Mo Money Mo Problems: so think about giving some of that phat check awayTax rebates are trickling into American mailboxes. Some of us will be getting a pretty sweet chunk of change back, and with the economy going down the tubes, there are plenty of places we can think of to use that money. But if you don’t absolutely need it to pay rent, put food on the table, or pay off some debt, some people think you should give your rebate (or at least, part of it) to charity. A number of churches have started funds where people can donate their tax rebate money to charities that haven’t been doing so well due to the crappy economy.

"It's an unbelievable amount of cash that people of faith or people of conscience could choose to say, 'You know, we could get along without this. We could put this money to use,' " said Ken Sehested, co-pastor at the Circle of Mercy church in Asheville, N.C.

His congregation of about 50 adults, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Alliance of Baptists, voted to give at least 10 percent of their checks to charities. He and his wife plan to give their entire $1,200 check to the church's partner congregation in Cuba.

Kiva.org: give to entrepeneurs all over the world and help end poverty You may already have a favorite charity where you’d like to designate your money, but if you’re looking for some suggestions, Low Impact Living has some tips for spending your money in eco-smart ways that will save you money later on, and also happen to be good for the planet. Or how about helping communities in need all over the world—including Darfur, India, and Colombia—by donating to the American Jewish World Service, which funds hundreds of grassroots organizations working to promote health, education, economic development, disaster relief, and social and political change in the developing world.

And here’s our favorite idea for your rebate check: Use it to make a micro-loan to empower an entrepeneur in the developing world to lift him or herself out of poverty. And since you’re only loaning the money, you can even get it back to spend on a night out on the town in a few months, or reinvest in another venture, or donate it. Check out kiva.org to choose the micro-loan you’ll support.

The wires were buzzing earlier this week with stories of a terminal lung cancer diagnosis for Paul Newman, who has reportedly turned over $120 million—the entire value of his ownership in Newman's Own—to charity. The morbid headlines alone were enough to cast readers into despair, even though Newman himself has humorously denied the reports. While the idea of Paul Newman dying a painful, difficult death is admittedly hard to bear, the media frenzy surrounding this story is eclipsing an important point: Obsessing over Paul Newman's impending death is time that would be better spent reflecting on his extraordinarily inspiring life.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward: just after their marriage, in 1958Despite his legendary good looks (see Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song" lyrics) and enviably successful Hollywood career, Newman opted for a private life defined by principled conviction and genuine humility. He's been married to his second wife, actress Joanne Woodward, for 50 years, and is said to have described his commitment to monogamy with, "Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?"

Newman's life hasn't been totally charmed; his first marriage ended in divorce, and his only son died of a drug overdose in 1978. Two years after his son Scott passed away, Newman found a way to create something good from an otherwise life-shattering experience. In 1980, he founded The Scott Newman Center, which works to prevent substance abuse through education, and runs a camp for children and families whose lives have been affected by drugs, alcohol abuse, or domestic violence.

Beyond that, he's all but redefined the concept of corporate philanthropy, achieving the seemingly-impossible by donating 100% of the proceeds from his wonderful company, Newman's Own, to various charitable organizations. Together with business partner and friend A.E. Hotchner, with whom he founded the company in 1982, Newman has earned and donated over $200 million.

It doesn't stop there. Newman's Own is much more than just another "celebrity brand," as chronicled in Newman and Hotchner's book, Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good. Unlike "Rocky Graziano's spaghetti sauce, Mickey Mantle's barbecue sauce, Nolan Ryan's All-Star Fruit Snacks, [or] Gloria Vanderbilt's salad dressing," Newman's Own had a mission from the beginning: Newman was intent upon creating a product made with all natural ingredients. He was ahead of his time: As explained in Shameless Exploitation, "at that time, almost all salad dressings, especially the mass-market ones, contained sugar, artificial coloring, chemical preservatives, gums, and God knows what."

Paul Newman: helped to start CECP with the belief that corporate America could be a force for good in society His first product, a simple oil and vinegar salad dressing, paved the way for a product line that now includes all-natural pasta sauce, salsa, lemonade, steak sauce, cereal, and popcorn, not to mention an organic line founded with his daughter in 1993, which includes pretzels, cookies, popcorn, chocolate bars, peppermint cups, peanut butter cups, olive oil and vinegar, dried fruit, fair trade coffee, and pet food.

