giving tzedakah

Hurricane Sandy has presented special challenges

The USH Rabbi's Discretionary Fund and Chesed Fund will also offer some personal assistance to individuals and participation in the larger Hoboken hurricane recovery effort. We also encourage donations to these relief funds and organizations among others:

Jewish Federations of North America Disaster Relief Fund

Nechama - a Jewish Response to Disaster

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Disaster Relief Fund

Rebuild Hoboken Relief Fund

Rabbi Scheinberg wrote, "This crisis has taught us all a lot about the importance of community. So many of us relied on the hospitality or assistance of friends and family, or provided such hospitality or assistance. In the words of the Talmudic sage, gam zeh ya'avor - this difficulty, too, will pass - as we take steps to resume our normal activities in our families and in our congregation."

There are a large number of causes we encourage people to consider when giving. Here are some:

American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism's imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community.

MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger - a national nonprofit organization that allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds.

United Jewish Appeal of Hoboken: This organization is the Hoboken Jewish community's primary vehicle for demonstrating our commitment to the world-wide Jewish community, in Israel and throughout the world, as well as the needs of our local Jewish community.
Donations by mail can be made to:

United Jewish Appeal of Hoboken is affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America. You can get more information about the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the two main international organizations supported by UJA of Hoboken.

Jewish Family Service of Metrowest is the primary Jewish social service agency in our area. JFS offers couple/individual/family counseling for all, and case management for the infirm and elderly.

Hazon - means vision and is America's largest Jewish environmental group. They have compiled a very comprehensive list of additional organizations collecting funds.

USH donation opportunities - charity begins at home.