Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations

The Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations is an umbrella organisation of Haredi Jewish communities in London and has an estimated membership of over 6,000. It was founded in 1926 with the stated mission "to protect traditional Judaism" and has an affiliation of over a hundred synagogues and educational institutions. It is caters for all aspects of Haredi Jewish life in London, and operates mainly in the suburbs of Stamford Hill, Golders Green, Hendon and Edgware.

The spiritual leadership of UOHC is in the hands of its rabbinate led by the Av Beis Din. Its first head was Rabbi Avigdor Schonfeld. He was succeeded by his son, Solomon Schonfeld, who also founded the Jewish Secondary School Movement.

From 1955 to 2000 the Av Beis Din was the posek Rabbi Chanoch Dov Padwa. He was succeeded in 2000 by the present incumbent, his son Rabbi Ephraim Padwa.

The Rosh Beis Din was Rabbi Josef Hirsch Dunner until his death in 2007. Josef Dunner named his son Rabbi Ahron Dovid Dunner as his desired successor to the post. The Executive Committee of UOHC however, resolved to discontinue the title of Rosh Beis Din, leaving Rabbi Ephraim Padwa as the sole rabbinical head of the UOHC.

The lay management is its Executive Committee, elected triennially by the UOHC, whose members are appointed by the constituent synagogues.

In July 2006, The Jewish Chronicle wrote that the UOHC's accounts appeared to show it had given a London-based charity associated with Neturei Karta more than £58,000 in grants. This prompted some members of the Hendon Adath Yisroel Synagogue to review its affiliation with the UOHC. The synagogue resolved to remain affiliated.

In October 2012, a blog post appeared on the blog If You Tickle Us which suggested that Chaim Halpern, rabbi of a UOHC synagogue, and a member of the UOHC rabbinate was accused of inappropriate sexual conduct. It later became clear that the accusation was of sexual impropriety with around thirty women that came to him for counselling. A group of London rabbis and religious judges issued a statement stating that the rabbi was "not fit and proper to act in any rabbinic capacity", a decision reached after "extensive investigations, including interviews with alleged victims", and the rabbi was forced to resign from all public positions including his position on the Beth Din.

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Wikipedia