The following two policy changes were released this afternoon by Lakewood’s Tomchei Tzedakah:
1- Tomchei Tzedakah generally issues ishurim to qualified meshulachim with an expiration date two weeks after issue. If a meshulach feels he needs more time in Lakewood, he returns to our office every two weeks to have the ishur renewed. However, many meshulachim feel that this renewal policy is hurting their fundraising – whereas in the past they raised a reasonable sum within two weeks, they are now competing with many meshulachim who are staying in Lakewood for extended periods and nadvanim are tapped out. To meet their fundraising goal in Lakewood, more and more meshulachim feel the need to stay for extended periods, which in turn is exacerbating the problem further. After much discussion among Rabbonim, and askanim in Lakewood and meshulachim and askanim from Eretz Yisroel, the Rabbonim have instructed Tomchei Tzedakah
a. to no longer renew ishurim after the two-week period and
b. to issue to each meshulach no more than two ishurim a year.
Please check the dates when you see our ishur and please consider the fact that the meshulach is only in Lakewood for a short time.
(Note: This new takanah does not apply to Meshulachim from the Tri-State area)
2- Meshulachim drivers is a well-known and oft-discussed worldwide problem. They are often not shomrei torah u’mitzvos, take a huge commission (1/3 of what each of their 4-5 passengers collect) and use many unscrupulous and underhanded methods. Lakewood now has six steady drivers for meshulachim that charge a reasonable hourly rate (no commission) and hundreds of volunteers (yungerleit and baele batim) that have signed up to drive meshulachim once or twice a year. To receive an ishur, each meshulach will now be required to sign that
a. he will only use a driver approved by Tomchei Tzedakah and that
b. if he uses any other driver he
i. forfeits his right to ever receive an ishur in Lakewood and
ii. he give us permission to notify every other tzedakah vaad that he violated our rules.
Thank you for your continued support,
Tomchei Tzedakah of Lakewood
732-367-7770
P.S. If you ever need to report something regarding a meshulach, please try to provide some identifying information. Best is the unique Cert# on each ishur (under the Comments) that begins with LKWD and is followed by 4 digits. If you cannot get that #, at least a name and city.
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10 Responses
why cant monsey, brooklyn and queens have this?
I live in Brooklyn, and I don’t want it.
I am not a socialist. I enjoy the right to decide for myself whether or not a poor man is poor, hungry, lonely, or just needs chizuk.
I enjoy the effort it takes on my part to care about another yid on an independent level, listen to his story, and offer him a drink, if I don’t have even $1 for tzedaka that day.
I enjoy the right to blame my narrow-minded judgementalness for not giving tzedakah, rather than some well-meaning yid on a vaad.
I enjoy the freedom of knowing how to say “No. I’m so sorry. I can’t give you more money today. I don’t have any more money for tzedaka now. Perhaps you would like a gift to bring home to your wife? I have stuff.. lots of stuff… that I don’t need. But I have no liquid assets right now.”
I enjoy the thrill that comes from saying… “Do you have a parnassa? Are you having success? What do you do? Perhaps can daaven for you.”
I enjoy asking, “Where do you live? Perhaps we know someone in common. Perhaps I mooched a meal off of you when I was in Yerushalayim Ir HaKodesh for a Year!”
This is why:
I will never forget, when I, an American kid in Israel for the year of learning and living on the edge, ate by a complete stranger in Meah Shearim, for the “experience”. In my magnanimus Americanism, I came with my fancy glasses, $150 shoes, and other assorted goodies…. and brought them wilted flowers for Shabbos. They graciously accepted my “gift”. My friend and I were given a bedroom with clean linen. Our host asked if we want to daaven at the Kosel. We walked to the Kosel friday night. Through Sha’ar Shechem… without any fear. Our host waited for us to take it all in. Then he escorted us home, where we joined the family in the Kitchen/Family Room/Dining Room/Library/Living Room for a delicious seudah. We were asked our names, where we are from, and what we are learning. The seudah went well into the night. After the seudah, we were asked if we would like to see a tisch. Our host left his family at 11 PM, and walked us over to see the Reb Ahrelach. We stayed for at least an hour, and then he walked us back home. The apartment was now dark and quiet. There were people sleeping where we had eaten. We tiptoed into the guest bedroom we had been given, and went to sleep. It wasn’t until the morning that we understood: There only were two rooms in that apartment.
We had been given the bedroom.
I don’t remember their address. But I sure hope they have had hatzlocha in marrying off their children with enough money to afford a spare highriser, as my parents did.
What’s your story?
Everyone has “this” service available online at Olam Hatorah http://www.torahindex.com.
#1, Because we don’t have a strong, central Rabanus. I’m sure most chassidim have something like this but the rest of the tri-state area can’t agree on anything. Go tell Boro Park or the Yeshivishe side of Flatbush to agree with Teeneck or Forest Hills.
#2 – I like to consider myself “stone cold,” but your story moved me, because I have been “close to the edge,” and I try not to forget it. My husband thinks that I am “giving away the store” sometimes, but my outlook is that HaShem has given us a place to live and food to eat . . . so that we may share with others.
welcome to the newest reincarnation of Sdom!
# 6 couldnt say it any better
There was a story from i think the Barditishver that when he be came ruv in his shtetel he told the kehila that they shouldnt bother him with every ne takune they want to inforce one day they called him and said we have a new takuna we want to inforce that there should one gabbe tzdokah he should give out the amount he decides no one should be asking anybody so his answer was this not new this was done in sedom already
I’ll tell you why they had to make takonos. It is because when you don’t work for your money, it is easy to give it away. The schnorrers know this and this is why they are all running here. Why do the people here feel they have to give so much to the out of town schnorrers and not to the poor people who actually live here?
I am something between a schnorrer and a nadvan.I donate a sizeable amount of money and i schnorr a sizeable amount.Granted,i dont rais eany money from cold calling,that is a waste of my time.But these takonoth are long overdue.Why do you think this is sdom?Because you are only allowed 4 weeks a year to collect with an ishur?Noone says yu cant collect without an ishur and all hte #2’s of th eworld will give u presents for your wife and a meal, maybe.Right now legitimate mosdos have to compete with schnorrers who can spend 11 months a year collecting for hachnasa kallah,error intentional,there has to be some way to even th eplaying field.Maybe you think paying a driver a third and then expenses which sometimes results in th emossad getting 10-20 percent of your donation,maybe that is considered by you to be tzeddaka par excellance.But if a vaad tries to change that,i dont think that is sdom,and nuber 2,u are the minority and u know it.
#10:
Don’t mix up the commenters.
I did NOT label anyone s’dom.
the reason anyone raised that ugly concept, is that in s’dom they practiced a form of socialism… controlled, organized, community…. with a cheshbon and a law for EVERYTHING.
It was a society of cold-hearted Justice.
If God made you poor, how dare you try to change that, is a sedomite original!
We, on the other hand daily make the claim to be the rightful heirs of Avraham Avinu. If there is a problem, people need to ask a shailas chacham ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL, how to respond in a way that does not go against the nature of a yid.
My post was specifically aimed at the idea that I should have BECHIRA to choose
how to judge my neigbor favorably, and
how cheshbon out my ma’aser money,
how to direct my tzedaka money,
when to have a sense of humor.
Here’s a bracha:
May God open your eyes soon, and show you that not only does HE decide who has success and who does not… He also decides who will have the intelligence, creativity, and confidence to improve their life.
He leaves it up to us to decide what we are going to say about our brothers.
Hatzlocha!