Almost 40 Jewish charities are breaking the “taboo” by asking people to remember charities in their wills.

Campaigners for Jewish Legacy spent this morning speaking to passersby in Temple Fortune, Stanmore, Edgware, Golders Green and Borehamwood to drum up support for the scheme.

The charities are calling for action, as although 80 per cent of the Jewish community give to charity during their lifetime, only one in four donate in their wills.

According to the group, an extra £100million for charities would be raised in the next ten years if just five per cent more people left donations in their wills.

Chairman of Jewish Legacy, Nigel Ross, said: “Legacy giving has traditionally been a somewhat taboo subject because of its obvious connotations.

“Not only is it a vital source of income for our charities, but it is a celebration of everything someone has stood for and believed in during their lifetime.”

A total of 39 charities, including Anne Frank Trust UK, Ben Uri Gallery and British Friends of Ohel Sarah, are working together to get people on board the scheme.

Mr Ross added: “We have long needed to break down the perceptual barriers to this kind of charitable giving in our community and to make it clear that leaving a gift to charity in one’s will is not exclusively for the wealthy.

"We all have a responsibility to make sure that the wonderful work carried out by the vast array of fantastic Jewish charities out there continues, for our children, our children’s children and beyond.”