Newman dedicated himself to creating healthier products and giving all of the proceeds away but, of course, he didn't stop there. Through Newman's Own, he initiated and funds the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which "provides children with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions a [free] camping experience of the highest quality, while extending year-round support to their families and health care providers."

He also helped to start the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, which is the "only international forum of business CEOs and chairpersons pursuing a mission focused exclusively on corporate philanthropy."

Amazingly, this is just an incomplete, hazy snapshot of what Newman has accomplished in his 83 years. Altruistic, creative, entrepreneurial, and dedicated to the common good, Paul Newman is a great symbol of what each of us can achieve when we allow ourselves to be fearlessly—but thoughtfully—guided by our hearts.

When Zimbabwe recently cracked down on CARE—a leading humanitarian organization focused on global poverty which has spent more than $100 million in Zimbabwe in the last 16 years—I started thinking about how some charities do amazing work, but somehow don’t leave the people they serve any better off. This month, CARE would have fed more than 110,000 people who will now go hungry because President Robert Mugabe has limited the charity's access. It's upsetting that 110,000 people depend on CARE every month, and leads me to wonder whether charities like CARE and Feed the Children could be doing more to fight hunger and poverty long term, instead of always focusing on the immediate.

This is a tricky question. If someone is starving in front of you, it’s unimaginable to say to her, “Well, I’m going to give my money to an advocacy group that is helping to eliminate hunger long term.” But if that person is dependent on handouts from you and others, there’s little chance the problem will ever be solved.

Judaism places a high priority on giving time, money and resources to those in need. Over and over again, the Torah commands us to care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger among us. We are to provide food and clothing for those who need them, heal the sick, and bury the dead. But of course, it’s not that simple. Thousands of charities compete for our support every day, dealing with everything from hunger relief in Africa and animal cruelty in the States to global warming. Kids Can't Survive: without CARE

Maimonides is famous for his ladder of tzedakah, or hierarchy of giving. The highest form of tzedakah, according to Maimonides, is to give an interest free loan, or to enter into a business partnership. To help someone get back on her feet and provide for herself is considered higher than providing immediate relief to a problem.

In some cases, immediate relief is all that is needed. In the aftermath of major natural disasters, immediate support in the form of food, water, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies is absolutely necessary, and may be all that can be reasonably done. But when we’re dealing with a long term problem with no end in sight, it may be better to think big picture and give to charities that are working on the roots of our problems, not the buds.

Are Your Hamantaschen: ready to go?It's Purim, party people, and that means you have six mitzvoth to observe in the next couple of days. What, you thought it was just a costume party? The Purim mitzvoth are:

1. Hearing the Megillah. We’re supposed to hear the Megillah twice: Once tonight, and once tomorrow morning.
2. Giving mishloach manot to your friends and family.
   
3. Giving money to the poor.
   
4. Having a festive Purim meal.
   
5. Adding the appropriate prayer, Al Hanisim, during the Amidah
   
6. Being extra happy on Shushan Purim, which this year falls on Shabbat.

Word to the wise: Purim is a great time to try out a new synagogue—you get to see how much liquor they’ve got around and how generous they are with it, and sample their hamantaschen. A lot of synagogues offer Purim Carnivals, such as Ikar in Los Angeles. They're hosting a "Justice" Purim Carnival—with games like Guitar Hero and Wii Sports—from which all proceeds will go to charity. To find a cool shul near you, try shulshopper.

We’ve already covered giving mishloach manot here, but remember that the mitzvah is to distribute them on the day of Purim, which is Friday. Ideally, one should send them by messenger, but if your chauffeur has the day off, it’s cool to deliver them yourself. You should put together and send at least two gift baskets.
You Gotta Give: to everyone who asks on Purim
Giving money and gifts to the poor is an integral part of celebrating Purim. On Friday one should try to give money, food or clothing to at least two needy people. The minimum amount you should give is only about 20 cents per person, but if you can afford to give more, then do so. Technically one is obligated to give money to every needy person who asks on Purim, and it’s preferable to give more money to the poor than to spend tons on your mishloach manot or on making a lavish Purim meal.

Having a festive meal on the day of Purim is one of the less commonly observed mitzvoth, but it need not be. Since Purim falls on Good Friday this year, you might have the day off, which means plenty of time to put together a nice Purim brunch. Check out Not Derby Pie for some great ideas, or our own Jewcy suggestions. And we’re supposed to drink on Purim, so how about mimosas? Another suggestion: Brew up a pitcher of Sukkot Sangria, and tell your friends it's Purim Punch.

