A special leaflet has joined the ranks of Torah
handbills. It focuses on the mitzvah of
tzedoko and includes words of Torah, stories
and words of chizuk about tzedoko
alongside articles about how to give tzedoko
to people genuinely in need of help.
The Vaad Harabbonim LeInyonei Tzedoko collects
funds to help Jews in distress. The collection of
funds is done primarily through a mailbox drive:
envelopes are sent to more than 100,000 Torah
observant homes throughout the country. The money
collected is sent directly to the needy, who pay no
percentage or registration fee. The Committee
activists are volunteers who receive absolutely no
remuneration. The envelopes are distributed three
times a year: Chanukah, erev Purim and erev Yom
Kippur.
The committee was founded by the gedolei
haTorah and prominent rabbonim known for their
greatness in Torah and their devotion to
tzedoko and chessed. The committee is
headed by HaRav Shmuel Auerbach, HaRav Nissim
Karelitz and HaRav Moshe Halberstam, and the work
is supervised by HaRav Azriel Auerbach, HaRav
Naftali Nussbaum, HaRav Moshe Uri Eisenstein, HaRav
Chaim Yehuda Cohen, HaRav Menachem Mendel Fuchs,
HaRav Binyomin Rimer, HaRav Elimelech Rottman,
HaRav Zelig Wallace, and others.
The decision of the rabbonim to found the committee
was made after it had become apparent that
fundraising drives were sometimes conducted by
dubious people, and that the funds didn't always
reach their rightful destinations. It was decided
that the committee would supervise the drives,
ascertaining whether the families soliciting funds
were needy, and if their situations warranted
communal help.
The large-scale, centralized collections save much
unnecessary expense. Of course, this method spares
the recipients the embarrassment and the
difficulties involved in going from door to door to
collect money. We can say with the utmost certainly
that tzedoko given by means of the Vaad
Harabbonim LeInyonei Tzedoko is pure tzedoko
and hatzolos nefoshos of the highest
order.
The volunteer committee activists are selected by
the rabbonim. Every single shekel which arrives is
transferred in the closed envelopes to the
needy.
The recipients are chosen by the rabbonim. Those
who compile the list make every effort to include
the most needy among the applicants.
