Privacy & Cookies

Last updated: 14 October 2026

This notice explains how we handle information when you visit our public website, contact the Office or make a donation through the links on this website. It does not describe all personal information used in the separate member app or in the wider running of the synagogue.

Who is responsible for your information?

Bli Shem Ltd is the data controller for the information we use for these purposes. We are registered in England and Wales, company number 15298470 and registered charity number 1207257. Our registered office is 7 Villa Place, Gateshead, NE8 1RY.

For privacy questions, complaints or requests about your information, email admin@blishem.co.uk or write to the registered office, marked “Privacy”.

Information we collect and why

• Office enquiries: the name, email address, subject, category and message you submit, together with subsequent correspondence. We use these to answer your enquiry and keep a record of its handling.
• Website security: hosting and security services may process your IP address, browser or device information, request times and technical logs. The contact service also uses IP address and browser information to limit repeated submissions and prevent abuse.
• Donations: if you follow a donation link, Stripe or Achisomoch collects information on its own website. We may receive donor details, donation amounts, references and payment status for acknowledging donations, keeping accounts and meeting legal obligations. Our public website does not collect or store your card details.

Providing an enquiry is voluntary. The form requires contact details and a message so we can respond; you can contact us by email or post instead. Please do not include sensitive personal information, such as health details or information about someone else, in the form. Contact the Office first if you need to discuss a sensitive matter.

Our reasons for using information

We rely on legitimate interests to answer enquiries, administer donations and protect our services: our interests are communicating with people who contact us, managing the charity and preventing spam or misuse. We must balance these interests against your rights. We rely on legal obligations where information is needed for accounting, tax or other statutory duties. If a particular activity needs consent or an additional condition for sensitive information, we will explain this separately.

Who receives information?

Relevant authorised Office staff or trustees may access your information. We also use service providers for website hosting, security, email delivery and technical records. These include OpenAI Sites and Cloudflare for the public website, the Bli Shem app backend on Lovable Cloud and its database infrastructure for contact delivery records, and Resend to deliver your message to our Office email account. Our email service processes the resulting correspondence. Technical email records include the recipient, subject, delivery status and any delivery error.

Stripe and Achisomoch handle donations on their own sites and may have independent responsibilities for the information they collect. Please read the privacy and cookie notices on their donation pages before submitting information. We may also disclose relevant records to professional advisers or public authorities where required for a lawful purpose.

Processing outside the UK

Our technology providers operate internationally, so information may be processed outside the UK, including in the United States. UK rules on international transfers apply. These require an applicable adequacy decision or appropriate safeguards, such as approved contractual protections, unless a specific legal exception applies. Contact the Office for details of the providers, destinations and transfer arrangements relevant to your information.

How long information is kept

We keep enquiry correspondence and delivery records for as long as needed to deal with the enquiry, maintain a relevant record and resolve any related complaint or legal issue. Donation and accounting records may need to be kept longer to meet statutory requirements. Retention depends on the type of record, its ongoing relevance and applicable legal requirements; information should be deleted or anonymised when it is no longer needed. Contact the Office for information about a particular record.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you can request access to your information, correction, deletion, restriction of its use or a portable copy. You can object to processing based on legitimate interests. Where processing relies on consent, you can withdraw it without affecting earlier lawful processing. Some rights are subject to legal exceptions. We do not use this public website to make automated decisions about you with legal or similarly significant effects.

Contact the Office using the details above. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113, or by post to Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Cookies and similar technologies

The public website does not include advertising trackers or visitor analytics scripts. Its hosting uses essential security technology to protect against automated abuse.

Essential security cookies do not require an opt-in consent banner. You can block or delete cookies using your browser settings, although this may affect access to protected services. More details are available in Cloudflare’s cookie documentation.

Stripe and Achisomoch may use their own cookies after you leave our site for a donation page. The separate member app may also use cookies or device storage for its own features. Their notices and settings apply to those services.

Changes to this notice

We will update this page when the website’s use of information or cookies changes. The date above shows when this notice was last updated.