Jews are by nature a generous people. The mitzvah of tzedaka is in our blood, and is fulfilled with dedication by Jews the world over. The desire to give, to assist those less privileged, is part of the heritage passed on from parents to children. Unfortunately, incidents of recent years have made it all too clear that there are charlatans eager to take advantage of this generosity in order to obtain money under false pretenses.

For instance:
• Over several years, a man in America organized an annual fund-raising dinner for a yeshiva in Bnei Brak. But the yeshiva knew nothing of their “benefactor” and never received a penny of the money raised at the dinners.

• A fundraiser told a prospective donor in California that his institution maintained a dormitory for 350 girls from distressed families and ran enrichment classes. The institution did exist – but consisted of a nursery school for 36 girls. The details were exaggerated by the collector in order to elicit a larger donation.

You yourself, or people in your community, may have similar stories to relate.
Fraudulent collectors the world over have preyed on donors, taking advantage of their generosity, sometimes with shocking audacity. Naturally, these experiences induce an attitude of suspicion and hesitation when one is approached by a collector. Before making a contribution, one will want to establish the credentials of the beneficiary.

Nearly ten years ago, after wealthy people from around the world lost money to fraudulent collectors, discussions of these concerns among directors of Torah institutions and donors resulted in an initiative to provide reliable background information about Torah institutions, in order to enable people to make knowledgeable decisions about whether and how much to give.

The result, in 2000, was Olam HaTorah – “The Torah World Resource Book.” This directory enables donors to protect themselves from two types of fictitious charity representatives:
• those who “represent” non-existent organizations
• those who falsely claim to represent legitimate institutions, with the intention of keeping all they collect for themselves

Since its inception, the directory has attained a sterling reputation for professionalism and reliability. The publishers have received numerous letters of appreciation and support from leading Rabbonim and organizations from around the world and from all sectors of observant Judaism – Sephardic, Chassidic and Lithuanian.

These include Rav Pinchas Toledano of Kehillat “Sha’arei Shamayim” in London; Rav Yosef Sitruk of Paris; Rav Hillel Abuchatzera, head of Kehillat Dammasek in Mexico; Rav David Ben-Chamu of Yeshivat “Shuva Yisrael” in Mexico; Rav David Sutton, president of Kehillat “Sha’arei Tziyon” in New York; and many more.

Other letters of approbation were received from batei din and charity committees who had long felt the need for such an initiative, pleased that now they had a place to turn to clarify the status of institutions and organizations in Israel.
The Beit Din of Beverly Hills wrote: “for years we have been waiting to receive reliable material on the details of Torah institutions.”

Rav Tannenhoiz of “Kupat haChesed” in Ashdod relates that “many donors call to verify that the collectors who arrive at their homes indeed represent the organization….Thanks to the Directory, we are able to assist more poor people. Apparently, on numerous occasions people whom we don’t know collected money ostensibly for us”.

The first two editions of the Resource Book, published in 2000 and 2005, appeared in printed form only, and were distributed to widely recognized donors, committees and tzedaka foundations in areas with large Jewish populations. They were received enthusiastically, and individuals and organizations from beyond the original target audience requested copies.

In response to the increased demand, the database was converted into an online format, available at no cost. The latest version, accessible since early in 2007 at http://www.torahindex.com, carries entries on over 2000 institutions and has already drawn thousands of queries. It has several advantages over the print version:
1. unlimited distribution
2. daily updates
3. coverage of institutions around the world, not just in Israel
4. more information on each institution

All editions and formats of the directory have been in both Hebrew and English.

The staff of Olam HaTorah stresses that the entries consist of basic details only, indicating that the institution does exist. Additional details, such as the number of students, may be obtained from the Olam HaTorah office in Bnei Brak, where staff members are on duty to handle inquiries 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.

A special staff, selected from people with proven expertise in information skills, is responsible for verifying the authenticity of the data included, maintaining contact with donors and charitable organizations, and responding to queries received via mail, Fax and telephone.

Any institution is entitled to a free basic entry in the directory, which includes a picture or logo, and whom to contact in order to verify the information provided by the collector.