Read more about charity donations to organizations in Israel.
Revoked Charities
There was information written in mainstream media about the revocation of Beth Oloth and Gates of Mercy in 2019, however, interestingly it seems that a number of other Canadian charities sending money to Israel have been revoked since 2020.
CRA found that Beth Oloth failed to be constituted exclusively for charitable purposes due to non-charitable/broad purposes and unstated purposes; failed to devote resources to charitable activities carried due to lack of direction and control over the use of resources/resourcing non-qualified donees and conduct of non-charitable activities, along with several other record keeping and accountability issues. CRA did not post the details about reasons for Gates of Mercy revocation. However, CRA data does show that Gates of Mercy only reported the country, but no information about who received the money for about $500 K of annual donations of $8M to $10M, and that money was not showing going to Israel. Also donations from Gates of Mercy were made to Beth Oloth and to Kupas Hachesed Meoroth which several years later also had its charity status revoked.
These include several that had relationships with Beth Oloth and Gates of Mercy.
Chasdei Levy Yitzcok had its charitable status revoked in February 2023 with CRA indicating the organization could not demonstrate that it devoted substantially all of its resources to charitable activities carried on by the Organization itself. In 2021, $8M had been provided to RABBI ITHAK SHLOMO LEVY in Israel, with almost $32M going to Rabbi Levy over four years. In 2017, another donation was made to Israel Levy of $8M; thus, over five years Canadians subsidized $40M of funds going to Israel through Chasdei Levy Yitzcok (CLY). CLY also provided funds to Beth Oloth and several other Canadian based organizations.
In June 2023, Canadian Friends of Ahavas Chesed was revoked due to not filing with CRA. In 2021, the organization indicated it had donated $1.4M to Israel to RABBI MEIR MOSKOWITZ, for a total provided to this individual of $3.1M over five years. This was the only donation to Israel, although there were some smaller donations to Canadian donees who send funds to Israel.
Tikvah L’Chaim/Tzohar also had its charity status revoked during 2023 for failure to file with CRA. MENACHEM KLIEN in Israel is the sole noted recipient of funding having received $3M over five years. No Canadian donees were reported.
Kupas Hachesed Meoroth (KHM) had its charity designation revoked through a CRA audit in 2022. CRA was found that the Organization failed to maintain proper books and records, failed to carry out its own charitable activities with a lack of direction and control over the use of the Organization’s resources, and provided an undue benefit to a person. In 2020, the organization had over $16M of tax receipted charitable income with about $9M from individuals and $7M from other charitable organizations. There was a gap in filing information for 2017-2019, but in 2016, $21 M was provided to YITZCHOK SHLOMO LEVY in Israel; and in the previous three years almost $40M to this same entity, for a total of well $60M. Also, there were donations within Canada to other organizations including Beth Oloth and Gates of Mercy who also had their charity status revoked earlier. In 2014, KHM provided over $500K to a Canadian organization under qualified donor, but no information was provided about this organization, with no name or business number being provided. Charity Intelligence Canada had provided a F rating of this charity.
CANADIAN FRIENDS OF UNITED WIZNITZ INSTITUTIONS IN ISRAEL had it’s charitable status revoked through CRA in 2022 for not being constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes along with other issues. More than $1M had been provided to an entity in Israel, WIZNITZ YESHIVA in the previous several years.
COLEL CHABAD LUBAVITCH FOUNDATION OF ISRAEL also had their charity status revoked through a CRA audit citing notably by gifting funds to non-qualified donees along with other non-compliance. This organization notes one recipient of fund in Israel, Moshe S.Deutsch who received at least $178K along with several Canadian donees. e scholarships and assistance to deserving students to attend religious courses given at Colel Chabad in Israel; in 2013, $125,575.00 was listed as a separate charitable activity for research and scholarships.
CANADIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL YOUTH CENTRE had their CRA charitable status revoked in 2022 continuously failing to devote resources to charitable activities carried on by the Organization itself by gifting resources to non-qualified donees along with record keeping issues. CRA records show this organization had provided more than $335K to GEORGE EDELKOPF in Israel over several years, along with donations to CHABAD OF MIDTOWN in Canada with no other donees listed.
CANADIAN FRIENDS OF THE ISRAEL MUSEUM was revoked through CRA audit in 2022 for providing funds to donors who are not qualified as charities and issues of oversight. They had been providing around $500K but as high as $1M a year to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This seems to be their main, if not only recipient.
Organizations that supported other organizations sending money to Israel
J.F. OF CANADA was revoked in 2021 through CRA audit for lack of compliance and activities not related to charitable purposes. This organization had supported Beth Oloth as well as KUPAS HACHESED MEOROTH, both charities that have had their status revoked through audit.
TORAH V’AVODAH CONGREGATION was revoked for failing to file in 2021. In 2019, they had provided $800K to MIZRACHI ORGANIZATION OF CANADA. A four-part request to investigate Mizrachi was made from December 2022 to March 2023, related to providing funds to Regavim, the far right settler organization, Ir David which is Judaizing Jerusalem and other concerning organizations that support the Israeli military and illegal settlements.
Penalized Charities
According to Blumbergs Canadian Charity Law, there are two Canadian charities– that provide donations to other Canadian charities that are sending money to Israel–that are penalized currently. Both MEHADURAS FRIEDMAN FOUNDATION and THE FRIEDMAN FAMILY FOUNDATION/LA FONDATION FAMILIALE FRIEDMAN have provided funds to the Jewish Heritage Fund of Canada, as well as a number of charities that have had their status revoked such as Beth Oloth, and Kupas Hchesed Meoroth.
There are other charities that were revoked in the last few years that could be looked at in more detail in regard to their support to Israel, including settlement organizations and the Israeli military, and other pro-Israel focused advocacy.
Read more about burner charities:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2631309X221138974
