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Texas Jewish Post: Ask The Rabbi

by Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Dear Readers,


Last week I shared with you some feelings from my recent trip to Israel.


As I sit on the plane en-route back to Dallas, I would like to share with you one more little-known situation in our beloved holy land, which struck my wife and myself very profoundly, and has been haunting us ever since.


The unfortunate situation I am referring to is the abject poverty that so many thousands of Israeli families live in. In Jerusalem alone, tens of thousands live below the poverty line. Add to that the population in Sderot & many other towns in the Negev and elsewhere throughout the country that so many have lost their livelihoods and are subjected to lives of poverty.


On a visit to Chechnov Institutions, one organization which combats this poverty, I heard a bone-chilling recent story. A teacher in one of their schools noticed that a student wasn't performing so well that morning, and seemed hungry. Upon questioning the boy, he answered, innocently, that yesterday it was his turn to have breakfast, and today it was his sister's turn (!).


Unlike widespread rumors that this situation exits only with large hareidi families, the truth is that poverty spans the spectrum of Israeli society, from religious to secular. It exists, to a large degree, in the larger population centers, such as Jerusalem, and is prevalent in many of the smaller development towns.


This caused me to do a lot of thinking about how we American Jews are doing our spending, the many luxuries we enjoy, and lavish weddings, when so many of our brethren are literally starving. Even with regards to many of our philanthropic expenditures, donations that are directed to myriad good and important causes, perhaps need to be reevaluated. Would I, in good conscience, give my dollars to an arts or music center if I knew that my brother in Cleveland just lost his job and doesn’t have food on the table for himself, his wife and children?


The Talmud says that if one is faced by two situations of poverty, one is a Jew in his own city, and the other resides in a different city, “Aniyei Ircha Kodmim”, meaning that one’s own city takes precedence. The halachic authorities, however, have ruled that the poor of Israel are considered “Aniyei Ircha”, as the poor in one’s own city.
In times like those that we live in, surrounded by dangers and threats to the survival of Israel, including proclamations to wipe it off the map Heaven forfend, this is a special time to perform acts of chesed, loving kindness, and tzedaka.



One could contact the Jewish Federation and see how to have a donation earmarked for the poor in Israel.


In addition, my family and I personally have visited two institutions in Israel who are doing wonderful work in fighting poverty and provided the basics for poverty stricken families. Chechnov Institutions, which provides education for over 1000 children of all ages, also provides them with food, many of whom only eat what they receive in school for the day. In addition, they help these children with shoes, reading glasses, in short, anything they see the students need. In addition, they run a food kitchen which provides hundreds of families weekly with Shabbat meals and more. They can be reached at tschechnov@neto.bezeqint.net, and will send English brochures and CDs illustrating their work.


The other is Yad Eliezer, a fabulous, award winning institution providing food pantries, kitchens and multiple additional services for Israeli men, women and children in need, in cities and towns throughout Israel. I have spent time with its founder and volunteers, and am so impressed. I recommend looking them up at www.yadeliezer.org.
Although we can’t change the situation overnight, every person we help makes a huge difference to that person!


Rabbi Yerachmiel D. Fried, noted scholar and author of numerous works on Jewish Law, philosophy and Talmud, is founder and dean of DATA, the Dallas Kollel. Questions can be sent to him at yfried@sbcglobal.net.

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