Being especially happy and joyous on Shabbat, and adding Al Hanisim during the Amidah are pretty easy to figure out without much explanation.

Now, start cleaning for Pesach…

Related: Must Have: Readymade Purim Baskets, How To: Make Your Own Purim Baskets

Scarlett Johansson: following in the footsteps of other do-gooder masked crusaders Actress Scarlett Johansson announced a plan today that will combine two of everyone’s favorite things: tzedakah and big swanky Hollywood parties. ScarJo will purportedly auction off two tickets to the premiere of her upcoming movie, He’s Just Not That Into You, on eBay. All proceeds from the sale will go to international social justice coalition, Oxfam.

Two winners will not only get to chill with the celebrity Jewess at the premiere, but will also be treated as stars for the day, getting glammed out with a Hollywood makeover, and arriving in style by chauffeured car service. Tikkun Olam has never looked so good!

Johansson is full of surprises lately: A few weeks ago, she told us she was planning on being the next Tom Waits, and now she's venturing into the world of charity. Might she be trying to keep up with her socially conscious co-star, The Other Boleyn Girl Natalie Portman? Maybe, but at least it’s for a good cause.

Related: Walk A Mile In Natalie Portman's Shoes

Jet Set Barbie: kicking leukemia and lymphoma's ass!Love to travel? Hate Leukemia and Lymphoma? If you answered "yes" to both of those questions, then I strongly advise you to mosey on over to Global Traveler magazine, where they recently launched a huge auction to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The travel-themed auction goes through midnight on May 30, 2008, and includes items ranging from business class airline tickets, international hotel stays, spa treatments, and luggage, to rounds of golf and wine.

The goal: To raise $100,000 for LLS, which fights leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma.

You know how empty the refrigerator is when you come back from a long vacation and you haven’t gone grocery shopping yet? Looking at my empty fridge always makes me feel guilty about not doing more in the fight against hunger. Hunger is one of those basic problems that I find incredibly overwhelming, but that I also feel really compelled to do something about. So every year I try to give some time and money to a few great Jewish charities that fight hunger.
Empty Fridge: empty tummy
Meir Panim is an amazing and huge charity in Israel dedicated to providing vital food and social services to the needy via 30 relief centers. A few years ago I was part of a volunteering mission in Israel and we did some awesome work at a free restaurant run by Meir Panim. They run a tight ship, and provide for hundreds every day. Definitely worth a contribution if you have some cash, or a few hours of volunteering if you have some free time the next time you’re in Israel.
Hunger: we're obligated to do something

In the States, we have Mazon, which does everything from raising money and distributing food directly, to running advocacy programs that help bring attention and resources to the problem. And because I’m from Chicago I know of two amazing programs in Chicago that do great work fighting hunger and that always need volunteers to do some hard work (read: a good way to help out even if you’re strapped for cash). There’s the Uptown Café, which provides kosher hot meals in a restaurant-style setting to Jews and non-Jews alike. You can donate money, or volunteer to be a waiter/waitress. And there’s Maot Chitim, a program that gives boxes of kosher food to underprivileged Jewish families before Pesach and Rosh HaShana. They always need help packing and delivering boxes.

Three cheers: For Rice.Want to improve your vocabulary and feed the hungry at the same time? Then visit Freerice.com. For every vocabulary question that you get right, the website will donate ten grains of rice to the hungry. The advertisements on the website pay for the donated rice and the rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program.

The highest vocabulary score you can get is 50, and I averaged 37, which left me feeling…..below average. Anyway, let’s all work on our respective vocabularies and give a little in the process.

We—the children of the boomers, the privileged progressives—have a giving problem, which is that we don’t do it. Instead, we cloak ourselves in the trappings of charity. We carve out lives that appear to be socially just, full of free range chicken and Birkenstocks. We look good, even if we don’t do-good.

Revolution: Never looked so good.Hell, we ask for money, either as non-profiteers, or as individuals with pet projects. Each year, I get a handful of e-mails from friends requesting “charitable donations.” They want to take their band on the road, or they want to fly to Nepal to read bedtime stories to orphans, and they’re asking me to fund the trip. They have feral cats to foster, and co-operative gardens to maintain, and that’s great, but it does little to repair the world. Sure it’s nice to have live music in the park, but that that just makes our lives nicer, decorates our world.

