Rabbi Menachem Mendel Fuchs, one of the heads of Vaad
HaRabbonim LeInyonei Tzedaka, is worried about the hundreds
of Israeli families in extreme need who have turned to the
Vaad as their last resort. But Rabbi Fuchs is optimistic
that help is on the way. The Vaad is in the midst of its
Shavuos appeal, and he says he is hopeful that this year, as
in previous years, Klal Yisroel will respond
generously to these families who so urgently need
assistance.
The Value Of A Good Name
One reason that Jews throughout the world are so willing to
contribute to the Vaad is because it is well known that the
organization is closely managed. Gedolei hador such
as Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, Rabbi Moshe Halberstam and
Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach are personally involved in the Vaad
through the hashgacha they provide. Rabbi Shlomo
Blau, the head of the Vaad, oversees the day-to-day aspects
of administering the fund, and he and the other
administrators make a point of being personally acquainted
with all the volunteers who are "working in the field."
Because many families are too embarrassed to ask for help,
it is often a neighbor or co-worker who first brings the
family to the attention of the Vaad. The Vaad will then send
a volunteer to sit with the family to determine what the
needs are. The final step in the process is when the members
of the Vaad meet to examine the details of each case, and
determine which families will receive aid and how much they
will receive.
Since the Vaad has so many volunteers and collects and
distributes so much money, it is only natural that some
people might be concerned that some of the money "gets
lost." Rabbi Fuchs stresses, however, that although the Vaad
may be large in size, it is far from impersonal.
"At the Vaad," he says, "we know all the volunteers who are
working for us, and we know that they are doing this work
with great mesiras nefesh and only lesheim mitzva.
But even so, we have methods in place to supervise their
work so that we will be able to say with full confidence
that their hands are clean."
Rabbi Blau adds that the Vaad also holds regular meetings
where the rabbonim sit with the Vaad's administrators. "We
must give a full accounting of all the Vaad's activities,"
he says, "how much money was raised, how much was
distributed, how the organization is managed, etc. Not a
single detail is overlooked."
Once a question arose as to whether or not the Vaad should
accept contributions by credit card, since the credit card
companies charge a hefty fee for each transaction. Once
again, the Vaad found a way to lower administrative costs so
that almost every penny of every donation will go to the
intended recipient of the donation -- the needy family.
"It is truly possible to say," Rabbi Fuchs comments, "that
not a single unnecessary shekel leaves the Vaad, despite the
many activities we do."
A Good Time To Give
One family needs to raise $50,000 so they can send their son
to America for heart surgery. A widow with five children has
been struggling to make ends meet for years, and now she is
at the point of exhaustion and unable to put food on the
table. In yet another family, the father has leukemia and
must undergo a bone marrow transplant, and the family
doesn't have a means to support themselves while he is
recuperating.
Although these families live in neighborhoods like Har Nof
and Bayit Vegan, the Vaad is doing its best to make their
stories known in cities like Monsey and Toronto. The Vaad
will not be sending out a mailer this year, but the rabbonim
hope that families all over the world will still take the
time to send a contribution before the upcoming chag.
"Every person, according to his means, is required to
participate in regular tzedaka drives in his city and
his neighborhood," says Rabbi Fuchs, "but he should also
feel a responsibility to help out with the extremely
difficult cases that have come to the attention of the
Vaad."
Rabbi Blau adds that these last few days before Shavuos are
a particularly good time to help other Jews in need.
"When Bnei Yisroel arrived at Har Sinai," he says, "the
Torah states that they camped as one. It was because they
set aside their differences and saw themselves as one people
that they merited to receive the Torah.
"When Jewish families around the world hear the cries of
needy Jewish families in Eretz Yisroel," he continues, "and
they are willing to help these families just as they would
help a family in their own neighborhood -- then we can say
that we have also succeeded in `camping as one.' And that
will certainly help all of us merit to receive the Torah
this Shavuos."
Contributions should be sent to: Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei
Tzedaka, P.O. Box 50112, Jerusalem, Israel. In Israel: 1-800-
22-36-36.
