A Chareidi tzedaka organization recently received a surprising message from a man who said he will no longer attend anti-Chareidi protests due to the assistance his needy relative in Tel Aviv received from the organization.

“My name is S.,” the message, sent to Chasdei Yosef, a well-known tzedaka organization in Jerusalem, began. “In recent months, I participated several times in protests against the Chareidi sector, including in Bnei Brak. On Thursday, I visited a relative whose financial situation has deteriorated in recent years. While I was there, I saw gift vouchers for Shavuot. He told me that he appealed to several organizations but the only one that helped him was yours.”

“I asked him if he knows you personally and he said no. I realized that you assist people without ‘checking their tzitziot’ and without asking about their political opinions. I was astounded. I realized that the hatred against you is not necessarily justified and it’s forbidden to generalize. It suddenly dawned on me that all the stories about the chessed of the Chareidim are true. I still have differences of opinion with you but not everything is black and white and hating others is a terrible thing. I regret it and promise not to go to protests against you anymore and I would be happy to meet you personally and hear your opinions on the current issues.”

“We were very happy to receive the moving message,” a source at Chasdei Yosef said. “It’s a bonus for helping a Jew in need.”

According to Chasdei Yosef, the Tel Avivian is far from the only one who received vouchers for Shavuos. “Unfortunately, since our Kimcha D’Pischa distribution, many new requests have been added for Shavuos. Based on this, we decided to distribute vouchers in 13 cities throughout the country, in accordance with requests and in contact with welfare departments. The demand is very high – not only here but among all organizations, and without a doubt, the economic situation is making itself felt.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)