History
Past:
The Liverpool Jewish Board of Guardians for the Relief of the Jewish Poor of Liverpool was established
in 1875. Liverpool’s cargo and liner trade with America made the city a natural staging point for
the persecuted Jews of Europe on their way to the New World.
The Board of Guardians was the organisation which fed and helped this flood of stricken human beings.
Apart from the problems of transients there was the considerable problem of poverty in the resident
population which had to be dealt with by private Charity. At this time the Welfare State did
not exist and none of its resources or facilities was available.
The work of the Board of Guardians continued steadily until the First World War, through
the unemployment of the 20’s and 30’s, the rise of Nazi Germany and the aftermath
of the Second World War.
In the 1970’s the organisation changed its working name to Merseyside Jewish Welfare Council.
Merseyside Jewish Welfare Council continued and co-ordinated the work of the Board of Guardians
and adapted to meet the needs and circumstances of the Liverpool Jewish Community.
Present:
The original objective to provide relief for the Jewish poor in Merseyside has remained the same
as when our Charity was first formed in 1875.
In the year 2000 the Charity modernised its working name and became Merseyside Jewish
Community Care. In the following years the range of welfare provision expanded and a
review from the Charity Commission in 2004 recommended we become a Registered
Company as well as a Charity.
The Trustees took this opportunity to review and evaluate the role of the Charity and
decided to modernise the Constitution to meet current and expected future welfare
needs of the Liverpool Jewish Community.
Merseyside Jewish Community Care incorporated as a Company on 6 February 2007.
The modernised Constitution had widened our Charity’s objectives enabling us to provide
the established welfare work of the Board of Guardians plus new services. We could now offer more services to more people.
In 2008 we held an historic Annual General Meeting for Merseyside Jewish Community Care
it was the final Annual General Meeting for the old Charity and was also the first Annual
General Meeting for Merseyside Jewish Community Care under our new Constitution.