Please understand, I’m in no position to judge, because I’m worst of all. Last year, while working for a Jewish charity I “rescued” Kareem, a stray pit bull living down the street from me. Then I spent SEVEN THOUSAND dollars to kill her slowly, with a fancy veterinary specialist, on credit, and then solicited Jewish donors to fund my hopeless project. And it worked. Which is insane.

I cared enough to nurse the damn dog, just not enough to put the bill on my own credit card, or take a second job to pay the bill.

SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS TO KILL A DAMN DOG!!! I wasn’t being a do-gooder, I was sucking the system, siphoning off money that could have been going to AIDS research or literacy. I got so caught up in what looked like charity that I lost all reason, not to mention my math skills.

I realize now that for years I’ve made the mistake of mixing up my progressive lifestyle for true charity, and I think maybe you have too.

Forget dogs: This mutt doesn't need your money. Ask yourself: Do you feel better about yourself when you shop at Whole Paycheck, or when you ride your bike to work? Do you imagine the world thinks you “look” progressive?

And how do you judge the world? Let’s say you spot a thirty-ish woman in a vintage sundress, carrying a cloth grocery bag to the farmers market while sipping a soy chai, and walking beside her is a middle aged woman in a salmon colored Capri pants-and-sweatshirt ensemble that surely came from Wal-Mart. A Disney outfit. She’s drinking a Big Gulp.

How might you imagine they stack up to each other with regard to charity? I bet the Wal-Mart mom gives a big chunk of change to her church each year, which—among other things—supports a soup kitchen. And I bet she doesn’t have a ringer-T that says so either.

Keep in mind, it’s still good to ride your bike to work, but if it makes you feel like you’ve “done your bit” there’s a problem. If your hemp pants make you feel like you don’t need to send some money to Louisiana, you’ve gotten off the path.

For some, the solution seems to be “getting involved” but that doesn’t take the place of giving either. So if you’re working in the development office of an environmental organization, however cool that is—you should be donating to that same organization as well. Because when you’re getting paid to do “good work”, it isn’t really charity. That’s just the non-profit sector supporting you.

Look up to Grandma: She was fashionable and gave to charity. Maybe we’re screwed up because we’re just plain bad with money, raised on credit cards and take-out, but there’s an illogic in place, because we think we’re progressive. We think we want to help. We’ve taken the Sesame Street aesthetics that our hippie parents fed us, and we’ve blended them with the greed of our own me decades, and the result is a lot of bumper stickers. We buy organic milk, and then get wasted on Cosmos, or we buy ethanol for our SUVs. The image of progressive living has a price tag., and so we don’t ever have enough to give to charity. Our appetites always exceed our resources, no matter how great our resources may be.

Face it. We just really like to buy stuff, and we live in a world designed to feed that passion. Despite our aesthetics of charity, despite our rocking of the vote—what does our generation value? TiVo. High speed Internet. Very pale beers with slices of citrus fruit floating in them. Whatever the billboards tell us to value, which means our discretionary spending is beyond belief.

Three years ago, a study based on more than 7000 households showed that just over one-half (53 %) of our generation made donations of $25 or more in 2000. Compare this to our post-Holocaust/Depression grandparents, 80% of whom gave at our age. Or our hippie parents, who donated at a rate of 75%. Bubbe and Zayde gave an average of $1,707. We give $532.

But Generation X, Y, and Z?

We refuse to share our good fortune. Despite the fact that a 30-year-old today (we’ll call him Mike) is 50% more likely to have a college degree than his dad (Steve), and despite the fact that Mike earns $5,000 more a year than Steve did 30 years ago (even adjusted for inflation), he isn’t giving any of it away. In fact, Mike probably doesn’t believe he can afford to give. Like many of us, he think he’ll have the money someday, talks about what he’ll do when that day comes, and then goes out for dinner. Like many of us, he thinks he’s “just getting by.”

Gen-x: Spending all of our money on cosmos. But our generation has a strange concept of what it means to “get by.” We spend more on vacations than our grandparents ever dreamed of, and per trip expenditures have increased 66% over the past 5 years. While Steve spent a well-earned week in the Poconos, Mike flies off to Mali, and even if he has to slap it on the credit card, he feels totally entitled. In 1997, Generation X spent approximately $30 billion eating out, and we’re the highest consumers of fast food, beer, wine coolers (ugh!), and booze. When it comes to food, we lead the way with soda, chocolate, chips and beer, so then of course we spend a lot on gym memberships too.

