Values that have encouraged Jews to allocate their charitable dollars to the Jewish future

As Jews, we are encouraged to pass on our values through the generations, l’dor v’dor. From the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, our values have endured, and sustained our people. We review our histories to do just that, such as at the Passover table, when we are instructed to recount the Exodus story with our family during the seder, and glean valuable insights into what being Jewish means to us, and how that guides our actions. 

Today, we continue to pass along our values to the next generation through our traditions and mitzvot/commandments and through our tzedakah/charity. Every Jewish family actualizes their values in different ways, and one recently launched initiative, Jewish Future Pledge, provides a platform for Jews to express their values through a lasting gift to the Jewish people. The pledge calls on global Jewry, young and old, to allocate in their estate plans at least half of their charitable dollars to Jewish and Israel-related causes. But more than just giving, the pledge asks donors to share their pledge with friends and family, sparking conversations about Jewish legacy and the values that can be expressed through philanthropy. 

Motivations for signing the pledge vary like the Jewish people itself.

Amy Holtz co-founded the Jewish Future Pledge to encourage people to share their wisdom, values and wealth. “When I started learning Torah in my forties, I was surprised to discover that Judaism is filled with incredible wisdom and offers a path to a meaningful, virtuous life. I want to share the spiritual wealth Judaism offers with everyone, especially my children. There are so many Jewish values I want to share, but if I had it pick one it would be that the path to joy lies through giving and serving, tzedakah (righteousness) and chesed (loving kindness),” she said. 

Jane Sherman of Bloomfield, MI signed the Jewish Future Pledge to perpetuate the value of commitment to the Jewish community, connected to the Talmudic value that states, Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh B'Zeh (all of Israel is responsible for one another). “My father, Max Fisher, served as a legendary example of this, and he instilled in me a drive to sustain the Jewish future through philanthropy and involvement. For the last 50 years, I have been deeply involved in the organized Jewish community as a communal leader, as a donor, and as a participant in a range of programs. This involvement has become an integral part of my soul and spirit,” she said. 

“Just like my father,” Sherman continued, “my greatest wish is that my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will hold that same commitment to the Jewish people. When my husband Larry and I told our children and older grandchildren that we had signed the Jewish Future Pledge, we empowered them to continue and expand their engagement in our philanthropy and inspired them to deepen their work in the Jewish community.”

Michael Staenberg, of St. Louis, MO signed the Jewish Future Pledge to perpetuate the true spirit of tzedakah (literally translated as righteousness, but commonly understood as a type of giving without expectation of return). “As Jews, we have a moral obligation to give tzedakah, and we have a communal obligation to focus our giving on Jewish institutions and organizations, because these institutions cannot exist without support from the Jewish community,” he said. 

“Throughout my youth,” Staenberg continued, “my father strongly impressed upon me the importance of giving away not just the customary 10 percent, but 20 percent of my earnings to worthy causes. Every week, my siblings and I would drop a nickel from our allowance into the collection box in our synagogue. This sense of responsibility has driven me throughout my life.” 

Today, Staenberg and his wife continue his father’s legacy by educating their three daughters about the value of tzedakah. “We are proud that today our daughters each contribute to their respective Jewish communities. To me, signing the Jewish Future Pledge is one way I can emphasize the importance of giving tzedakah—to my children, and to anyone else who sees my name.”

Elisa and Gilbert Palter, of North York, Ontario pointed out that charity makes us feel good, and it comes from the Latin word caritas, which means “love for all.” However, they said, “We always refer to the help we give others as tzedakah (which means “righteousness”) to remind ourselves, our children, and others that we are giving because it is our Jewish obligation and the right thing to do.” 

 “As Jews,” they said, “we all have a particular connection to our global Jewish family (Klal Yisrael), more than humanity at large: we share a long history, core values, important ideas, and a destiny with this family. Family supports family first, and so with our money and our time, we do too.”  

By signing the Jewish Future Pledge, they hope to encourage other Jews to embrace Rabbi Hillel’s admonition, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me; but if I am only for myself, what am I?” 

Moreover, the couple noted, according to the Jerusalem Talmud, Pe'ah 1:1, Tzedakah and acts of kindness are the equivalent of all the mitzvot of the Torah. “Tzedakah was instilled in both of us by our parents: we were taught that with privilege comes responsibility, and it is one of the core values we have embraced as a couple and endeavored to pass on to our children.”

And pass on, we do. Though the popular dictum goes, “As much as the Jewish people have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews,” the saying could also very well apply to the values that we have sustained since the giving of the Torah. Just as we have held sacred values such as righteousness, loving kindness, and commitment to the wider Jewish community, one could maintain that it is these values that have kept the Jewish community together, and have informed the identity of Jewish individuals until today. To ensure the continuity of our people, it is therefore incumbent on communities, families and individuals to ensure the continuation of our values. This can happen over momentous Jewish lifecycle events like births, B’nei Mitzvah and weddings, yearly during the Jewish holidays, weekly over the Shabbat table, during every-day teachable moments -- and in addition, as a part of one’s charitable giving. 

We want to hear from you -- what innovative ways do you try to share your Jewish values with your family?