Timely Program Ideas

Timely Program Ideas
Department of Congregational Programming
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
155 Fifth Avenue,
New York, NY 10010
212-533-7800 ext 2620

TPI 16: Tzedakah, Caring About Our Community - Holding a Charity Fair

As Jews, we have the responsibility to improve the world in which we live and to provide assistance to those in need. We learn in Pirke Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, that according to Shimon HaTzaddik, the world rests on three things - Torah, service to God, and deeds of kindness, gemilut hasadim. Acts of kindness and caring are central to Judaism and are embodied by the mandate to improve the world. We read in the aleinu, a central part of our liturgy, that we must perfect the world under the kingdom of God, l’takayn olam b’malchut Shadai.

We are able to actively participate in tikkun olam, fixing the world, through tzedakah, acts of righteousness. Although tzedakah can apply to many acts of helping and caring, it is most often associated with the giving of charitable monetary donations. Tzedakah is a cardinal mitzvah that sustains many Jewish agencies that fulfill vital needs in the community and allows many of the less fortunate members of our community to live healthy, happy, and satisfying lives. We must make sure that the Jewish community, especially the children, are aware of the importance of tzedakah and are informed of the numerous people and organizations that rely on tzedakah for survival.

We tend to associate tzedakah, with pushkes, traditional tzedakah boxes. Many families have a tzedakah box in their home and children are familiar with tzedakah boxes that are in the religious schools. Following, is a program idea, developed by Tifereth Israel, Town and Village Synagogue, in New York, that introduces the congregants to the numerous agencies that rely on tzedakah and makes tangible the cumulative impact of all the pennies and dimes in each family's individual tzedakah box by combining the congregation's contributions and distributing the proceeds among various charities.

Tzedakah Fair

A Sunday morning or afternoon should be set aside for this program. It can easily take place at the synagogue. The goals of the Tzedakah Fair are to learn about tzedakah through study and action and to become knowledgeable about the range of Jewish and non-Jewish charitable causes through presentations by representatives of charities and information provided by charities. The Tzedakah Fair also allows congregants to participate in the collection and counting of money, primarily coins, from tzedakah boxes of congregants. Finally, the Fair allows congregants to decide on the allocation of this money to numerous causes by "voting" with play dollars.

What To Do?

• Prior to the day of the Tzedakah Fair many different agencies, both Jewish and non-Jewish, should be contacted and asked to participate in the Fair.
• Request either a representative or literature describing the agencies' cause and work.
• The Rabbi should give a d’var Torah on tzedakah prior to the Fair.
• Children in the religious school should have a lesson on tzedakah in preparation for the Fair.

The Day Of...

• Congregants are encouraged to bring in their tzedakah boxes from home or some money to donate.
• There should be a table set up to open the tzedakah boxes and to count the money being brought in.
• Children will have fun helping to count and roll all the coins and will see the direct application of contributions to charity.
• Arrange for congregants to listen to presentations from the representatives of various charitable organizations.
• After the participants have become familiar with the various organizations, each participant is given three dollars in play money to place in the envelopes of the charities he or she wants to support. A person can give all his or her money to one charity or divide it among several. The amount of dollar “votes” that an organization receives determines the portion of total money raised that will go to that organization.
• Regardless of the final vote, all represented charities should be given at least $18, chai.
• Some examples of organizations that may be represented at a Tzedakah Fair include Mazon, JNF, the Jewish Braille Institute, UJA, Jewish Theological Seminary, USY Tikun Olam, Ziv Tzedaka, Magen David Adom, Center for Conservative Judaism, Israel Bonds, The United Synagogue Yeshiva.
• All participants should be provided with a new tzedakah box at the end of the program. Allow children to decorate or even make these tzedakah boxes.
• Encourage families to put some change into the tzedakah boxes each week before Shabbat in preparation for the next Tzedakah Fair.
• Make the Tzedakah Fair an annual or biannual event.

A Final Word

Keep and display the thank-you notes from organizations that were represented at the Tzedakah Fair. Show children that their contributions are making a real difference. Post them in the religious school on a bulletin board.