So I’m making a resolution now, and I’m asking you to hold me to it.

I’m going to do better. In fact, I’m going to try to give away 7K next year, to make up for Kareem the dead dog. I’m going to research giving, and I’m going to stop eating out so fucking much. I’m going to try to figure out how the people who give make it work. That’s right, I’m admitting my ignorance and facing the music. I’m going to talk to my grandparents, and maybe a banker, or a rabbi, and I’ll get back to you when I have some answers.

In the meantime, what are you going to do?

* * *


Short quiz:

1.) Do you have bumper stickers or T shirts that advocate missions you haven’t actively contributed to in the last year?

2.) Do your organic purchases each week outnumber the quantity of organizations where you’ve volunteered?

3.) Have you traveled in a developing nation and then come home and bought items made in China?

4.) Is the amount of money you spend on alcohol each week more or less than the amount of money you spend of charitable causes?

5.) Do you belong to Working Assets? If so, how often do you actually make an additional donation when you pay your bill?

Better than you: This bag recently convinced Dick Cheney to buy a PriusIf you follow fashion, you’ll understand the power of the phrase “I am not a plastic bag.” Yesterday, in less than an hour, New Yorkers snapped up 2000 canvas totes labeled with those words at a Manhattan Whole Foods. The bags, which cost around $15, have been snapped up all over Britian and are nearly causing riots in the States. Why? Because fashionistas currently like being eco-friendly, but they’ll always love being cutting edge, and Anya Hindmarch’s creation is the status symbol of the summer.

Being an organ of many opinions, Jewcy is divided about whether or not this is a positive development. Editor Joey Kurtzman has said before that he likes the idea of tying good deeds to status. Since people put so much time and money into showing off, he reasons, why not harness that energy and attach it to a worthy cause? After all, when a soulless, shriveled trendwhore totes vegetables in her “I am not a plastic bag” bag simply to make her BFFs feel like lesser human beings because their bags aren’t quite so de trop, she’s still conserving resources. One less petroleum product will wind up in one less landfill even if the bag’s owner’s intentions are utterly rotten and black of heart.

Then again, unlike philanthropy, bag ownership isn’t immediately a good deed. Rumor has it that some department stores in England were actually bagging the Hindmarch bags in plastic, which is both hilarious and terrifying in its implications about the depths of human stupidity. Jewcy contributer Rebecca Diliberto has made her own critique at Café Press, and she’s donating all proceeds to charity. Anya Hindmarch seems like a cool, well-intentioned lady; I think Diliberto’s “I am not a douchebag” would amuse her more than anything else. After all, it can carry vegetables home from the supermarket too.

Mik Moore is the editor of jspot.org, a project of Jewish Funds for Justice. This is his first contribution to the Daily Shvitz.

Earlier this week, I sat down for lunch with several co-workers to talk about our personal philanthropy. How did we make decisions about our tzedekah? What motivated us? Where did our money go?

Let me back up for a second and provide some context. This is a topic of no small interest in my job,Don't Write Off the Rambam!: Mik Moore makes the case for quiet charity because we are a public foundation. That means we give away money, but unlike most foundations you’ve heard of, we aren’t funded through an endowment. We raise our own budget each year.

In the Jewish world, we are unique – a Jewish foundation whose grantmaking is focused on supporting community organizing in low-income communities, mostly immigrants and people of color.

So, back to lunch. We all went around and spoke about our personal tzedakah. For many of us, myself included, we were not terribly strategic about our giving. Although there is consensus among us that poverty issues are a priority, we often gave significant amounts of money to support causes that had nothing to do with poverty. The reason for giving? Usually because we were asked to give by a close friend or relative. We were giving mostly for them, not for the cause.

As the conversation progressed, one of us raised the question of anonymous vs non-anonymous giving. The example cited with greatest disapproval was the practice by one Jewish Federation to publish and distribute a list the exact dollar amount of all of its contributors. This was an egregious enough sin to convince one of our lot to forgo future contributions.

Stop. Fast forward a few days. I’m reading Jewcy and enjoying the mutual admiration society forming between Joey Kurtzman and Peter Singer over whether or not the former should be pleasuring himself in front of the world for his $1000 contribution to fight global poverty.

Continue reading...

