One of the largest Chasidic groups has mounted an international campaign to raise £4 million in a single day in aid of its educational institutions in Israel.

The leaders of Belz appealed to supporters across the world to contribute during a 30-hour campaign launched on Monday afternoon.

They said the institutions were in an “extremely precarious financial position”, which was “largely due to the current volatile world economic situation, which is particularly so in Israel, where the financial conditions are especially tough”.

One Belz leader in Britain said he had undertaken to raise £36,000 before the Tuesday evening deadline.

Emails sent to potential contributors linked to a Dropbox account which contained a short video showing Belz schools and yeshivot.

The Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, is based in Jerusalem, where the group runs the largest synagogue in Israel with room for 10,000 worshippers.

It has branches across the world including Europe and North America and in the UK runs schools in London and Manchester.