The Masorti movement has received a grant of €100,000 (£79,000) from the European Union to develop its work in Europe.

The money, from the EU's Lifelong Learning Programme, will be used for projects involving 10 Masorti groups in eight countries: the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Holland and Portugal.

Gill Caplin, the London-based incoming chairman of Masorti Europe, said: "Our communities are all growing and our role is to help them develop in size and knowledge.

"It's given an extra boost to what we are doing."

Rabbi Chaim Weiner, the director of Masorti Europe and the head of the European Masorti Bet Din, estimated that the movement now has up to 10,000 members across the continent, excluding the former USSR.

"We've added three communities in the last year - in Marseilles, Aix-en-Provences and Borehamwood."
He added: "One element that's important to the EU and to us is to use the latest technologies to build joint projects across the distances, across the cultures. One of the requisites is to set up an online presence."