Supporters of Kever Rachel were astounded to see some of the literature hitting the frum community over the past week that highlighted Rachel’s yartzeit but, when read closely, the materials were not actually raising funds for Kever Rachel. According to one askan who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter, “Rav Chaim Palagi held that it is a big segula to give money to Kever Rachel on the yartzeit of Rachel Imeinu. And that is why some organizations who are involved with Kever Rachel raise funds on the yartzeit. But for organizations to use the yartzeit as a way to raise money for the general poor, this is harmful and damaging to Kever Rachel, which needs the money to ensure that the site is maintained in the honorable way worthy of Rachel Imeinu.”
While the Israeli government has official responsibility for the upkeep of the Kever, it has been smaller, frum organizations that have really raised the funds to maintain the facility as it should be. One organization, Mosdos Kever Rachel (www.keverrachel.com) has a kollel chatzos (midnight kollel), built a mikva, and runs bullet-proof buses for the frum community to the kever. On the yartzeit, this organization will distribute free food and drinks for 100,000 at the Kever, will organize media buses so that all the non-frum and non-Jewish reporters will be gathered in one place and not disturb the davening, and have organized a Tefilla gathering that will be led by HaGaon HaRav Usher Weiss. While officials from Mosdos Kever Rachel declined to discuss the “yartzeit’s fundraising battle” with us, it was pointed out to us that the photo of one of the organization’s heads was used in a piece distributed by Va’ad HaRabbanim, a tactic that – whether intentional or not – will confuse the public and lead supporters of Mosdos Kever Rachel to believe that it is a joint effort with Va’ad HaRabbanim. Va’ad HaRabbanim sent this piece out across Israel and in the U.S., detracting supporters who wanted to help Mosdos Kever Rachel keep Torah learning on-site around the clock throughout the year.
Another piece distributed by Kupat Ha’Ir encourages members of the community to send a donation for Yirei Shamayim to daven on their behalf. While, indeed, the funds from these fundraising efforts will help poor families in Israel, another Askan noted that “the yartzeit of Rachel Imeinu is a once-a-year opportunity to raise funds for the site’s mikva and for the avreichim who learn in the kollels at Kever Rachel. The other 364 days of the year can be used to raise funds for other important causes. Today, all organizations are struggling to raise money. Why do organizations that raise tzedaka around the year have to hijack Rachel’s yartzeit and take the opportunity away from organizations that only raise funds on the yartzeit?”
While all the organizations are doing amazing things on behalf of klal yisrael, perhaps one day a year the kollel chatzos, mikva, and the other kadosh activities at Kever Rachel deserve a chance to be supported by tzedaka money that has a special segula on Rachel’s yartzeit.
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
(Chevy Weiss – YWN)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
12 Responses
Anyone can raise money for whatever they want. We’ve done it that way for centuries. There is no Jewish “pope” making such rules.
Yeshuva Mercaz Harav Kook has a yeshiva, Nehamat Rachel for over 15 years daily at Kever Rachel.
They were learning in a container while the renovations were taking place.
Ask mosdos KR or anyone to verify this.
It was R’ Elkana Kahan Shapira z”tl who personally made sure that the Kever was not returned at Oslo.
So lemmaan haEMES vTzedek, Mercaz Harav Kook should be given the acknowledgement , credit and Support$$ that it deserves.
Yes, there is an open market for organizations to solicit funds, but that doesn’t make it any and everything a good idea.
Despite good work that they do, I find the aggressive marketing campaigns by Kupat Ha’ir and others to be disconcerting. I would hope that most people are discerning enough to donate directly to Mosdos Kever Rachel on this yartzeit.
for 2 pictures of the original Kever Rachel and the yeshiva. http://www.mercazharav.org/rachel.htm
http://www.rachelstomb.org/yeshivalearning.jpg
What? Are you suggesting there could be a worthier cause than the Hair raising tzedakah? Don’t you know that giving to hair causes all kinds of almost believable miracles? At this moment, Rachel herself is probably raising money for the koopah. That way she can ask the gedolim of the miraculous tzedakah to daven instead of her, and Mashiach will surely come. (Haven’t you heard the new version of the song? “Mameh Rochel ask the Rabbanim of Kupat Ha’ir to cry for us again. They will shed a tear for your dear children. BizchutTAM ve’shavu banim ligvulam.”)
Unfortunately nothing is off limits these days includinging blowing tons of money to make back a small percent using and abusing the gedolim people exploiting people and mosdos for there own personal gain or people that are taking 40-50%of the profits as a charge
So why should this surprise anyone
The point of this article is HONESTY, when raising money for Rachel Imenu let it be known CLEARLY that the $$ is going somewhere else. No need to be evasive!!!!!
#9 is 100% correct
The Yeshiva snif of Mercaz Harav is supported by a NJ philantrophist,Mr. F., may he and his family be blessed with health, happiness vkol tuv..
Neither he or Mercaz has claimed that we are the machers or sole yeshiva,kolel, etc of Kever Rachel.
When no one went, we sat and learned, when they threw firebombs, we were there,
whomever wants to help support and share the zchus of torah learning , lishma, is invited to do so. all donations will cover the stipends and transportation ONLY
Rabbi Kluger gives his life away for Kever Rochel if not for him we would not be able to go there today, he definitely deserves the rights to use this day to raise funds to upkeep the kollim there.
by the way…forgive my naivite, but what is the source of yud aleph marcheshvan being rachel imenu’s yahrtzeit?
Btw…any discussion of tzedakahs working for Kever Rachel should include the Rachel’s Children Reclamation Foundation. Without all the fanfare and pr, they do wonderful things. Visit rachelschildren.org.
morah, it’s a Yerushalmi tradition based on Medrash Tadshei (by R Pinchos ben Yoir) chapter 8 (it’s missing from current editions, but it’s quoted by Rabbenu Bachya and Seder Hadoros). But Rashi and the Ramban held that Rochel passed away in the spring.