Finance issues blamed for closure of Jewish sexual abuse support charity

JSAS (Jewish Sexual Abuse Support), previously known as Migdal Emunah, is closing its branches in London and Manchester “due to unsustainable statutory funding losses”, the charity has said. 

The organisation founded by sexual abuse survivor Yehudis Goldsobel in 2013 supports around 50 people every month, including men, women and children.

Five employees are being made redundant and counselling services will cease at the end of the month.

JSAS was the first ever service of its kind in the UK Jewish community, delivering accredited Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) support to clients from offices.

Since its founding, JSAS has supported more than 300 individual victims/survivors of sexual abuse.

In a statement, the charity says whilst it “hopes that a new home might be found for the service within the Jewish community, the future for service continuity remains uncertain.”

JSAS chief executive Erica Marks, recruited by Goldsobel and the charity’s trustees in April 2022, told Jewish News that trustees “did not have a choice” and the situation is “sub optimal for clients.”

The charity had looked to grants totalling £150,000 from the Police and Crime Commissioners for their core services: £80k from Mopac (Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime) in London, and £70k from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Individual donors accounted for around five percent of their income.

Marks says “the London funding has disappeared completely. Half of it disappeared in December 2024 and the other half changed. The way that we had to bid for funding completely changed, and that meant that all of the small community organisations, were effectively cut out of the bidding process for the first time in about five, six years.”

She adds: “I am grateful to all our clients for trusting us with their stories and helping us support them through their journeys. Many have achieved amazing outcomes, and all have worked hard to improve their health and wellbeing. Trustees and staff have all felt privileged to be part of this service and many of us will continue to advocate for service continuity in this specialised area.”

JSAS says that all clients have been notified of the closure of the service and alternative provision is being sought for those clients that still require support.

Founder Goldsobel posted a statement on LinkedIn saying: “It is with deep sadness that I learned, indirectly, of the trustees’ decision to close Migdal Emunah (recently known as JSAS Jewish Sexual Abuse Support).

“As the founder and former CEO, I devoted more than a decade to building and sustaining this service, the first and only specialist support for Jewish victims and survivors of sexual abuse in the UK. Migdal Emunah was not simply a project or an organisation; it was a lifeline, a statement of belief that faith and safeguarding are not incompatible, and a space where silence finally gave way to truth.

“To see that legacy closed without consultation, and to be entirely written out of the narrative surrounding it, has been deeply painful. Some of the public statements issued so far erase the origins and the vision on which this work was built and deflect responsibility for decisions that rest with those now in charge.

“The loss of Migdal Emunah is not just organisational, it is personal, communal, and symbolic. Survivors who found the courage to come forward deserve continuity, honesty, and care, not another silence.

“I remain proud of what was created and of every survivor, professional, and ally who helped bring light into spaces once shrouded in shame. Whatever its name or structure, the principles Migdal Emunah stood for – truth, dignity, and protection for the vulnerable – will continue to guide my work and advocacy.”

Jewish Women’s Aid told Jewish News it has been in contact with the JSAS team in the lead-up to the announcement and has offered its support.

In a statement, JWA said: “We would like to thank everyone who has built JSAS, previously known as Migdal Emunah, for their vital work in addressing sexual abuse within the Jewish community and for the legacy they leave behind.

“The closure of JSAS reflects the increasing difficulty for specialist “by and for” organisations to sustain services in the current funding climate, particularly regarding statutory funding. The challenges of delivering high-quality, culturally specific support for victims and survivors of sexual violence are significant, and this development highlights the urgent need for a more stable and equitable funding landscape across the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector.”

Marks says she remains open to the idea of JSAS being absorbed into another, larger communal organisation. “There have been discussions, and I cannot and will not say which charities. Larger charities are under so much pressure and have had to make so many savings this year because of government decisions like the National Insurance increases, which have meant many charities in our sector have had to make redundancies. Therefore their trustees are very correctly asking, ‘well, if we’re going to absorb this charity, how are we going to pay for it?’

“And the answer is, at the moment, they can’t, but those discussions are ongoing.”