Peter Singer is routinely described as "the most influential living philosopher" and occasionally as "the most dangerous man in the world," so it's with much giddiness that we introduce him for a second time as a contributor to Jewcy. The background: Jewcy Senior Editor Joey Kurtzman recently paid enthusiastic tribute to his own $1000 contribution to the anti-poverty campaign Idol Gives Back, and railed against the expectation that charity should be given quietly and anonymously. Joey claimed this was "destructive nonsense" and "insufferable twaddl

See Peter Singer's response to this post, here!

I donated $1000 to “Idol Gives Back” the other night. Check it out, here’s the charge on my Mastercard.

Trans Date: 04/28/2007
Post Date: 04/30/2007
Description: IDOL GIVES BACK(Other)Scrambling for Status: Author boasts of past donations, predicts future ones
Transaction Number: 25536067120000001175409
Amount: $1,000.00

I don't want to say this makes me a better, classier person than you, but...well, who are we kidding? A thousand dollars is a buttload of money! And remind me again how much you gave?

When I first learned that the One campaign and American Idol were opening an ambitious new front in the war against extreme poverty, I thought I'd give $250. Then I considered that half the money goes to the most impoverished children in this country (in Appalachia and downtown Los Angeles, where children are undernourished and have little access to education), and the other half to the most impoverished on the planet (in sub-Saharan Africa, where the mortality rate for children under five exceeds 33% in some countries). So I decided to give $500. And still I felt unsatisfied.

How did I became so charitable, so deeply decent? I don't have an answer for you. Was it my quality upbringing? The well-developed social consciousness that came with my fine education? Or have I just been blessed with a natural empathy, that instinctive sensitivity to suffering that seems so essential a part of my nature? I suspect it's a combination of all these things and more. Regardless, I donated $1000. More than all of you combined, I'm sure.

Do you find all this self-satisfaction nauseating? Of course you do. I don't like it either. We encounter arrogance and self-promotion all the time, but it's jarring to hear someone even discuss the dollar value of their charitable contributions, much less boast about it. How could it be otherwise, when we've been indoctrinated with all that insufferable Judeo-Christian twaddle about good deeds being noblest when done quietly, without public display or recognition? It's Jesus's favorite talking point. The Pharisees couldn't walk an old lady across the Cardo without sending the Lamb of God off on another tiresome rant about the hypocrisy of good deeds done for public display.

And it wasn't just Jesus. In the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides broke charity down into eight forms, and the more selfless your intentions, the more noble the charity.

It's all a bunch of destructive hippy-dippy bullshit. The real hero is the person who gives, and then struts and preens in public like they just fucked the prom queen.

Because yep, verily, the highest form of charity is that which is given in the spirit of smug one-upmanship. The future of the planet will be vastly better if only we can learn to properly exploit the insatiable status hunger of people like us.

In Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen marveled at the middle-class's indefatigable clamoring for signifiers of class and status. So intense was the desire to improve in social standing relative to one's peers that Veblen thought it almost spiritual in nature. No bauble was too useless, no gizmo too costly, if it helped accomplish this. He called this "conspicuous consumption."

And that spiritual drive for status, Jewcers, is the way and the path. Unlike Jesus or Maimonides (or Marx), we live at at time when vast quantities of disposable capital have accrued among middle-class social climbers. So if we wish to end the most grievous injustices on the planet--say, the annual death of six million children from severe malnutrition and associated opportunistic infections--we have three options: We can pray for human nature to change such that self-sacrifice is more natural than self-seeking; we can fantasize about a revolutionary reordering of the global economy; or we can harness our status anxiety in the service of humanitarianism.

When charitable giving becomes a form of conspicuous consumption, when saving the life of a child confers half the social status of, say, a cute pair of shoes, human history will be forever transformed. Another world is possible, and middle-class status anxiety can get us there.

So forget Maimonides' antiquated "levels of charity." Ignore Jesus's tired rants against hypocrisy. We need more Pharisees, and fewer saints. Whether we like it or not, the most effective charity is that which is accompanied by a sneer at the lowly neighbours. Everything else is tied for last.

See Peter Singer's response to this post, here!

[The author futzed around a bit with this post since it was first published, including to make the satire of the opening section more explicit.]

Continue reading...

Jewish Banking: New and improvedAfter I posted about charity the other day, I considered that Faithhacker aims to be a “guide to practical spirituality.” Which means (to me) that whenever possible, I should try to offer you tips— concrete solutions and ideas on how to live a more interesting/meaningful/useful Jewish life.

