by Avi Loewenstein 2011-12 Roots & Branches Foundation member Tzedakah, charity inspired by the pursuit of justice, is a tradition of Judaism on par with matzo ball soup, movies on Christmas Eve and the struggle of standing through the concluding service on Yom Kippur. In Sunday school, we dutifully dropped our coins into tin tzedakah boxes, and we learned that the giving of tzedakah is a mitzvah, a good deed. Drawing on this tradition, one of the very few rules governing Roots & Branches Foundation is that the grants that we make, our tzedakah, must be "primarily Jewish in nature." We were told that we must decide for ourselves what this means, and that our goal for our first few meetings was to answer this question. However, this is a deceptively difficult question to … Continue Reading
Nine Artists Reimagine Tzedakah Box for 21st Century
American Jewish World Service (AJWS) has announced the nine finalists for its design competition focused on philanthropy and social change. Where Do You Give? challenged artists to create a 21st century icon inspired by the values and imagery of the traditional Jewish tzedakah box. In March, AJWS invited the general public to vote on 70 Where Do You Give? submissions. The organization collected over 8,500 votes online and announced the three “People’s Choice” winners on its website earlier this month. Following the public voting process, a panel of judges from the arts, design and Jewish communities met to select the six remaining finalists. Each of the nine finalists will receive a $250 prize and will be featured in a national mobile tour hosted in galleries, synagogues and various … Continue Reading
What Jewish Philanthropy Means To Me
by Patti Vile I have seen some amazing acts of philanthropy because of my organization, Volunteer Expeditions. Well over 40 groups will have traveled to rebuild New Orleans by the end of this year - which means close to 1200 volunteers! These groups come from all over the nation and the majority are Jewish. Others have drastically different backgrounds, yet they unite in a spirit of philanthropy. Recently, I had the pleasure of leading two separate synagogue youth groups on volunteer vacations to New Orleans. The participants, 18 and younger, were completely committed to helping those less fortunate. Many teens have trouble focusing on a “tweet” for more than a few seconds, but these dedicated volunteers spent many full days cooking meals for the homeless, clearing fields, insulating and … Continue Reading
On Generosity and Giving
by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein This morning a man came down the crowded subway, collecting money for the homeless. I’ve seen him before; this is part of his regular beat. He usually ends his pitch by reminding the passengers that homelessness doesn’t only happen to “others.” A lost job, a house fire, a death in the family can be enough to tip the balance. He is pretty persuasive and more people give to him than to some of the other people asking for money in the New York subway. I wonder what it is about this man that makes him such an effective tzedakah collector. Is it because, unlike other panhandlers, he is asking on behalf of other people? Or is it because he taps in to the underlying worry inside many subway passengers: could I become homeless? I suspect that the latter reason is … Continue Reading
What Would Rambam Think About Everyone Using His Ladder?
by Robert Lichtman Thanks to Dawne Bear Novicoff and Adene Sacks who posted their thoughts about the value-added of philanthropic advisors (What Would Rambam Think About DonorsChoose.org?). I am not such an advisor, but I do believe that making significant investment decisions that impact our future is not a DIY activity. Theirs is a complex argument which they attempted to frame using Rambam’s handy-dandy Tzedakah Ladder. If you don’t know what that is, your philanthropic advisor does. And the extent to which is it applied or misapplied is the issue. According to the famous hierarchy of giving habits and attitudes developed by Rambam in the 12th century and still hyper-relevant today, the highest form of tzedakah-giving is when one helps a person out of poverty or joblessness with a … Continue Reading
Everyone is a Philanthropist
[eJP note: AJWS recently launched Where Do You Give? - a conversation about where, why and to whom American Jews donate money. This is cross-posted from their blog.] by Erika Davis How do you make giving meaningful? Tzedakah, the Jewish commitment to righteous giving, is something that most people are familiar with. Tzedakah boxes are things of childhood memory for many Jews, except me. I tithed. Growing up with a Baptist mother, a Methodist father and educated in Catholic schools, the idea of giving charity was not lost on me. I can remember my mother reaching into her pocket book every Sunday morning to fish out crisp dollar bills for my sister and I to put in the collection plate that was passed around. I don’t remember what it felt like to put that money in the shiny gold plate, because … Continue Reading
Tzedakah: Kindness by Choice
by Emily Goldberg Life is unpredictable. Some days, we experience the blessings that life has to offer, varying from successes, new opportunities, and happiness. For most days, we can consider ourselves quite lucky when reflecting on the positive gifts that we receive, such as good health, fortune, shelter, and family. Despite the fluctuating economy, many of us are still able to return home each day with a guaranteed hot meal on the table and a stable roof over our heads. Dining at elegant restaurants is not a financial sacrifice for many, and being surrounded by family and friends is just another aspect of life. On those days, we can afford a perfect world. Other days, however, are not as fantastic. Economic failures, destructive hurricanes, divorces, and illnesses can enter our lives … Continue Reading
The Power of the Global Pushke
by Juan Mejia Rabbi Yehuda Hannasi said in Pirke Avot: “Be careful in performing a light mitzvah as a weighty one, for you know not the reward of each mitzvah.” In the area of philanthropy we could render his thought thusly: “Be mindful of small gifts as well as of big gifts, for you know not the impact of each gift.” Small gifts, which have the potential of being overlooked, end up silently building the lion´s share of American philanthropy, not only in the Jewish world but in the non-Jewish world. The collection platter or, in our own Jewish context, the Pushke (with its new virtual incarnations) is the mighty yet unsung hero in the world of philanthropy. Yet, in a world, in which givers are ever more increasingly controlling on where their giving goes, how can the Pushke (anonymous, … Continue Reading
Helping Funders Make Good Decisions
by Amy Rabbino Helping funders make good decisions is not just a grant-making transaction. As an adviser to philanthropic families, I’ve come to learn that effective philanthropy has a double bottom line: donor satisfaction and impact for the greater good. Key to successful relationships with philanthropists is a significant investment in listening and engaging the donor (or donor family) in a process that elicits the donor’s personal objectives and motivations for giving. Beyond any expertise in specific areas, analytic insight, vision, or conviction, listening may be the most important skill for an adviser to philanthropists.(1) While the obligation of tzedakah is deeply felt by many donors, donor satisfaction also plays a motivating and self-reinforcing role. While that satisfaction is, … Continue Reading
Shattering Stereotypes: The Newest Philanthropists
by Rachel Levenson In “Rethinking American Jewish Giving,” Larry Moses leaves the reader with important questions about how to reconcile the differences between traditional concepts of tzedakah and the more modern American model of philanthropy. Tzedakah, as Moses reminds us, is a commandment required of all Jews - even those who are receiving help. But most Jewish communal philanthropic organizations (such as federations) have typically operated like a club reserved for an elite group of people with money. The list of people making the most important communal decisions often reads like a “who’s-who” directory of individuals with impressive resumes and/or the potential to be big donors. Although young Jews are taught about their obligation to help others, Jewish communal grant … Continue Reading
English