The Forgotten Impoverished Jews

The Forgotten Impoverished Jews

Written by: Jonathan Israel

Recently a well known Christian pastor and television evangelist in Branson, Missouri, began his church service with his congregation affirming Jesus provides each member with a bigger house and a new automobile.  The congregation further professed they are wealthy, they have no lack of money, they eat the best of foods, wear the finest apparel, etc.

It’s true that America is the most prosperous nation in the world.  While we have our share of indigent and homelessness, most Americans have preeminent cars, comfortable homes, and supermarkets to buy most anything they desire.  There are restaurants on every street corner.  In most major cities charitable organizations provide the homeless three hot meals a day.  This is truly a blessed nation.  Unfortunately, the more wealth Americans accumulate, the more they lust after.  Even our most respected churches are embedded with an outrageous spirit of greed.

As American press in for more wealth, and luxurious houses, we have forgotten the most vulnerable people in this nation and around the world: the impoverished Jews.  For example, America has nearly seventeen million impoverished children that, each and every night, go to bed hungry.  Their tiny bellies are famished and wanting for something as simple as a piece of fruit.  This should not be so.  Not in America.

Famine is not just restricted to impoverished American children, it rages throughout the world.  Impoverished Jews in Siberia are literally starving to death.  They live in shanty shacks; have no fuel for heat, no medical assistance, and no money to survive on.  They are in desperate need of our financial support.  They are the forgotten impoverished Jews.  America cannot sit idly by as our beloved Jewish brothers and sisters encounter their greatest suffering of hunger and starvation since WW11.   We must act now, without our immediate intervention the Jewish elderly, children, and families will die. 

You and I are the key to their deliverance.  We are their only hope for survival.  Here are few Jewish charities that provide some relief to impoverished Jews throughout the world.  http://www.jnf.org  http://www.wjr.org.uk   http://www.chaicancercare.org (for medical assistance)  www.ifcj.org   http://www.yadeliezer.org (Helps impoverished Jews in Israel)

The above list is just a small account of Jewish charities.  There are many more that are provided through a google search in your area.  Your intervention to rescue a Jewish man, woman, child from starvation is urgently requested.  Act now by contacting one of the reputable Jewish charities listed above.  The scripture says, “I will bless those that bless you…” 

Shalom

Jonathan Israel

This Simply Should Not Be - By Rabbi Eckstein

The following article by Rabbi Eckstein is a reprint from International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.  www.ifcj.org  Please read its entirety.

Thomas Cain

This op-ed from Rabbi Eckstein appeared in the Christian Post on April 19, 2012

On January 27, 1945, when the Russian army marched into the notorious Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, even the battle-hardened soldiers were appalled at what they saw. Surviving prisoners so emaciated that they resembled walking skeletons came toward the troops weeping with gratitude. Years later, one solider described the scene: "When I saw the people, it was skin and bones. They had no shoes, and it was freezing. They couldn't even turn their heads, they stood like dead people … I was shocked, devastated."

It was the beginning of the end of one of the darkest chapters in human history, the Holocaust, during which more than ten million people died, including six million Jews. While Jews had endured pogroms (organized massacres) and oppression before, the Nazi’s attempt to exterminate the Jewish people was unparalleled in scale and brutality. In some countries, including Poland, Greece, and Lithuania, the Jewish community was virtually wiped out. The effects of this cruel, systematic attempt to destroy European Jewry linger to this day, and will for generations to come, in the collective memory of the Jewish people.

Beginning this Wednesday at Sundown, Israel and Jewish communities worldwide remember the Holocaust on Yom Ha’Shoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. For two minutes throughout Israel, sirens sound, and the entire country comes to a standstill – all work comes to a halt, people walking down the street stop in their tracks, and cars stop in the road, their drivers exiting to stand in silent remembrance. It is a powerful display of national unity that not only honors the memory of those murdered in the Holocaust, but reaffirms Israel's identity as a strong and proud Jewish nation, one committed to ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust are never repeated.

While the United Nations chose the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz for its annual Holocaust remembrance, it is fitting that Israel’s Yom Ha’Shoah was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, when Jews banded against the Nazis in the occupied Polish capital in a noble, though futile, attempt to drive out their oppressors. Thus, on Yom Ha’Shoah, we commemorate both the tragedy of the Holocaust and the proud spirit of Jewish self-determination that grew out of its horrors a spirit that found its ultimate expression in the formation of the state of Israel in 1948.

The Jewish state provided a refuge for many who managed to escape Nazism. Today, there remain nearly 200,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel. Incredibly, sixty thousand of these individuals live under the poverty line. This simply should not be. There are many organizations, including my organization, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, working to alleviate the plight of these people who, having survived the scourge of Nazism, now live with the scourge of poverty. We honor those who died in the Holocaust not just by remembering them and telling their stories to new generations, but by honoring those who survived – by feeding them, clothing them, and letting them remember they are not alone.

