By Arik Levine
Moshe shuffled into the back of the Shul. It was frosty and dark outside and he had been busy on his feet the whole day. He sat down on a wooden bench in the back of the Shul resting his weary bones and warming his huddled frame. Moshe looked nervously around, eyeing the mispalelim with a timid and hopeful look.
“Would he be invited to someone’s home to sleep? Would the generous people of this community be able to help him with the funds he needed to marry off his daughters? Times weren’t easy and the season’s trading at the big city didn’t go as planned. He wasn’t a beggar by nature but what can he do? He needed the help of his family – the Jewish community.
A short and stalky Jew approached Moshe and flashed him a round smile that made his eyes and sparkle “Shalom Aleichem Reb Yid! What brings you to town? Do you have a place to stay for the night?” Before Moshe even had a chance to open his mouth in response, the Gabai Tzedakah arranged him lodgings and a warm family with whom to stay.
The Gabbai had Moshe come the next day to the Kahal’s Tzedakah organization, and after hearing his story and plight, a Kahal member took Moshe around to the few wealthy members of the community, who each gave as well as they could, and then after putting together a little bag of coins from the community Tzedaka fund, Moshe went off on his way, his pockets a little less empty and his heart warmed by the generosity of the Jewish community.
•
Moish showed up to a Shteebl in New York, two weeks ago, his coat has seen better days and the cold was bearing into his bones. He quietly entered the back of the shul and made himself a hot cup of coffee to warm himself just a little. He sat on a chair in the corner of the shul, glancing nervously around, looking down at his phone then once again around the shul.
“Will people look in my direction? Will the kind people in the shul be able to help him with the financial troubles he got into paying for his child’s hospitable bills?” He never thought he would end up going around collecting. He used to help others when they came around. Now what would be?
•
Yidden are a kind and loving people and I really hope Moish will get the help that he needed just as Moshele did a few centuries ago. Yet, it may be time for Tzedakah and its institutions to become a biy more organized.
If you daven in a shul or shteebl in NYC (and probably many other places as well), you will see many people from all ages and backgrounds, with various causes and needs, each going around collecting tzedakah.
There is nothing wrong with collecting Tzedakah, and there is something very beautiful about giving and helping our fellow Yidden. Yet, if there was a more organized way for people with real needs to collect tzedkah, this would help many of these people who end up falling through the cracks, get ignored, and leave heartbroken and still very much in need.
When a yid walks into a shul, is there some authority that takes responsibility for them? Is there a bottom-line responsible committee to help the needy in our community? With all the campaigns, organizations, funds, and committees, are we certain that everyone is taken care of?
B”h I am young and clueless, and not have been in a situation where I need the financial support of my community in this way, but I wonder what happens to Moish after he walks by me in shul, and I look down embarrassed, digging my nose into my siddur, because half an hour ago I gave Chaim a ten dollar bill, and I’m not in the position to help everyone.
In the Jewish communities of yesteryear there were community trusts, there were Tzedaka taxes levied on each and every member of the community, and the Tzedaka Mosdos – Hachnosas Kallah, Bikur Cholim, Mosdos Chinuch, etc. etc. would be responsible for caring for each and every member of their community.
I don’t know if that model would work today, but I really hope that people are getting the help they need and that Cha”v no one goes home desperate and forsaken.
And just to be clear, in the meantime, we should continue helping the Yidden we come across, and give generously to the wonderful Mosdos in Crown heights that care for the families that are in need and for our holy brothers and sisters all around the world.
A parnes
You are young and clueless. What we need is to take back jurisdiction of how our own local tax dollars are spent. Simply put we need honest and secure elections that we can audit and verify as thoroughly as the IRS controls us. And we need universal school choice, where each student is allocated the same amount in a designated account that will be left entirely up to the parents to spend only on their kids schooling as they deem fit with no government interference or strings attached. (Ie non of the you must poison your sick kids with the… Read more »
This has been practiced in every Jewish community in Eastern Europe.
It’s also in the Shulchan Oruch.
Are you my Rov?
Open a Shulchan Oruch
He quoted Shulchan aruch
You don’t get to read a shulchan aruch and then decide what someone else should do.
There’s general halacha and specific for the individual.
For you to volunteer what you own is commendable but to confiscate and redistribute from someone else is called theft and is against the shulchan aruch too.
So please go ahead read the shulchan aruch for yourself and be extra medayaik with every halacha like bitul torah loshon hara zman krias shma etc… Before you look to take from what belongs to others.
I didn’t set any policy but only quoted what I learned in the Shulchan Oruch.
