The visit to the UK for my nephew's wedding didn't. Didn't as in I couldn't go. So, I am by the Kinneret trying to empty my head and get some rest time. In Tiberious getting breakfast and suncream , ( don't travel in Israel without it) I was approached by a very obvious Orthodox youth. He wanted money. "En Kessif", "Lo Avodah" was just about what I heard under the threads of his mind. All by the ATM.
Yes, I gave him 20 Shekels and walked down the road to the mall where I knew (this is Tiberious remember?) there would be a Torah group. I asked them if there was anyway they could help this guy. One of them spoke English very well. After an internal burst of Yiddish which I did not understand, they asked if I was Jewish. I said no, I'm Christian'. After another burst of Yiddish, they said we help people to Torah , there are other groups that help people like that.
I asked for a phone number. They said no. "No, it's not my problem."
I'm still trying. I don't know what bothers me most. Beggars I have met in many countries. This one, with a white shirt, tallit, curls past his ears really, really upset me. I'll look for him again Sunday morning. No, probably I won't and he will dim in my mind. I'll try again Saturday evening. After Shabbat.
Friday, August 05, 2005
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9 comments:
I have difficulty knowing how to deal with people who ask for money, and as I'm blog-hopping tonight, it appears there are a few other people who feel the same.
Adrian... Not knowing the details of your encounter I can't begin to know the motivation/background of either the individual who approached you... or the group you saw afterwards. However as an observant Jew living in Israel I have become more and more frustrated with a trend towards institutionalized begging and wide-spread feelings of entitlement to hand-outs that pervade some sectors of the religious community here.
I grew up in a community where begging was an embarrassment to both the the beggar and the beggee. The circumstances that could propel a person to humble him/herself before another with a request for monetary assistance was often painful enough in, and of, itself to make the beggar want to find a way not to seek charity... and for the beggee to want to steer the beggar towards some situation that would preclude the need for future charity. For some reason there is a significant segment of the Israeli population that not only feels no shame at asking for hand-outs... but has built an entire communal economy based almost entirely on individual and governmental charity.
The point that sticks most painfully in my craw is the fact that so many of the recipients of these hand-outs who live freely in a country that caters to their religious needs more than any other country on earth, don't hesitate to condemn (or even refuse to recognize) the State of Israel or the government that makes their continued existence possible.
"significant segment of the Israeli population "
There is?
One word seems to sum up this type of guy: schnorrer.
But he needed help. i still feel guilty.
I think at this point in time you can reject the guilt and focus on number one priority: you and your family. There are hundreds, thousands, millions of people who are in need out there.
A complete stranger helped my daughter. Three others helped Mrs Egghead last night. I *will* do unto others as I would like to be done to.
Quite so! There is absolutely no doubt that Little E and Mrs E are in need of urgent help. Now.You know that. A kind perceptive stranger (Israeli or otherwise) would know that. The issue is prioritising -and focusing. It is not a simple black-white 1-0 yes-no. Helping someone more degrees distant from your first priority, even if a schnorrer or if the help is not urgent, is fine only if you are fully covered close to home. Unless (or even if) you are Moshiach you cannot help everyone who is in need even within a one mile radius.
You can only help those you know about. If he asked / or you saw he was in need and you can help him, then help him. but dont say 'there are many more worthwhile causes' - here is someone right in front of you asking. 20 shek here and there is hardly going to bring the house down, but to him, you probably made his day.
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