Police on Sunday, the first day of chol hamoed Pesach in Eretz Yisrael arrested 10 suspects connected to an alleged Holocaust survivors’ non-profit scam. According to statements from police officials to the media, the suspects are alleged to have collected tens of millions NIS to assist elderly survivors, and the tzedaka funds were simply placed in their greedy pockets. The organization raised large sums of money annually under the guise the funds would be assisting the survivors. Large sums were collected abroad, and the group also received support from major organizations willing and eager to assist the elderly survivors today.
The arrests follow an extensive undercover operation; with investigators pointing out a great deal of monies was collected recently ahead of yomtov and in proximity to Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is observed during the Omer period.
It appears that in cases in which food supplies were donated, the items were sold at a low price, for profit, often in chareidi areas.
The suspects were remanded by a Rishon L’Tzion court on Sunday.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Its no wonder that more and more American yidden are getting skeptical about giving tzadakah to the seemingly endless stream of schneurers coming over from EY to raise money for yesomim, survivors of the shoah, kollel yungerliet who are getting maried andwho cannot afford to buy apartments, etc. Many are carrying forged letters from gadolim falsely affirming the legitimacy of their various charities. Maybe its time to restrict such fund-raising and move all such collections on-line to verified web sites
They sound lower than the low.
“To the seemingly endless stream of schneurers”? Words very unbefitting a “Gadolhadorah”.
#1, Shtusim! Not only do they suffer financially and humiliation, they need guys like you spreading lies about them, wholesale? Which Mitzva are you Mikayem by doing anti-Tzedaka.
These people often suffer amazing pressure and spend many months away from their families. Contrast that with your sitting comfortably at your computer spewing damaging remarks that popped into your head, forgetting about it the next second while you pop some nosh into your mouth.
To numbers 3 and 4
If you really cared about those in need, you also would be looing to find ways to restructure the fundraising process to remove the opportunities for fraud such as described in the article. We have read regular stories here on YWN about scams being undertaken in Lakewood and Brooklyn in recent months by individual “collectors” (use whaever word you like). While online giving of tzadakah might take a while to get used to, it could be subject to much tighter controls than these guys from EY coming around motzi shabbos and Sunday nights knocking on doors (some driven by limo drivers who have lists of the known “givers”). An online system would be considerably more efficient and would eliminate the up to 30 percent skimming of the proceeds from those who give tzadakah to line the pockets of the “collectors”.