools attended by the children of their Shul. Members are not expected to increase their already generous Tzedokah distributions, rather to allocate an appropriate percentage to local chinuch.
Mr Eli Katz, joint founder of Chomesh L’Chinuch, opened the proceedings by presenting a sobering account of the distressed financial state of our local schools. The cumulative annual deficit of NW London schools currently stands at an all-time high of £12M, a 20% increase on £10M just two years ago. This number is likely to increase substantially once the impact of proposed government legislation regarding Business Rates and VAT on private education materialises. He suggested that this critical juncture presents a unique opportunity for schools to “engage with the NW London Rabbonim in support of significant action and a unified approach towards improving the dire school funding situation,” and continued to suggest several criteria that should underpin such a solution.
Rabbi Yisroel Meir Greenberg, Rov of the Golders Green Beis Hamedrash and the inspiration behind the founding of Chomesh L’Chinuch, then addressed the audience. He explained that the challenges to the financial viability of our Chinuch institutions can be understood as an aspect of the golus that we find ourselves in. Amalek seeks to destroy Jewish continuity by breaking the mesora that links our generations, creating a state of “midor dor” – generations which are severed from one another. He encouraged school leaders to promote the vital role of the chinuch that they provide to funders in the community, so that they can come together to enable the schools to survive and thrive.
The final speech was given by Mr Matti Fruhman, CEO of AAC. After acknowledging the role of AAC’s Life President MrYitschok Katz for his vision in founding AAC, he thanked Eli Katz and Emanuel Meyer, joint founders of Chomesh L’Chinuch, for their tireless communal work. Turning to AAC, he reported that during the past year alone, over 4,000 clients donated in excess of £70M to Tzedoko through AAC. The continued popularity and sustained growth of AAC has enabled it to distribute over £1.7M to NW London schools in the past 5 years.
Mr Emanuel Meyer, joint founder of Chomesh L’Chinuch, then oversaw the distribution of the grant cheques to each school. The Rabbonim of the CLC Shuls were honoured with presenting the cheques to the school delegates, on behalf of their Shul members who have generously donated to Chomesh L’Chinuch.
The School Governors attending the event were full of praise and gratitude for Chomesh L’Chinuch’s initiative. They also pointed out how nearly every Jewish school in NW London and beyond, with its substantial Kodesh programme, has a significant financial shortfall. A first class and successful Kodesh curriculum for the chinuch of our children, necessitates fund-raising from voluntary donations and the general community. In many schools these fund-raising efforts are very challenging, and significant gaps remain.
Boruch Chaim Joseph, Governor, Pardes House Grammar School said, “Chomesh L’Chinuch has focused the wider Kehilla on supporting our Mosdos HaChinuch. At Pardes House Grammar School we are extremely grateful for the funds raised through the CLC initiative”
Moishe Frenkel, Governor, Beis Yaakov Primary School said, “BYPS would like to thank Chomesh L’Chinuch for the awareness it has raised for the importance of supporting our educational institutions. We are extremely grateful for the sizeable donation received through this initiative and we encourage the wider Kehilla to sign up to CLC to ensure that our moisdos can continue to grow and flourish.”
Nosson Spitzer, Finance Governor, Menorah Grammar School: wrote “Chomesh L’Chinuch is an initiative that the Northwest London Kehilla can be extremely proud of. The financial difficulties our schools face daily are only increasing. Chomesh L’Chinuch helps alleviate those challenges, both with their financial aid and practical guidance and advice. We encourage the Northwest London communities who have not yet joined Chomesh L’Chinuch, to do so for the sake of our children’s present and future”