By our modern standards, the Holocaust sometimes feels like ancient history. We like to think we have progressed, and that the threat of another Holocaust is remote. But we are continually reminded that the hatred of Jews simply because they are Jews – what Catholic scholar Edward Flannery once called the “longest and deepest hatred of human history” – persists. We see it in Toulouse, France, where a terrorist recently murdered four people, including three children, at a Jewish school. We see it in Ukraine, where a 25-year-old Jewish student was severely beaten during Passover. And we see it on a global scale in the words and actions of the radical Islamist government in Iran, which vows to wipe the “Zionist regime” – the Jewish state of Israel – off the map, and is pursuing nuclear capabilities to make its dream a reality.

In 1986, Jewish author Elie Wiesel, himself a Holocaust survivor, told of his resolve after the Holocaust: "I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation," he said. “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." Let us never be silent about what happened during the Holocaust, and let us be ever vigilant against its recurrence. And, let us remember those who endured, and survived, horrible suffering during the Holocaust. May we commit to helping them live out their lives with a measure of peace and dignity; after what they have endured, they deserve no less.

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President

April 18 Begins Yom Hashoah

April 18, begins Yom Hashoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The Nazis murdered six million Jews for no other reason than they were Jews.  Jews and non-Jews must never forget this terrible atrocity against the Lord’s chosen people.  On April 18^th the tradition is to light a candle in remembrance of the Holocaust.  It also a day that reminds us that we shall “never forget” as well as taking a stand that “never again” shall we allow such atrocities to take place against the Jews. 

Worldwide, anti-Semitism is on the rise.  Anti-Semitism is hatred toward the Creator and His chosen people.  The Creator told His people, “I will bless those that bless you; I will curse those that curse you.”  Are you looking to be blessed?  If so, reach out to an impoverished Jewish family, and support them within your means to do so.  By performing this act of benevolence, the Lord said, “You will find favor with God; you will find favor with man.”

As we being Yom Hashoah, let us take precious time to pray for the thousands of elderly survivors of the holocaust.  The tragedy they experienced must never be repeated, nor shall we allow such misanthropy to reign over His chosen people again.  Rescue My Chosen People has vowed a helping hand to impoverished Jews, wherever they are, by providing much needed information on reputable Jewish charities that cope with their particular concerns.  For your convenience you will find numerous Jewish charities on RMCP’s blog.  As you search out the charity that is worthy of your donation, please be generous.

Thomas Cain

Happy Easter to Our Christian Friends

Happy Easter to our Christian Friends, especially to those who have supported impoverished Jewish families around the world.  To you, Rescue My Chosen People, we are grateful for your benevolence to our Jewish brothers and sisters.  I pray this sacred celebration will be a blessed one for you and your families.

Happy Easter

Thomas Cain

Last Chance Before Passover

The below message comes from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews.  www.ifcj.org  Time is running out to help impoverished Jews before Passover.  There are only a few days left.  Please read Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein’s message.

Thomas Cain

Message from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein:

Passover is now only days away and there are still desperately needy people in both Israel and the former Soviet Union looking for your help.

People like Veronika — a precious little eight-year-old girl whose young life has been filled with misery and unending hardship.

Veronika is not only growing up in appalling poverty, but she also suffers from diabetes that requires costly daily medication. Her mother earns only $137 a month, and the family is facing eviction from their dilapidated apartment in Kiev, Ukraine.

To keep food on the table, Veronika’s mother depends on food packages from The Fellowship, especially during this holy time of year when she so desperately wants to give Veronika a chance to experience Passover with dignity.

My friend, there are so many Jewish people, like Veronika and her family, who are living in shocking poverty right now. They cannot even afford life’s basic necessities, much less the special foods, such as matzah, that are needed to celebrate the Passover Seder.

Your gift to our Fill the Pantry Passover food campaign will be a tremendous blessing. With your help we can reach out to thousands of orphaned and abandoned Jewish children who need to know that there is someone who cares, to elderly women and men — including Holocaust survivors — who are isolated and alone, and to impoverished Jewish families who otherwise will be unable to observe the holy Passover Seder.

Please give to our Fill the Pantry Passover food campaign today and bring comfort to these suffering souls. The bible tells us “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance” (Exodus 12:14).

If you’ve already made a gift, then please accept my heartfelt gratitude. But, if you haven’t yet donated, or can make an additional gift to help these desperately needy people, then please make a generous contribution today.

