the video got passed around and went somewhat viral and it created quite a stir with different personalities such as Aryeh Deri and Aryeh Erlich, among others, getting involved, donating money and spekaing out against what happened and calling on people to donate..

Inbar Twizer, the journalist who posted the video, later defended herslef, to the onslaught of attacks against because of her video, saying that her husnad had just returned from funerals of six of his friends in miluim who had fallen in battle in Lebanon, and all of them were religious, and these 18 year olds knocked on the door and we had a pleasant conversation  in which we asked them why they have not inducted into the army. If anyone thinks we shamed them, we can agree about one thing - that not inducting into the army at this time - that is definitely something to be ashamed of.

Each and every person has the right to decide to whom to give charity. Nobody is obligated to give to whoever knocks at the door, and if you dont approve of the lifestyle of someone asking for tzedaka, feel free to not donate.

That being said, while you can choose to donate tzedaka or not donate tzedaka to any given person r organization, there is no need to treat people disrespectfully. There is a time and a place for those discussions. Go arrange a meeting between representatives of the various communities and aks the questions and have your discussions. Set up one on one meetings with average young and old haredim and ask your questions about why they do this or that. You should not treat people disrespectfully. Two young men coming to the door for one purpose do not need to be harassed like that and then shamed online. She could have asked them if they serve in the army and upon hearing no she could have chosen to not donate and send them on their way without causing a big stir. 

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

While this isnt relevant to the masses, it is still interesting...

Q: When entering a building to knock on doors for collecting money, is it permitted to turn on the stairwell lights and to use the elevator or is it stealing from the residents? And if permission is asked of one of the residents, is that enough or do all residents need to be asked?

Rav Mazuz was asked if people can use their maaser money to donate towards helping the sldiers - sending tzitzis, tefillin and other holy items, but also for sending food , battery packs, blankets, toilet paper and any other supplies they might need.

Rav Mazuz paskened that it is allowed and a mitzva to donate t the various organizations and for the soldiers. One should not forget and abandon the poor people that one normally donates to, but should also donate for the soldiers. Donate some to the poor and some to the soldiers.

Rav Mazuz continued saying it is a big mitzva to assist, physically and financially, in any way possible to bereaved families and to the soldiers, whether by getting holy items to them, with money or with other necessities, with condolence calls, visiting the injured and sick, and with words of encouragement.

The discussion is basically have we gone to far with creating elaborate "shalachmanos"? Are we spending our money on "the wrong things"? Are we making it more difficult for those less fortunate? How inappropriate can we get? Someone giving that shouldnt but should give more matanot laevyonim. etc.

Whatever the answer is to any of those questions, feel free to send one of those boards my way. I would be honored to be gifted such a mishloach manot.

I am sorry, but this is not driving up the cost of living. Nobody who cannot afford it is going to give this just because someone else gave it. There probably won't even be more than  a few orders of this, and those will likely be high end gvirim giving a gift for business connections and political connections and the like. The rest of us Dovid, Chaim, and Hershels are not going to start giving these boards out to our friends just because some gvir gave this to a business associate. 

People can spend their hard earned money however they like, and while I might hope they are giving equally as generously to matanot laevyonim, that is also their own business, not mine. 

And again, I would be honored to receive such a board.

And I would expect this to come with a years subscription to Mochers Magazine.

Yaya Fink, former MK, currently a lobbyist (I think) and a Labor activist, decided he could not just let the recent attacks on innocent people in Huwara go leaving the world with such a bad impression of Israel, so he created a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the innocent victims in Huwara who had their possessions and properties destroyed by the attacks of the rogue settlers.

I get what he is trying to do and I even sympathize with the campaign in some way. Had it just been a random attack by Jews/Israelis coming basically out of nowhere, I would have nothing to say about this campaign, and maybe I would even make a small donation. In this instance though the attack on Huwara was a direct response to the terror attacks by people from Huwara on Jews in which Jews/Israelis were killed and injured. The people he is raising money for might have been innocent and unfairly attacked but he did not start a campaign for the unfairly attacked innocent civilians on the Israeli side this was in response to, and no Palestinian equivalent created such a campaign either. 

I think in this instance, under these circumstances, raising money for the Palestinian victims was too much, and I am disappointed in Fink

Well, it looks like that legacy of Lakewood is about to be redefined.

