Group Launched to Promote Understanding of U.K. Chareidi Kehillah

A new group has been launched to tell the story of the U.K. chareidi community and build trust and dialogue with other organizations and groups. Named in memory of Rabbi Avrohom Pinter, z”l, the Trust will seek to build on the work he began as an ambassador for the community.

The Pinter Trust will seek to provide an accurate and truthful portrayal of the U.K. chareidi community. It will engage and respond to media inquiries and proactively seek to be part of discussions on matters relevant to the country’s chareidi kehillah.

Launching the new group, Rabbi Avrohom Sugarman MBE, Chair of The Pinter Trust, said, “Rav Pinter, z”l, was a tremendous ambassador for our community. He built many bridges between the chareidi community and other groups and played an important role in creating a good understanding of our community. His sudden passing left a great void, and it seems only fitting to name our trust, in which he took an active role, in his memory. We very much hope to build on the incredible legacy he left and are grateful to the Pinter family for allowing us honor him in this way.

“The Pinter Trust will seek to tell the story of chareidi people in the words of the community itself. Whilst we are not seeking external publicity for our community, so much has been written about us in recent years that we want to give people a greater understanding of who we are and our way of life and to showcase some of our excellent communal organizations. We want to be helpful to those looking to find out more about our community and will seek to work alongside the media, local and central government and other groups in order to build meaningful partnerships.”

Welcoming the Pinter Trust, the Rt Hon David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, said, “Standing on the firm foundations that Rabbi Pinter has built, the Pinter Trust now has a wonderful opportunity to tell the story of chareidi people in the words of the community itself. The project will be dedicated to building inter-community awareness, dialogue and trust, and is vital at this pivotal time in our nation’s history. I know both the community it represents and all those it comes into contact with will be enriched and encouraged by the development of the Trust’s vision and I wish it every success going forward.”

The Pinter Trust has been endorsed by all leading chareidi Rabbinical authorities, including the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC), the Gateshead Kehilla, the Federation of Synagogues, the Machzikei Hadass Kehilla of Manchester and the Manchester Beth Din, as well as various leading communal organizations.

Rabbi Yehuda Baumgarten of the UOHC said, “The Pinter Trust will act as a credible and respected voice on matters concerning Anglo chareidi Jewry, under the guidance and leadership of respected community Rabbanim from across the U.K. Our Rabbinate offers its fullest support for this most important project and wishes it much success.”

In his letter of support, Mr. Akiva Reich, President of the Manchester Machzikei Hadass Kehilla, stated, “I am pleased to hear of the establishment of the Pinter Trust led by notable chareidi activists from across the country, under the auspices of leading Rabbinical figures in the U.K., [which] will act as a credible and respected voice on matters relating to chareidi Jewry and engage with government and media bodies in a responsible and appropriate manner.”