The new chair of Jewish Legacy says he brings something “outside of the box” to the challenge of encouraging people to leave money to communal charities.

Music company boss Anthony Broza intends “to improve people’s understanding of the importance of leaving a legacy” and will focus on the baby boomer generation.

“They are the prime target over the next 20 years because they own much of the wealth and so can have a real impact over legacy giving.”

Jewish Legacy is a cross-community initiative involving around four dozen charities, among them Jewish Care, UJIA and CST.

For Mr Broza — who runs indie music distributor Wienerworld — raising awareness is key. Although 75 per cent of the Jewish community make charitable donations during their lifetime, only around 25 per cent do so in their will.

Even this figure is higher than among the general population “as many Jews inherently understand the importance of tzedakah [charity]”.

But he acknowledged that in the current economic climate, “charity starts at home. As younger generations are struggling to get on the property ladder, families are inclined to leave their money to their children. At the end of the day, I know that family comes first — we have to be realistic.”

Mr Broza has served as chair and trustee of Akim, supporting people in Israel with special needs. As a smaller charity, it had “benefited fantastically” by its association with Jewish Legacy.