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NEWS
Impressive Gathering at Foundation of World Project Shutafim LaTorah
By Yechiel Sever
A roster of eminent rabbonim gathered this week in the home of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky to launch a new world wide project called "Shutafim LaTorah - Partners for Torah" which aims to extend economic support to all Torah institutions, yeshivos and kollelim in Eretz Yisroel. Participating in this historic event were HaRav Yisroel Ganz; HaRav Reuven Elbaz; HaRav Yitzchok Shaul Kanievsky; HaRav Tzvi Katz; HaRav Yechiel Bamberger; HaRav Shmuel Eliezer Stern and HaRav Nosson Ben Senior. Its purpose, under the presidency and guidance of gedolei Yisroel, is to raise the banner and prestige of Torah and of those who devote their lives to its study while verily sacrificing themselves economically to persevere, and to assist them financially by an across-the-board support through their various Torah institutions, thus strengthening the Torah world in Eretz Yisroel.
The members of this new association who have established the guidelines of "Shutafim LaTorah", chosen expressly for this very responsible task by maranan verabbonon, constitute those very partners in its founding and administration, and will see to it that all incoming monies be allocated "one hundred percent to tzedaka" and transferred in whole to the various Torah halls equally and equitably according to those criteria which they, themselves, have established and will administer, per the assessments of the presidium. "The monies of this association are kodesh kodoshim, totally consecrated for the study of Torah and its devotees, and we regard them accordingly with holy trepidation that they be transferred directly to kollel avreichim through their various kollelim, as well as to the yeshivos and chadorim," the rabbonim declared.
The establishment of this vital organization heralds good news for the administrators of the various Torah institutions in Eretz Yisroel, as well as to the individual avreichim who have been stripped of the minimal government aid, either through cutdowns or cancellation of various budgets including negative-income support, leaving many kollel families literally starving for bread. Now, however, for the first time, they and their families will gain real support to supply them with their daily bread, given to them thanks to the fact that these avreichim are "sacrificing themselves in the tent of Torah" wholly and purely. In the merit of Torah, they will receive aid from the donors, organizations and other bodies, and the members of Klal Yisroel who want to be genuine partners in the merits of Torah study through toil and travail.
The establishment of the holy organization of "Shutafim LaTorah" means that now, for the first time, a world association administered by gedolei Yisroel, and whose members are roshei yeshiva and noted rabbonim from all the circles and communities, will allocate real support to Torah institutions, setting a precedence in Torah support.
The "Shutafim LaTorah" organization will raise funds for all Torah institutions, kollelim, yeshivos gedolos and yeshivos ketanos - Chassidic, Lithuanian-yeshivish, as well as Sephardic, Oriental and Yemenite circles - under the brand of "Shutafim LaTorah", the umbrella organization representing hundreds of thousands of Torah scholars. It will appeal to the bulk of Jewish brethren in Eretz Yisroel and throughout the world, in every way possible. For the first time in history, it will offer each donor "through every donation, to become a full simultaneous partner to the Torah study of hundreds of thousands of Torah scholars," an unprecedented offer in the annals of Jewish history. And who can turn down such a proposal to join all the others who are also supporting Torah and coming to the rescue of the Torah world!
This is net-charity, where 100% of all incoming money is directly channeled for equal distribution to all Torah institutions according to criteria established by the rabbinical heads of the association. All donations will be 100% tzedaka for the direct support of Torah, 100% visible and transparent transfer with no office expenses deducted from these monies. The administrative expenses will be met through minimal membership fees collected from the institutions per student, in return for which the former will receive their budgetary support.
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