Philanthropy in America Daniel Gross, a journalist, author, and editor who specializes in business history, political economy, and the money culture in his review of The Greater Good: How Philanthropy Drives the American Economy, pointed out that “In the U.S., where 89 percent of Americans made voluntary contributions in 2001, and more citizens give than vote, we collectively give about 2 percent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to charity. By comparison, the British give just 0.7 percent.” Jonathan Freedland, a British Citizen, cited comparable donation statistics from 1993 ($880 per average American family, versus $300 for the British).
Philanthropy has always been an American tradition. In 1928 $2.5 billion was donated to U.S. charities. Today that number has increased one hundred fold to over $250 billion a year. Over 75% of that came from individuals, with the remainder coming from foundations, bequests and corporations. Data from the American Association of Fundraising Councils puts the 2002 U.S. rate of philanthropy at 2.06 percent. A Jewish Perspective Rabbi Joseph Telushkin points out in his book, Jewish Literacy, that the word tzedakah – loosely translated as meaning charity, derives from the Hebrew root of a word that means “justice.” Thus in Jewish thought, tzedakah, results not from “being magnanimous,” or “helping out” but rather being motivated by being righteous, or acting with justice or fairness. The decision to give charity is not a matter of the kind heart, the discretionary choice, nor of the privileged few, willing to help the less fortunate. Rather, tzedakah is an obligation, a form of self-taxation. A person simply has to do this. It is a commandment, not a good deed or a voluntary act of kindness. This can be seen most vividly in the way some Jews budget for charity just as they do for food or housing. It is also demonstrated in the way Jews pay dues to synagogues and buying tickets for services on religious holidays, rather than having the synagogue or temple rely on the collection plate or pledges. So while the giving of charity may constitute a kindness, it is first and foremost an obligation. Not contributing would be unfair, unjust, or just plain unrighteous. The historical precedent for Jewish philanthropy dates back to ancient Jerusalem. Paul Johnson, points out in his book, History of the Jews, “From Temple times, the kuppah or collecting box was a pivot around which the Jewish welfare-community revolved. Maimonides stated: ‘We have never seen or heard of a Jewish community which does not have a kuppah’. There were three trustees, solid citizens for each kuppah and, charity being mandatory in Jewish law, they had the power to seize goods from non-contributors. . . . The notion of ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his need’ was adopted by the Jews before the birth of Christ and practiced even when the community as a whole was distressed. A solvent Jew had to give to the kuppah once he had resided in the community a month; to the soup-kitchen fund after three, the clothing fund after six, and the burial fund after nine.” One example of how the concept of the -Ĺ“collecting box-Âť survived until modern times was the famous -Ĺ“blue box-Âť distributed by the Jewish charity National Fund starting from the 1950′s to homes, synagogues, school rooms and individuals. The box was an ever present reminder of one’s obligation to help the fledging State of Israel in its earliest days. Tikun Olam – Repairing the World Tikkun Olam” is another essential Jewish philanthropic notion. Generally considered to mean the “mending of a broken world,” it draws on many diverse concepts with deep historical roots in Jewish intellectual thought. To some it relates to Adam and Eve’s removal from the Garden of Eden, constituting a response to original sin. For others it involves the mystical / kabalistic view that at the time of Biblical creation, vessels of light, into which God was pouring Divine Light, were somehow crushed. The resulting shards contained sparks of Divine Light. Humanity must help free and re-unite this light to restore a broken world. For some, this is the role of “the Chosen.” Namely, the Jews are “chosen” not in the sense of being favored by God, but chosen for the duty of Tikkun Olam – reuniting the vessels and restoring the light. And their duty is to all of humanity. While Jews are proud of their tradition of taking care of their own, they have an acknowledged duty to others as well. Historically, Jewish loan societies, soup kitchens, hospitals and other social and philanthropic agencies benefited the surrounding general community. Rates of Jewish Philanthropy While there aren’t definitive estimates for Jewish giving and the available information is contradictory, it can be demonstrated that Jewish philanthropy is disproportionately higher, at least two to three times higher, than the national averages. The January 2004 National Jewish Population Survey estimated that there were 5.3 million Jews living in 2.9 million households. The average annual Jewish income is $54,000 per household. Total Jewish household income is $156.6 billion. A low estimates for Jewish giving indicates that annual Jewish charitable donations range between 1.5 percent 2.9 percent of income. The average of this estimate (2.2 percent) places Jewish charitable giving at $3.4 billion annually. That works out to $650 per person. A higher estimate is given by (Hoge, Zech, McNamara and Donohue) experts who study rates of philanthropy by religion estimate higher Jewish philanthropy. They say it approaches 7.5 percent. At 6 percent, Jewish giving would total $9.4 billion, or $1,775 per person. In 1997 Jack Wertheimer, provost of the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York, suggested that the total annual U.S. Jewish philanthropy lies somewhere between $8 to $9 billion. These higher figures are very reasonable. This is even clearer when donations to Jewish causes are viewed separately from donations to secular causes. In the 1997 American Jewish Year Book, Jack Westheimer wrote “American Jews . . . raised as much as $4.5 billion (annually) for Jewish causes.” When you factor in the approximately $2 billion a year given by nineteen of the largest American Jewish philanthropists to mostly secular causes, and The National Population Survey which estimates that 62 percent of U.S. Jews donate to non-Jewish causes, it seems reasonable to support the Hoge, Zech, McNamara and Donohue estimate, that Jews make charitable donations approaching nearly 7.5 percent of their annual income. This is approximately three times the national average. Where is the Money Going As opposed to conventional wisdom, not all of it is going to Israeli causes. In fact there has been a steady decline in Jewish charitable funds being directed to Israel and Jewish causes. Data from the Jewish Federation, United Jewish Appeal and the United Israel Appeal, indicates that, other than in times of crisis, more and more money raised by these organizations is remaining in the U.S., and being distributed along non-denominational lines. Although these are not the only sources of U.S. Jewish financial support to Israel, they are a significant part. Israel benefited from proportionately significant support when the country’s survival was being threatened when it received $147 million of the $200 million raised in 1948. A second landmark was achieved during the 1967 Six Day War when $237 million of the $302 million raised was sent to Israel. A third spike occurred when the Yom Kippur War generated donations of $488 million from the $684 million raised. Since 1974, the allocations to Israel have remained in the $300 to $375 million range. The percentage of funds raised which were allocated to Israel dropped from 73% in 1948 to 36 % in 1999. A corresponding trend is apparent in the distribution of these funds within the U.S. Studies show that among gifts larger than $10 million between 1995 and 2000, 94 percent of the money went to non-Jewish causes. One possible explanation of this phenomenon is that tzedakah has assumed the character of American philanthropy, and currently represents the civil tradition of philanthropy in the United States rather than the religious tradition of Jews. Another explanation attributes this phenomenon to assimilation and by inference to an ecumenical view of “tikkun olam.” Another viewpoint attributes this trend to a conscious desire on the part of Jews to give a generous gift to the country that granted them the equality of opportunity to earn wealth. Others view it as a desire to be a positive ambassador to the non- Jewish community, and others, quite simply feel that the non-Jewish causes appear to be “more compelling.” Bottom line: charitable giving has always been an integral value in American society. The Jews in applying their own cultural and religious values to this act, have elevated it to an art form.
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