A local distillery, Terebelo Disillery, in conjunction with a Michelin chef and Bikur Cholim of Lakewood, has decided to create a world record setting donut for Chanukah that will then be sold at auction with the proceeds going to charity (to the Bikur Cholim organization).

According to Lakewood Alerts, it wont actually be an official world record because when they called Guinness Book of World Records to notify them about the event and to have them come confirm the record (to be called Most Prestigious Donut, in a new category), Guinness told them it would cost $18,000 so they decided not to bother.

So, this magnificent donut that possibly would have set a world record, is designed to measure more than a foot across (diameter, I guess). The donut will have an infusion of the Tebelo Distillery's bourbon custard cream and will be topped off with gold flakes. They say it will be the most luxurious donut in the world.

I dont know, if when you bite into it a glob of red jelly doesnt squirt out all over your shirt I am not sure it counts.

After completed, the donut will be sold at auction, with proceeds going to Bikur Cholim of Lakewood.

While in the past we have said that Chanukah is the only thing about which the term "mehadrin min hamehadrin" is actually used in our holy texts, this donut will bring that to a new level. And I am assuming this donut will be certified kosher.

Rav Mutzafi responded that 99% of people who ask for tzedaka (rg: I guess in the streets rather than people who collect door to door for organizations) are not poor, unless you consider their need to collect money a disease the way an ant collects food.  Further, more than 2/3 of the people collecting spend it on alcohol drugs and other bad things, unfortunately. It is prohibited to give these people money.

source: Kikar

At the end of each flight, the captain announced over the PA system a request that people donate some of their spare change to a specific organization (which I am not naming). The announcement said there would be an envelope in the pouch in front of each seat, but there was no envelope - moments later a flight attendant walked up and down the aisles with a bag for passengers to dump their donations in.

As worthy as that organization is (and it is an organization I have donated to in the past), I was a bit surprised and rankled by the announcement. I really did not need or want El Al to be shnorring from me at that time, at the end of a long, tiring, uncomfortable flight. Even for a great organization. I can give to any organization whenever I want, I do not need El Al's help with that. A lot of money was already paid to El Al - I dont need El Al asking for more, even for just pennies or shekels/agurot. 

I know there is nothing wrong with it, and I know I can just choose not to give, and I know if some people give (and they did) it is a good deed done. But still, I dont like to be solicited to. If I were flying for free, and El Al had sponsorships to cover the cost (like free websites have advertising and whatnot), that would be one thing. But if they are not flying me for free, I don't need or want them to then also shnorr from me.

As they say, time and place.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

People are booking AirBnB rentals in the Ukraine and sending a note that they obviously will not be going there on vacation and staying in the rental but are just booking and paying the rental to show support and send money. All reports I have seen suggest the Ukrainian recipients of this support have been very grateful, some offering to reserve the reservation should the renter want to actually use it after this is all over. It is a very nice gesture and a ccool way to send support.

I would hope that AirBnB will announce that they are waiving their fees at this time for such rentals so the AirBnB owners can get the entire sum as financial support intended for them.

Eli is a genius at finding ways to raise money for his organization

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

After hearing that many of the families are suffering financially, exacerbated by the tragedy, they decided to advance this direct line of assistance. They said they will transfer the money to each family's bank account directly.

Over the past year, they have been behind many initiatives funding health and cultural activities, including putting 3.5 million shekels in funding to assist 700 "behind the scenes" workers in the music industry.

Necht Foundation Spokesperson Nachman Rosenberg is quoted as saying that the Nechts decided on this initiative - as soon as they heard about the tragedy they felt an ethical and Zionistic obligation to find a way to help, and to strengthen the sense of co-responsibility for each other.

Amazing initiative 

Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri put together a plan to assist people in financial need. After some initial hiccups it finally got worked out and the pay cards were sent out to recipients to be used in select stores to help them buy food and grocery items.

The program was funded to the tune of 700million shekels. According to the news, about 200,000 families around the country qualified to receive this support program. Each will receive a different amount loaded onto the card, dependent upon the specific financial situation plus number of family members and their ages.

According to Hamechadesh, residents in Bnei Braq who received the loaded card are upset as to what they discovered. Two issues seem to be upsetting people:

1. in the list of approved stores for using the card are included AM:PM and Tiv Taam. Bother stores are stores that sell treif food and/or are open on Shabbos. Additionally, some of the other stores included in the list are minimarkets that sell at higher prices.

