The new Jewish Memorial Council chairman wants the charity to focus on providing bursaries for Jewish pupils, funding for cultural events and grants for Jewish community care.

Businessman Simon Bentley, a long-standing director of the charity, will replace Edgar Astaire as chairman, with Mr Astaire becoming president.

Although the JMC has a relatively low-profile, Mr Bentley said it was financially in good shape and it would not be looking to make a big fundraising push. "We will be assigning grants on the basis of income and assets, which are well looked after," he said.

After reviewing the charity's grants, Mr Bentley and trustee Simon Cohen plan to offer bursaries to fee-paying Jewish schools.

They also want to back museums and organisations co-ordinating Jewish cultural events.

In addition, "grants will be made to Jewish organisations that provide the community with support, whether it be physical security or individual care and assistance".