And I hope that when you have tips of your own, you’ll share!

Charity seems a subject that’s particularly good for concrete tips. Money-saving and money-spending are things we have the ability (with lots of limitations of course) to control. And many of us face the same issues with regard to money. The same contexts, the same weaknesses. We all spend more on Thai food than we should. We all fall prey to credit cards. So it stands to reason that if one of us can find a way to save/give money away… the rest of us might be able to do the same.

So my tip for the day is that we all look into the Bank of America program, Keep the Change. (More on the program over here if you’re a business-minded person)

Basically, this program rounds up your debit purchases, and drops the extra pennies from each transaction into a savings account. So like, if you spend 88 cents on a candy bar, your bank will round up, and deposit 12 cents into your savings account.

Since you can have multiple savings accounts, there no reason you can’t designate one of them as your “charity” account and route your “change” to that account specifically. Then, you’ll save money automatically, and at the edn of each month, or year, or whatever… you can decide how you want to donate your charity.

I’ll admit that I don’t bank at Bank of America, and it makes me feel weird to promote like this for them, but it’s an idea…

Before I switch, I’ll go talk to my bank and see if there’s anything like this in the works… but if not… this might be worth the “change.”

Charity the Neo-Vegan Way: It's not tithing, but it helpsI’ve been thinking a lot about charity this year.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m a slacker.  However I may “want to give”, I just don’t unless someone (usually a homeless guy or NPR or the firemen) comes begging.

So in January,  I made a New Year’s resolution to begin tithing, and then we had some unexpected turns in the road, and now I’ve put off the whole process until the road straightens back out.

Which sucks, I know… but that’s the truth. 

 So today I went online to find out what the “rules” are on Jewish charity. And I found this.

The Torah commands us to give 10 percent of our earnings to people in need, based on Leviticus 25:35 and Deut. 15:7-8. This is called Ma'aser, literally "one tenth" (hence the English word "tithe"). This is colloquially called tzedakah (charity), which Maimonides lists charity as one of the 613 mitzvahs.

Ten percent of a person's wages after taxes should be set aside for tzedakah. Business expenses and Jewish education costs may be deducted from the 10 percent. (Some people deduct only two-thirds of a boy's Torah education cost.)

So now I’m really really ashamed of my own lack of Jewish charity all these years, and my absolute disorganization in all charitable matters…

And since misery loves company, I want to know. Honestly. Please answer?  You can anonymize yourself if you like…

How much do you give each year?  In cash money? 

There's only one way to get out of the obligation to give your friends wedding presents: They have to divorce within a year of the wedding. Rather than waiting to see if the marriage lasts, try these five usual gift ideas. After all, if the gift is clever enough, they might forget it's a year late.

Dining Out: Everybody likes a free meal1. The dinner date

You can’t go wrong with a dinner for two at a top restaurant in the couple’s town. If you don’t live in the same city (or don’t know what places would fit the bill) look on Citysearch. Call ahead to get a gift certificate for, say, $100 or $150, which should cover it even if you live somewhere expensive like New York. If the couple has children, you could really dig yourself out of the hole by offering to baby-sit.

Drink Up: Who wants one bottle when you could have twelve?2. The starter wine cellar

A case of wine (12 bottles) is a creative and infinitely useful gift. Even if the bride and groom don’t drink it, they’ll be covered for dinner parties for the next few months. This gift will most likely set you back over $100, but your local liquor store will usually give you a 10-20% discount. (Who has to know?) Since many states won’t let you ship wine, this works best if the couple lives in your city, or if you’re planning on driving to see them. If it’s awkward to suss out the couple’s favorite kind of wine, then just buy your favorite or ask the clerk for a recommendation. You could also try my favorite: Francis Ford Coppola’s Diamond Claret.

The Gift of Giving: Paying it forward

3. The gift that keeps on giving.

Charity can ease everyone’s conscience—which benefits not only you but the couple, after that ludicrously expensive wedding. Network for Good and Just Give are clearinghouses for charitable gifts, both with easy-to-navigate websites, that make giving in the couple’s name easy and offer a wide range of causes. Donate whatever amount you were planning to spend on the gift.