If you have an issue with the words I wrote perhaps write a letter to the grave site of Yosef Caro, the author of the Shulchan Oruch.
who?!
no one is forcing anyone to do anything. in sh”u it actually says, we force someone to give tzedaka if he is able to. everyone gains from this idea.
The kesher is that you can’t give what was already stolen from you.
So stop the theft and people will have more to share with others that need.
Pretty simple
The Shulchan Oruch sees it differently and your argument is not with me but the Shulchan Oruch.
The irony of all this is that these taxes existed for 1900 years in the most impoverished communities.
No, the local cheder did not demand the students to be vaxxed.
And the mothers were not expected to have babies AND go to work
We’re speaking actually about the most impoverished communities in history
I really don’t understand the connection here but whatever
yes maybe, but its not a contradiction. we can have both. askanim are working on “your” idea of school choice, will it ever happen? who knows, but a communal tax would be a good idea like it always was in the shtetal.
We are in an abusive relationship with our government and it got so bad that the parasites are killing the hosts they depend on to exist.
That’s the 30000 feet view.
But yes we can keep ignoring the elephant in the room until we are destroyed.
Times have changed
We all are desperately trying to make ends meet.
Unless you are super rich and make upwards of 250000 a year, you will not have enough to pay your tuition and bills to make ends and care for others in the community.
That’s the reality nowadays.
And the people in authority who supposedly run the community are comfortable or blissfully asleep and will never dare stand up for the people if it will ruffle some feathers.
And which king will get the job to collect these taxes AND make sure they’re distributed 100% properly?!?
I’m surprised COL gave space for this nonsense!
The Shulchan Oruch writes about what you term nonsense and every single Jewish community in Eastern Europe had this “nonsense” as well.
They also had real men and real leadership who put the needs of the community first.
Will you arrange to bring that back too?
As of now we have way too many grifters in charge and an endless amount of passive and wimpy men.
Good times make weak men.
Weak men make hard times.
Hard times make strong men.
We just moved to stage 3
Strong men make Good times.
Rinse, wash, repeat. History repeats itself.
Will collect it when we can’t even get on one page and respect our Rabbonim??
I wonder why
The Shulchan Oruch actually has the dinim that apply for this. This existed in every single Shtetl in Eastern Europe. You can read about it in many memoirs and history books about Shtetl life. The taxes covered, among other things, housing, food and free medical care for the poor and the latter for everybody else. Some Shtetelach even paid the doctor’s full salary. To some, this may seem like a socialist agenda, but just remember that some of the good ideas Marxist Jews received from their own backyard. The new Jewish philosophy of charity being voluntary and not coerced is… Read more »
Whoever wrote this is a holy man.
Of course all Jews are holy, but this Jew is even holier.
It’s always easy to decide how to spend someone else’s money for them. Especially when you have no idea how little they have to stretch to cover their own needs.
Super righteous.
Work for and spend your own money and then let’s see how generous you feel. Or tax the overburdened families some more until they crash.
Somebody has absolutely no idea how bad it is for the average working family of 4 kids and more
You have no idea, shulchan aruch addresses that poorer people do have to give tzedaka, in fact are foolish if they give and then themselves have to ask for tzedaka. Obviously if we made a tax, we would follow shulchan aruch …
Taxes on the community are literally in the Shulchan Oruch.
So is lo signov
What a thoughtful person you are!
Are you freaking kidding me? A community tax? We are taxed to our gills and the concept of taxes is absurd.
Besides, who would you trust to run such a program? Our American taxes are spent by corrupt officials to fund wars overseas and buy themselves extravagant lives. Local taxes would be no different.
Get your hands out of our pockets.
How about we get taxed less so we actually have a few extra dollars left over to share with others?
Crown Heights is not one community, it’s a collection of communities. BH there are close to 100 shuls in the greater CH area. Many Shuls have funds for their members. Be part of one and then people will help.
CH is too big to be “one community” like back in the shtetl. A community tax won’t work.
There are many, many shuls, that have such things in place. Join a “community” shul and you will find what you are looking for.
100% CH is like a city which is host to a huge group of communities. When someone is sitting shive or has a baby, there are food trains on WA groups, support etc. The people that fall through the cracks are those that dont necessarily belong to any specific group. In addition, those who daven at 770 or not part of specific community “shuls,” are indeed not part of these thoughtful “communities” and will fall through the cracks when hardships befall them. This needs attention. Isn’t this what the CH council is for? Dont they get central funds for this?… Read more »
If you want to collect money within the community for an outside cause you should need to pay taxes to the community fund.
Not fine the community itself.
