http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/fostering-a-culture-of-philanthropic-giving-in-israel/?utm_source=Tue+Dec+17&utm_campaign=Tue+Dec+17&utm_medium=email
[This is the second article in a series on Israeli philanthropy. This segment of the series includes two parts. Part one focuses on organizations and initiatives that promote organized and strategic giving by Israeli philanthropists. Part two features organizations and initiatives that encourage micro-donations from the Israeli public.]
Part I: Promoting Strategic Philanthropy
by Frayda Leibtag
Tzedakah, charity, is a core Jewish value and a significant amount of giving takes place in Israel every day. The food donation boxes in Israeli supermarkets are always overflowing with products. Free-loan funds, for money as well as household items, clothing, books, equipment and services, abound in the ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel. Israeli passersby frequently give their small change to beggars on the street. According to a May 2013 Fact Sheet produced by the Myers-Brookdale Institute, 68% of Israelis age 20 or older donate, and in an international comparative survey conducted by the 2012 World Giving Index, Israel ranked in the 19th place among 146 countries included in the index (U.K. is ranked 4 and the U.S. 13). Israelis give, but not in the organized and controlled fashion that is formally termed philanthropy. Organizations and initiatives such as Committed to Give, Sheatufim, Jewish Funders Network (JFN) Israel, Keren Baktana and Takdim are working to promote and support a culture of philanthropy and giving in Israel.