When I was a child, my mother used to give me a nickel every week to take to Hebrew school. The nickel was for the tzedakah box, and the funds were sent to children in the new State of Israel. My parents taught us that we had an obligation, a mitzvah, to give to those¬ in need. That was the law prescribed in the Torah. There were many tzedakah boxes in our home, in my grandparents’ home, and in my great grandparents’ home. When I married my husband, we always gave to anyone who came to our door. And there were many!

We taught our children that they, too, had the mitzvah of tzedakah. To give the tzedakah with a smile and a pleasant greeting. They are teaching their children the same. We were blessed to be able to give generously, not only to Jewish charities but to others, as well. My husband always said, “It is better to be able to give than to have to receive.”

When I joined the Jewish Federation’s Lion of Judah Society 18 years ago (2006), I was delighted to be part of an organization whose mission was to raise funds for Jewish people everywhere. It has been rewarding to be a part of Lion of Judah and to be able to give an endowment to such a worthy cause.