Local RBS Tzedaka: corrupting the words of Rav Kanievsky

With Purim knocking on our doors, along with all the yeshiva boys the past few days collecting for their various yeshivas, we have all been deluged with emails, signs, posters, flyers in our mailboxes, notices in the shuls, paper plates on the shul bimas, advertisements, etc. telling us to donate our Matanos L'Evyonim to this or that organization, this or that poor person, this or that Tzedaka fund, the poor of this or that city.

When Rabbi Perlstein and the gabbaim of the Kupa shel Tzedaka of RBS A went last week to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Steinman, and Rav Lefkowitz, and discussed the cherem on Shefa Shuk and its ramifications for the Kupa, they also were there to get a bracha and haskama for the Kupa shel Tzedaka of RBS A.

Now, I have no idea what transpired when they were there. I was not there, and I have not heard firsthand any accounts...

I also have no idea why they should need to go to Rav Kanievsky and the others to get their haskama and a declaration that we should be giving them tzedaka. They are a local Kupa, with the supervision of local Rabbonim along with the longstanding bracha and approval of other national Rabbonim and gedolim. Why should they all of the sudden feel the need to go to Rav Kanievsky and get a declaration that we should give them our tzedaka?

Ok, but they felt the need to go get Rav Kanievsky's bracha adn declaration. The result of that meeting can be seen on posters displayed around RBS A.... and below:
Now, I was not there and can therefore not quote Rav Kanievsky. All I have to go on is the sign itself. In the sign there is a discrepancy between the Hebrew, which seems to be a quote from the letter written, or at least signed, by Rav Kanievsky, and between the English, which is what the sponsor of the poster is telling us to do as a result of the declaration of Rav K.

The Hebrew reads (excerpts really), (my translation) "It behooves you to give precedence to the poor of your neighborhood, and to donate to the local Kupa Shel Tzedaka of RBS A before giving to the poor of other cities."

Now, I suspect the need for this was because the Kupa saw all the posters and flyers from charities from all over the country, though mostly from Bnei Braq and Jerusalem, with declarations from various gedolim saying each one was the best for mattanos l'evyonim. The Kupa must have felt people would give precedence to these charities over the local ones, and therefore got Rav K to say that the local Kupa has priority over the ones from other cities.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky has no idea who Lemaan Achai is, what they do, or that they even exist. I would guess the same is true of another local charity called the "Kupa shel Tzedaka of Mishkenos Yaakov". Nobody told Rav Kanievsky about them, so he has no knowledge of them.

So, the Kupa managers, who sponsored and put up the signs around the neighborhood, then took Rav Kanievsky's declaration and gave us instructions for our tzedaka based on his words. But they do not fit with what he said (or wrote).

the instructions given to us are, "Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita instructs all residents of RBS A to give preference to the local Kupa shel Tzedaka when giving their mattanos L'evyonim."

But that is not true, and all I have to go on what the Kupa showed us. Maybe the Kupa spoke to Rav K and told him about other organizations and Rav K said the Kupa is better, but the Kupa did not quote that for us, so I assume it did not happen.
The Kupa quoted for us from Rav Chaim Kanievsky that the local Kupa has preference over the poor of OTHER CITIES. Not over other local kupot tzedaka, such as Lemaan Achai and Kupa shel Mishkenos. Rav K does not even know about the existence of the other kupot tzedaka, and he did not say the Kupa has preference over them.

This is another example of misleading, or even false, advertising to get us to give our tzedaka money to one over the other.

If they were going to do this, they could have at least arranged Rav Kanievsky to give a bracha to anyone who donates to them, just like the other Kuppot Rav Kanievsky signs off on promise. At least then, people would be getting a bracha out of the deal. but they did not even do that.

No poor person should be hurt or missed on Purim, or any other time, because of false advertising. The poor of the Kupa need our tzedaka, just as the poor of Lemaan Achai need it and the poor of Mishkenos need it. The poor of RBS A need it.
Let us support all our organizations fairly, each person according to his preferences as to how his tzedaka money should be used, and not allow misleading advertisements to sway us that one is better than the other.
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UPDATE:
The Kupa has issued a clarification (not through me, but I saw it and am therefore posting it)

The signs that were hung up regarding Rav Chaim Kanievsky Sh'lita urging
everyone to give to the Kuppah Shel Tzedakah were intended (and actually
state EXPLICITLY in the Hebrew) to urge people to give to their local
"Kuppah" before giving to the "national" non-local Kuppahs (whose signs are
plastered all over the country).

The message has absolutely nothing to do with giving to Lemaan Achai, which
of course is just as local as Kuppah Shel Tzedakkah RBS A.