Philanthropy
[Hebrew, tsdaka] - Mercy is one of the
fundamental precepts of the Bible, complementing the
mitzvah, or divine
commandments. It serves as atonement for one's sins and
hastens the
coming of the Messiah.
The poor and beggars were treated with respect in
Jewish society
because they gave the wealthy the opportunity to do good
deeds. One of
the main tasks of Jewish Communities was to care for the
poor, orphans
and those in need of assistance, by providing them with
medical care and
education--and women with dowries--as well as by showing
hospitality to
those who had come from other cities. The Communities were
supported in
these tasks by the Community brotherhoods. They also hired
doctors who
treated the sick without charge. In many towns, Jewish
hospitals were
founded that also served as shelters. Dowry funds were set
up, whose
purpose was to provide dowries for poor young women; one was
established
in Krakow in 1633.
Before holidays, food or money was distributed to the
poor.
During the Purim holidays, anyone who asked for help was
supposed to
receive it. The bachurs [Hebrew, bachur = bachelor, young
man]-i.e., the
yeshiva students, were especially well cared for. Often,
they received
their room and board in exchange for teaching younger
pupils.
(H.W./CM)
Along with the dwindling role of the Communities in the
nineteenth century, new charity and self-help organizations
appeared.
Modeling themselves on the traditional brotherhood
charities, they
usually functioned under the aegis of the religious
Communities, such as
chesed shel emes [Hebrew, chesed shel emet, "the grace of
truth"].
These included burial societies that allowed the poor to be
given
religious burials and cared for graves. There was also, for
example, the
beis lechem [Hebrew, beit lechem, "house of bread"], which
provided
food for the poor, particularly during the holidays; and the
moshav
zkenim [Hebrew, "old people's home"]; beit yesomim [Hebrew,
"Children's
Home", i.e., orphanage].
The self-help organizations had a somewhat different
character-they operated in specific professional circles,
such as
traders, artisans, those in cottage industries, and
companies.
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In the nineteenth century, they united in
chevroth [Hebrew, chevra = association], most often linked
to the
synagogue; these included both employers and employees.
Their functions
during interwar Poland were in part taken over by the trade
unions that
were linked to political parties.
After 1905, the free loan societies began to be
organized by
synagogues and Communities. In the second half of the
nineteenth
century, assimilationists were very active in philanthropic
programs.
They tried to break with the traditional system of
philanthropy, which
they believed produced people who were helpless and
dependent on
constant assistance. To this end, for example, they
organized vocational
education programs.
In the early twentieth century and during the interwar
period,
several dozen healthcare societies were operating, which
cared for the
sick beyond the Community level, such as the Society for the
Care of
Jews Suffering from Nervous and Mental Illnesses (which
existed from
1906-1939). They also ran hospitals, shelters, clinics and
sanatoria.
Linas Ha-tsedek [Hebrew, Linat Ha-tsedek, "Charity Deposit"]
organized
help for the sick and their families in small Communities,
and larger
ones provided medical and outpatient care, as well as kosher
meals for
patients in municipal hospitals. There was also the Society
for the Care
of Poor Jewish Patients, Ezras Choylim Anyim [Hebrew, Ezrat
Cholim
Aniyim, "Aid to Poor Patients"], the Jewish
Anti-Tuberculosis Society
Briut-Zdrowie, and many others.
In addition, large organizations operated on a
nation-wide
scale, often even on an international scale: these included
the
Healthcare Society (Towarzystwo Ochrony Zdrowia - TOZ),
Joint, B'nai
B'rith, and the Central Association for the Care of Orphans
and
Abandoned Children in Poland.
During the Second World War, social services became
imperative for
survival, as did the significant civil resistance in the
ghettos. They
were organized in part by the Judenrats, which ran "people's
kitchens"
in the larger ghettos. In particular, these helped feed
people who had
been resettled there from other cities and towns.
After the occupying authorities had granted permission,
in 1940 the
Jewish Social Self-Help organization, subordinate to the
Main Social
Services Council (Rada Glowna Opiekuncza), began operating
in the
ghettos. It helped distribute aid from the American "Joint"
organization
in the Generalgouvernement, although it was a only a drop in
the
bucket; even so, Germans nevertheless confiscated some of
what did
arrive.
Underground organizations emphasized self-help, and
created block
committees made up of residents from one or more buildings.
Deportees
grouped together according to their points of origin, in
loose
organizations of residents of one town or city.
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In 1944-1947, in light of the miserable
situation facing Holocaust survivors, the main aim of Jewish
organizations was to provide them with healthcare and
material
assistance. An Office for Aid to the Jewish Population was
established
as part of the Polish National Liberation Committee, whose
functions
were later assumed by the Central Committee of Jews in
Poland and by the
religious congregations. Self-help activities were also run
by Jewish
political parties. Beginning in 1945, material aid came
primarily from
the United Nations (UNRRA) and Joint. They consisted of food
and
clothing packages. That same year, ORT and TOZ began
operating in
Poland. The former opened workshops and crafts cooperatives,
equipping
them with machines and materials sent from abroad, and
organized
vocational training. The latter ran a network of clinics,
cr�ches and
pre-schools, as well as several hospitals and sanatoria it
funded. In
addition to providing healthcare, these orphanages and other
facilities
for the elderly and invalids were also subsidized-services
which were
not limited solely to Jewish patients. Both associations
ceased
operations in 1949-1950, when authorities accused Joint and
ORT of
spying and forced their members to leave Poland.
These organizations renewed their activities after 1956,
primarily
assisting Jews who had lost their jobs and making funds
available to
start production cooperatives, as well as providing
disability benefits
to those unfit to work.
In 1968, the communist authorities banned their
activities,
permitting Joint to resume activities only in 1981; Joint is
currently
supported in part by the Social and Cultural Association of
Jews in
Poland. It provides material support to the sick and the
elderly who
have no relatives. Since 1989, the Ronald F. Lauder
Foundation, based in
the United States, has been active in Poland, fostering
religious life
and cultural initiatives of the Jewish community there.
(A.C., G.Z./CM)
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