2. They spoke to someone who received the card loaded with 1000nis, and on March 18 it is supposed to be reloaded with more money. The catch is that it will only be reloaded if the first grant of money is used up. So they are complaining about the need to spend 2400nis within just several days.

Regarding the stores, the person quoted in the article "was shocked" to discover that they were given the option of buying in stores that desecrate Shabbos and sell treif. Shocked!

Nobody is making anyone buy food in any specific store. They are given the option to. A "tender" was published and a slew of stores was on the right to sell groceries honoring this card. You don't want to buy in any specific store - don't. Go to a different store. Not only that but for the people of Bnei Braq to buy from AM:PM they would have to go to Tel Aviv to do their shopping. While anyone who chooses to certainly could, it seems like not such a big deal for people who aren't interested.

Deri's response was that it is a tender and those stores are among the many that won the rights. And, there are many non-Jews who received the cards as well and have no problem buying treif or in stores open on Shabbos.

Regarding the issue of how much they have to spend how fast - is that really a problem? Just go shopping twice. It is almost Pesach. It does not seem to me like it would be so difficult to use up all that money on Pesach groceries. As a matter of fact, I am pretty sure it could be really easy and soon they will be complaining that it was not enough money.

Poor people complaining about free money that could be spent in stores they don't go to anyway and that they are being given too much at the point of the year where spending is highest (right before Pesach) seems like "first world problems" to me.

This common belief has led many bochurim collecting money on Purim to dress as avreichim, to bring home the bigger pot.

The question was raised if this "deception" is allowed or not. On Purim can one dress up to appear as an avreich to collect tzedaka knowing that people thinking he is really an avreich will donate more? is this some sort of deception and theft?

Hamechadesh brings a psak on this from many gedolim including Rav Yitzchak Zilbershtein, Rav Shammai Gross, Rav Moshe Klein, and others, and in the name of Rav Chaim Kanievsky, saying that this is allowed. They explain that this is the custom and is acceptable and everyone knows that people are dressing up and they give whether it is a bochur or an avreich. There is no concern of theft by doing this. The qualification of this is that there can be no actual lying - the person collecting cannot say he is an avreich if he is not - he can only dress as an avreich. 

Not only that but Rav Gross added that you can go to the same house multuiple times knowing the donor is generous and gives openly. You cannot lie - if the baalebayis asks if you have already been there, you cannot lie or be a smart aleck - you have to tell the truth, but if he gives without asking and does not notice that he already gave you, that is fine.

The initial issue makes sense to me. It is Purim and people know that the collectors are dressed up and that they don't really know who is behind the costume. The second issue seems strange to me - people might have a dozen or a couple dozen collectors and likely wont recognize them all. If he is giving small amounts, he might not mind, but if he is giving significant donations, he might not want the same person coming a few times to take knowing that he won't be recognized. But that is Rav Gross's psak.

An interesting question was asked of Rav Bentzion Kook, rav and posek in Petach Tikva. According to Kikar, an administrator of a tezdaka fund that supports Torah learning along with widows and orphans presented a question to Rav Kook asking regarding a donation being offered.

the story goes that one of their donors is a local businessman and he has been doing real estate deals in Dubai. During one of his meetings with a Muslim partner in Dubai, he mentioned about this charity fund he donates to and described what they do. The fellow said he would like to donate to the fund as well. The question is if they are allowed to accept a donation from a non-jew?

Kikar reports that Rav Kook paskened that even though the Shulchan Aruch says not to accept charity from a non-Jew, as it makes it seem that the Jews cannot survive without assistance from the non-Jews, and it would only be acceptable in a really tight situation when there really isn't enough Jewish support available, in this case it would be allowed. it is not allowed when the non-Jew intends to actually give charity, but when he is giving for other reasons, such as to create goodwill or for publicity or honor, that is not called charity and the donation can be accepted.

Rav Kook also said that the Jewish activities in Dubai can accept monies form the government there because the government isn't giving it as charity but to show the world they support the Jewish citizens equally, in addition to the fact that the Jews there pay taxes like everyone else and can receive benefits in return and it is as if they are getting their own, Jewish, money back.

Rav Kook felt it important to add that this allowance does not include accepting money from Evangelical Christians, as that is being given with the ulterior motive of missionizing.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------