Also we need to implement a vetting system for the many individuals that pose as Jews and shnor. The Rov does research, verifies the claim and gives out certificates in other communities. That way people aren’t being deceived by con-artists.
If I’m not mistaken, there are a number of chessed organizations that are functioning and have major budgets. They are helping people and doing a good job of it. To start a ‘new’ organization, initiative or such would take away from them. These organizations provide food help with clothing, medical, simchas and household help to name a few. They are well run and cover most things that people need. In regards to housing help if people need the City helps with One shot deals, welfare and City vouchers which you can get assistance with at several places including but not… Read more »
The schools should stop fundraising and have a central tuition fund. Then if people need scholarships they should apply there. The parents take those dollars to the schools. This helps keep the schools in check.
Or else its business as usual.
This is a good idea. Also cuz the one in charge of distributing to those in need should verify if it is a true case. Many ppl are afraid to give cuz there are so many phonies.
Because of social media we are deluged with organizations and people needing and asking for tzedoka. While all these cases are worthy and needed one can’t give to everything. And personally I give to whom and what I can. I will flat out say I will not contribute to a “community “ tax. As I said I give where and how much I can. We all have our personal places where we give our tzedoka and I am sorry if some people are left out but no one can tell me or force me to give more or to places… Read more »
The Shulchan Oruch says about people with your opinion, Koifin Oisoi, we coerce him to pay the taxes for the community.
Coerce the people on charge. Or the super rich.
It’s not nice what you say, go learn the halachos from the begining first
Is like the story of taxing the stomach (fasting) instead of taxing the eyes mouth (not looking wherr we are not suppossed to, talk bad things).
And besides that, you first have to have a complete functional beis din. Maybe start with that first.
Of course every man according to his means and the poor hardly pay.
Am haratzus is still a thing in Chabad apparently.
Well that’s what’s happening already.
Instead this proposal will create a bureaucracy that will override the individual’s judgement.
Again who should get to decide every man according to his needs?
Compare the difference in spending from what you worked hard to earn yourself or the funds you took from someone else….
Let’s make a deal
I’ll get to collect and spend the taxes
And you’ll be taxed according to my judgement
Then I’m on board with your approach.
All men are equal but some are more equal than others…
We already pay this tax
It’s called tuition
And we can’t afford it
Has nothing to do with helping someone who needs help
Does your money grow unlimited on a tree?
All of mine goes to tuition and I got nothing left for you or even me.
Then you wouldn’t have to pay, or pay a negligible fee.
Remember that these laws were set up by our holy rabbis in the poorest communities, when actual starvation was a fact of life.
I shouldn’t have to pay more than I have for tuition either. And the Rabbonim are responsible to help my child still attend yeshiva but they don’t get involved.
What guarantee will I have that this tax will be any different?
Communism always fails because…
At some point one always runs out of spending someone else’s money…
just to point out because it seems people don’t understand correctly. imagine instead of paying 50k a year on tuition for your 6-10 kids, you would support the community school (like property tax) so an average child you spend a total of 60k in elementary and 60k in yeshiva = 120k x 8 kids = 960k. instead of paying it all in 20 years = 48k a year, you’ll pay it in 60 years (25-85) = 16k a year total tuition. this is just one example. imagine the community had a community owned chasunah hall, with all the necessary things… Read more »
Property taxes are meant to pay for our kids education. How about we reclaim what rightfully belongs to us and use it for our kids?
We need school choice now!
That will free up 50k per person to support the poor.
And take away the gvt ability to use our $ on housing violent criminals and illegals in shelters in our community or educating illegal children in public schools?
Do the math.
You write “B”h I am young and clueless…”. The premises with which you wrote those noble aspirations are faulty. The world that you think you live in is a mirage.
You try to extract a cent in your make-believe tax. You’ll find out quickly why we have the 2nd Amendment
Easy buddy.
Use it only if your life is in immediate danger.
Bh there still are alternative ways to sort out our grievances for now.
Good on you for taking a stand to protect yourself and that which is yours.
But easy buddy. Go easy.
Carry responsibly.
Much love.
The central theme of our community is to build other communities and ask nothing in return We’re very good at it. Yet If we keep sending our resources out we’ll be left with mosdos that don’t have the resources to enliven a lot of our neighbors kids. We accept that Teaching our kids is often a part time gig for young couples looking to go. We accept that B.R has classrooms in coat closets and resource rooms in corridors. That O.T which overall does better, has no resource rooms and a total of 1 person in the resource dept (last… Read more »
Better than the online fundraisers where some get thousands and some dont.
Surely this can and should get implemented.
And after that, we can still do online fundraising.