Squeaky Clean: White towels match every bathroom4.) The updated trousseau

My save-the-day wedding gift to give comes from Basiques, a cute Manhattan shop which recently relocated to Houston, Texas. At $199, this present is simple but swank. It’s a set of insanely plush terry towels: two bath, two hand, and two washcloths presented in a toile hatbox that the couple may like as much as what’s inside. The towels are white and the washcloths are monogrammed in whatever color you want. Who doesn’t need monogrammed white towels?

Choose Your Own Adventure: It's like giving them back their registry virginity5.) The one-size-fits-all

Sending them a gift certificate for wherever they registered is just plain efficient. Stores tend to close registries not long after the wedding, but a certificate allows the couple to fill in whatever they wanted and didn’t receive. Plus it won’t involve the couple having to return anything. Think about this: You were already late with the gift and now you’ve made it worse by giving them some vase (you love it; they think it’s hideous) that they now have to schlep back to the store? Not exactly the best way to make amends.

A Pit Mix: Could you say no to this face?A few years back, I found a dog.  It’s a long story, but to cut it short—I “rescued” a dog that turned out to need serious medical care.  I might not have been so generous about things, but Kareem (a pitt mix; I live in a neighborhood where every dog is a pit mix) was the sweetest creature that ever lived. 

Several thousand dollars later, Kareem died. It was pretty awful.

The result? I developed a newfound commitment to animals. I joined a fostercare/rescue group, took in lots of orphans on a temporary basis, and started combing the streets around mine for animals in need.  

About six months later I was losing my mind.  I’d thrown away furniture and carpets (incontinent cat), gone into debt, and run myself ragged.  So I talked to my rabbi.  I asked him about what kind of obligation Judaism requires us to have regarding our pets and other animals.  It took him a long time to answer.  

Finally, he explained several things to me.

1. We are supposed to be good to animals.
2. We are NOT supposed to let our care of animals get in the way of more important responsibilities (family, Torah, helping people)
3. There is a difference between helping an animal who comes to you in need (say, a dog who stumbles starving into your yard), and seeking out animals who might need your help. (This applies, I think, to non-dog situations as well)

Which was helpful for me at the time.  It eased my guilt.  I kept feeding the dog that lived in my hedge, and found homes for my foster pets, but I stopped cruising for new hard luck cases, and I stopped volunteering with the rescue group (which WAS making it hard to take care of other obligations).

But now I’m thinking about Kareem, and I’m remembering the things the rabbi said, and I’m turning to you for assistance. Two kinds of help.

First, I wonder if anyone can offer text support for what the rabbi told me.  I’m especially interested in #3.  I want to know if anyone can show me where Judaism draws a distinction between the need we stumble over in the world, and the need that’s out there in the dark, unbeknownst to us.

And second, I want to ask what other people think of this in general.  Both #2 and #3 seem to have a pretty huge range of interpretations in our world today.  

#2 is hard for me because there’s such an array of family dynamics.  What does it mean to “take care of” your family?  I mean, is helping animals (not to mention other kinds of charity) supposed to come AFTER feeding your baby?  No!  But what about setting up college funds?  Buying your son a new car when he turns 16?  Purchasing a vacation home?

And #3 is just tricky in general, since we live in a world that we all KNOW is chock full of need. Starving kids and stray animals and so on. Do I need to wait for hungry kids to come into my yard, asking for bread, before I send a few bucks to Feed the Children?  Or is a TV commercial enough?

What say you?

Veteran funny lady fashionista/every plastic surgeon's wet dream Joan Rivers will be raising money for an AIDS charity by auctioning off her cleaning skills, right in time for the annual Spring cleaning.

Why cleaning you ask? Well, Rivers' skillsets are limited since getting booted from her cushy gig as E!'s red carpet host and besides, think of the potential. Now, not only can she superficially devour one fame-hungry celeb at a time, but she can unleash her thinly-veiled hostility on an entire house full of poor, unassuming inhabitants. Oh, wait...Scratch the poor. The winning bid is expected to be between $4,000 and $6,000.

 

Zell KravinskyHannah Arendt argued that during a time of collective moral failure there is no room to consider appearances—you just need to do the right thing. Though she never knew Zell Kravinsky, she might have been talking about him. A Philadelphia real estate mogul whose charitable donations over the past five years add up to $45 million and one of his own kidneys, Kravinsky doesn’t worry about what kind of giving is socially acceptable. A rich man isn’t supposed to give away so much of his wealth that he himself can no longer be considered wealthy. A husband and father isn’t supposed to give a ...