In celebration of AJWS’s “Where Do You Give” Design Competition, and in honor of the successful slew of “Sh** People Say” videos, we present: Sh** Jews Say About Philanthropy… brought to you by members of the AJWS staff: “Yes, dear, it has to be in multiples of 18.” “I shouldn’t talk about it on Shabbos, but…” “Is …
Read More
Originally posted on Pursue: Action for a Just World and cross-posted on eJewishPhilanthropy. How do you make giving meaningful? Tzedakah, the Jewish commitment to righteous giving, is something that most people are familiar with. Tzedakah boxes are things of childhood memory for many Jews, except me. I tithed. Growing up with a Baptist mother, a …
Read More
As 2011 comes to a close, we’re making a case for giving to AJWS at the end of the year. So, without further ado, here are the top five reasons to give a year-end tax-deductible gift to AJWS today: 1. Your generous contribution will change the lives of some of the world’s most marginalized people. In …
Read More
Originally posted on the blog of Where Do You Give? September 1997: I am sitting with my family on the soft, beige carpet in the family room ready to begin our annual tradition. Index cards are lined up in front of us: “Hunger in Africa” “Literacy in America” “Homelessness in Mountain View, CA.” My parents …
Read More
Originally posted on the Global Circle blog. In a recent Wall Street Journal article about best (and worst!) tips for organizations soliciting money, philanthropy experts recommended many of the practices that we live by every day at AJWS. The article recommends that charities start working with donors at a younger age. This is the heart …
Read MoreThis week’s Dvar Tzedek was originally published in 2009. Parashat Shmini juxtaposes two sacrifices, both offered to God by Israelites in the desert and both summoning Divine fire, but with tragically different consequences. The first series of sacrifices was offered by Aaron and his sons and was rewarded: “the Presence of the Lord appeared to …
Read MoreParashat Vayakhel-Pekudei describes the first major public construction project of the Jewish people—the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The text emphasizes the truly communal nature of the project as the Israelites freely donated the construction materials—gold, silver, yarn, linen, animal skins, acacia wood, etc. In fact, the Israelites contributed so enthusiastically that they amassed a surplus of materials and Moses had to ask them to stop bringing donations.
Read MoreParashat Vayakhel-Pekudei describes the first major public construction project of the Jewish people—the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The text emphasizes the truly communal nature of the project as the Israelites freely donated the construction materials—gold, silver, yarn, linen, animal skins, acacia wood, etc. In fact, the Israelites contributed so enthusiastically that they amassed a surplus of materials and Moses had to ask them to stop bringing donations.
Read MoreIn the midst of its long series of laws and ethical prescriptions, Parashat Mishpatim includes one verse that has sparked a millennia-old debate about how to prioritize charitable giving. The debate—which has been characterized as one about particularism vs. universalism—continues today, not only in Jewish circles but also in the pages of The New York Times. Scholars and individuals alike wonder whether one has a stronger obligation to care for one’s own family, friends, neighbors or “tribe” or whether one is equally compelled to care for every person in need, regardless of who or where that person is.
Read MoreThis week’s Dvar Tzedek was originally published in 2008. At the Passover seder, we narrate the story of our slavery as a real-time autobiography, as if we are, at that moment, experiencing the Exodus from Egypt. Eating bitter herbs and crunching matzah, we identify with our Israelite ancestors, a nation of slaves on the other …
Read More