With prayers for shalom, peace,

Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein
President

PS
   
With Passover now only three days away, there is very little time left to fill these much needed Passover Food Boxes and distribute them to the most needy including families, orphans and the elderly. Please help us reach out to them by making a special Passover gift to The Fellowship today.

List of Jewish Charities Published by Jewish Magazine

The following article comes for Jewish Magazine www.jewishmag.com.  It is a compilation of Jewish charities that list Jewish nonprofit organizations with their specialties in providing for impoverished Jews, worldwide.  It also describes what to look for in checking on said charities.  This article was published on their website in 2004.  Rescue My Chosen People believe this list will be a benefit in deciding which charity is appropriate for your particular needs.

Thomas Cain

From Jewish Magazine www.jewishmag.com 2004

"When in a settlement in the land that G-d your Lord is giving you, any of your brothers is poor, do not harden your heart of shut your hand against your needy brother. Open your hand generously…make every effort to give him, and do not feel bad about giving it, since G-d your Lord will then bless you in all your endeavors, no matter what you do. The poor will never cease to exist in the land, so I am commanding you to open your hand generously to your poor and destitute brother in your land." Dvarim (Deuteronomy 15:7-11)

We spoke with Suzanne Coffman, Director of Communications at Guide Star, the National Database of Nonprofit Organizations, which maintains an online database on thousands of non-profit organizations based on their IRS filings.

"If you find a charity on Guide Star, at the very least, it is a legitimate organization," says Coffman. However, she cautions this newspaper that you cannot infer that an organization is fraudulent simply because it is not included in their database. "For instance," she tells us, "faith-based organizations are not required to register with the IRS, so they wouldn't be on our website." She advises people considering donating to a synagogue or a Jewish educational center to ask to see their IRS Letter of Determination, a form excluding them from filing certain forms those other charities must file annually.

"One of the ways we recommend to see if an organization is on the up-and-up," adds Coffman, "is to look at their mission statement and the specificity of their programs and ask yourself how verifiable it is. Look out for organizations that are vague in the way they describe their programs and purposes, and how they will accomplish them."

If you are approached by an unfamiliar charity, check it out. Most states require charities to register with them and file annual reports showing how they use donations. Also, beware of sound-alikes. Some crooks try to fool people by using names that are very similar to those of legitimate, well-known charities. The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, which reports on charities and other soliciting organizations, offers free "Charity Reports" on their website, www.give.org.

Like Guide Star, the list of charities evaluated are not exhaustive, especially those whose primary operations are in Israel. If you seek to verify the authenticity of a local charity that solicits regionally, contact the local Better Business Bureau. Often, the Better Business Bureau points out, the best source of information is from the charity itself. You can contact the organization directly and request a copy of its most recent annual report and IRS Form 990. There, you can find out how much of the money it receives goes toward its stated mission and how much goes toward executive salaries, fundraising and administrative costs.

Or, if an appeal for funds from an unfamiliar charity makes its way into your mailbox, you can also contact the government office responsible for registering charities in your state. Most State Attorney General's Offices have a local charity registration division. "Beware of appeals that bring tears to your eyes, but tell you nothing of the charity or what it is doing about the problem it describes so well," offers the Better Business Bureau in its tip sheet for avoiding charity scams.  Who says there is no business like the fundraising business?

Did you know that Presidents and Executive Vice Presidents of Local Jewish Federations earn, on average, $300,000 a year, not including benefits or bonuses. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, dubbed The Newspaper of the Nonprofit World, this is public information. It's not just the executives at the Jewish Federations that are cashing in on the big bucks donated to their respective charity.

According to The Chronicle, the Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in California reportedly earns over $400,000 a year, an unusually high ratio of salary to income. And, the Simon Wiesenthal Center pays the Associate Dean another $312,000 a year. Hadassah, by contrast, pays their Executive Director just over $150,000, which is a low ratio to the organization's overall budget. Hadassah also boasts a very low percentage of funds going toward administrative costs.

Giving Tzedaka

According to Maimonides' treatise on tzedaka, translated not as "charity" but rather, "doing justice," the highest level of charity is to help prevent a person from becoming poor. For example, finding someone a job or teaching a person a trade. The next highest level occurs when a person contributes anonymously to a tzedaka fund which is then distributed to the poor. Jewish law commands that a person contribute between 10 and 20 percent of their net income to tzedaka.

It is wonderful to encourage and facilitate charitable giving on the part of our children. The B'nai Mitzvah is an important spiritual passage that is often reduced in our culture to an elaborate party and gift-giving bonanza. As parents, we can imbue spiritual and profound meaning to these celebrations by designating a portion of these gifts to go toward a tzedaka of the child's choosing.

