There is no better way to help achieve positive results in my own problems, issues, and personal struggles than by helping others first.

Rarely do I make public appeals for tzedaka. I am myself, overwhelmed with the number of people that need help. However, recently these very important cases have come to my attention and from very reputable sources. Do I need to go into the details?

Well here are the basic issues. A young women with two small kids abandoned by her husband. A family whose main breadwinner can’t find any clients. A Jewish couple from that cannot afford a wedding.

All tzedakah is tax deductible, and you just give them your credit card over the phone. Please Call: 888 MITZVOS
Please mention that the donation is for the attention of Mrs. Maschinsky so I can direct your donations towards these causes.

May the merit of our tzedakah help those in need of healing, recovery, and rescue.

About the author

Rabbi Yonah

12 Comments

  • G-d bless you Rabbi Yona. People don’t think there is real poverty in our community at large.

    I remember when I was unemployed for one year, on Purim someone came to my door and handed me $400 in cash. It was such an uplifting moment, not only for the needed funds, but the fact that someone cared.

    I am preparing to give to this organization that I quoted funds right before Purim, if not this full amount then over the next couple of years or less.

    I will also send to this post of the Grand Rabbi.

  • There is an organization called Easy Wed or Easywed in Israel.

  • Steve, whats the name of the organization that helped u ?

    Rabbi Yonah,

    Do they have a website or something ?

  • Nope, they are totally off the radar. I have worked with them for sevreal years now, and it is an amazing group. Kupath Ezra of Monsey, and they help many many many people from all walks of life.

  • I was helped by Project Ezrah. After I was still getting emails regarding various shleppy types of temp work, I told them they could take me off the emails now. Then the director sent me a personal letter of congratulations.

  • We went through a very rough time several years ago when the tech sector experienced a huge upheaval. I hate to say it, but the Jewish community where we then lived acted like our sudden loss in income might be contageous and kept their distance. The shul offered to give us a slight dues abatement, but we had to submit to a lengthy financial review by the entire board and financial committee. It would’ve been the same as publishing it in the monthly bulletin.

    Chabad stepped in in whatever ways they could- we got grocery certificates which kept our shelves stocked with essentials.

    The Jewish employment sites at that point in time were abysmal. No matter what qualifications you had, you received email replies from no one but pyramid schemes.

    We moved, and our new community was a bit better. They took us without expecting dues (but we volunteered like crazy). As far as job help, initially everyone acted, again, like our situation might be contageous. A few people would ask every week, “soooooo… how’s it goin’?” and then let it drop. The kids’ orthodox dayschool, thankfully, accepted our volunteer work in lieu of tuition; the schechter school told us that the board might take 10% off of the $12K per kids tuition if we groveled succesfully.

    Ultimately, things turned upwards for us. My husband & I are both gainfully employed in our chosen fields, but we’ve got a lot of ground to make up financially. We’re just beginning to find out that there are others we know that went through similar circumstances, but we had no idea, at the time, that we weren’t alone. Because Jews feel shame in not being able to provide for themselves and their community. Through this all- believe it or not- the Federation was sending us reminder notices and phone calls because we hadn’t paid up the amout that they’d automatically pledged for us based on our previous contributions— the chutzpah!

    The message here is- there’s need in most Jewish communities. It might be obvious, or it might be right under your nose and you don’t see it. Be generous with empathy, with help in whatever way is possible- and especially with job leads.

  • No you weren’t alone. I went thru the exact process. I simply told the shule that there wasn’t going to be any money. They aren’t going to throw you out no way. Don’t pay attension to the Federations. I still to tell you the truth have to struggle for alot of things but at least I have my foundation back.

    The schools were ok not great. For the year I was in, they would not make any reductions, but for the next Sept. they did a substantial job for us.

    The point is, that you cannot have the expectation that your chosen profession will always be as accomodating as it is when things are fine.

    You have to adapt to changing times is the message. Dopey web sites, blogs, adsense, all that crap, just do it.

    What I would like to see if the community could provide real job retraining for the tech sector but it;’s not happening.

    Also we need more mentoring and coaching programs.

    Coaches are a great thing, but they are pretty expensive, $150/hr. Maybe it’s worth it, but it’s a hard bill to undertake for alot of folks.

  • They aren’t going to throw you out no way.

    Maybe in most (sane) parts of the world! Our kids’ dentist was the president of the temple (yes, it was reform- only game in that particular town). Without asking me for approval, he went ahead and surface-coated all the kids’ teeth at a routine checkup. Not covered by insurance: $30/ tooth times 3 kids. You can only imagine.

    I refused to pay on the grounds that I’d never approved the procedure- so he brought in his collections attorney, who just happened to be the temple’s treasurer. If you think regular bill collecters are bad… He finally gave up when I threatened legal action of my own, including an investigation of the dentist’s practices in these matter- he was only picking on us because he knew we were vulnerable. Nice mensch-like behavior, huh? What a synogogue board!

  • There are free-exchange, free-stuff, groups at the back of the Jewish newspaper called Hamodia. These groups are called Gemachs. What you have, you give to the gemach, free. If you need, you contact the gemach and they give it to you. I have no direct personal experience of this. I just saw it in the newspaper.

    Wedding gowns, suits, clothes, wigs, furniture, pretty nearly everything.

    The Salvation Army stores and thrift shops have wedding gowns. Anybody can made a bridal veil out of a some yards, say, eight or nine yards, of the inexpensive netting called Bridal Illusion. Lace by the yard costs a little more.

  • GREAT farewell post over there Middle. He then called you an agreived acctress. Would u believe he banned me from his site? and i was only posting like you were. Now at least I know that I am not crazy. thanks middle.