Statistically speaking, most Americans contribute to their synagogue or the well-known United Jewish Appeals-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies or the United Jewish Communities. This is certainly commendable, but there are many smaller, specific organizations that also need our help. A look at a few…

First, we searched Guide Star to evaluate several randomly-selected well-known Jewish charities, all of which proved legitimate and contributions are tax deductible (to extent allowed by law.) This, of course, could be the reason that they are all well known. We then researched their missions and programs to educate the Jewish public on their important work.

Committee for the Rescue of Israel's Babies- - C.R.I.B- EFRAT

Most people are unaware that each year in Israel, tens of thousands of babies are not born as a result of their mother's decision to end their lives because of financial distress. C.R.I.B.-EFRAT, based in Israel with an affiliate office in Brooklyn, New York, has developed a unique approach to saving those babies' lives. They provide informational videos showing that development of the fetus to discourage abortion, and they also commit to providing monthly financial assistance.

In addition, C.R.I.B.-EFRAT gives the new mother a bassinet, crib, stroller and baby bath. The organization, endorsed by rabbinical leaders such as both Chief Rabbis of Israel, relies on private donations since it does not receive government funding. Their future goals include expanding medical and emotional advice to pregnant women, raising more money for financial assistance for unmarried pregnant women, and expanding outreach programs.

Chabad's Children of Chernobyl

Operating under the auspices of The Lubavich Youth Organization, the goal here is to raise money for the rescue and treatment of children affected by radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. As a result of the radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear explosion, tens of thousands of children are now being born with thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukemia. This organization's stated mission is to rescue 3000 Jewish children from this dangerous environment in the Ukraine and Belarus. Nearly 2300 children have already been rescued and relocated to a Chabad village in Israel.

Chai Lifeline/Camp Simcha

Under the aegis of Chai Lifeline, which offers broader support services to the entire family, Camp Simcha is a free kosher sleep-away camp for cancer-stricken children, or children with a life-threatening disease. Beyond the mental and physical respite it offers exhausted parents, the camp aims to give seriously ill youngsters a few weeks "off" from the relentless round of doctor visits and hospital stays. Chai Lifeline's founders believed that in a traditional camp setting, sick children would garner the resolve to fight their illness. Today, Camp Simcha, a world-renowned "cancer camp" serves children throughout North America, Europe, and Israel in two 3-week sessions. While it remains Chai Lifeline's premier project, Camp Simcha is only a single facet of a network of support services. In Israel, the organization is called Kav L'Chaim.

Friends of Israel Defense Forces

This organization helps support social, educational and recreational programs and facilities for the young men and women soldiers of Israel who defend the Jewish homeland. They also provide services to the widows and children of soldiers who have fallen in defense of Israel. Contributions could be earmarked to the Widows and Orphans Fund if you do not wish to contribute to recreational facilities.

One Family-The Israel Emergency Solidarity Fund

When a terrorist attack occurs, amid the carnage and confusion, One Family springs into action. Through its relationships with all of Israel's emergency rooms and trauma centers, they launch an ongoing support system to help survivors. The organization provides transportation, food, grants and checks to cover bills, rent, food and tuition costs, and offers grief counseling and other support, such as vocational training to foster financial independence.

American Red Magen David for Israel

Buys ambulances and supplies and sends it to Israel to help the Magen David Adom.

Yad Eliezer

This organization was founded in 1978 to provide food and financial assistance to over 50,000 people in 17 cities across Israel. They prepare monthly food baskets for delivery to over 6000 families who could not feed their children. The cost of providing food to an individual family, bought in bulk, is approximately $100 a month, according to their website. They also offer programs whereby you can sponsor a wedding for a poor bride, purchase baby formula for mothers who would otherwise dilute formula to dangerous proportions or support a meals-on-wheels program for the elderly and disabled. Donations may be earmarked for particular projects of this charity.

Hebrew Free Burial Association

The HFBA still has the sad duty of burying 400-500 poor Jews a year, 50 percent of whom are immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Other burials are of the elderly who have outlived family and friends, the homeless, AIDS victims and suicides. Families that can't afford private funerals - which average over $4,000 in the New York area - turn to the HFBA so that their loved ones won't be cremated or buried in a potter's field. Rabbi Shmuel Plafker is the full-time rabbi of the HFBA. He officiates at funerals and counsels families. An Orthodox rabbi, Plafker says that the saddest burials are those where there are "unaccompanied burials". These account for 40 percent of the HFBA's work. "That's the most terrible thing to me," says the rabbi. "Imagine people without anyone to mourn for them. Terrible."

....and don't forget the Jewish Magazine!

from the August 2004 Edition of the Jewish Magazine