If You Feel Like Giving

Michael "Miki" Neumann was an amazing man, and I'm proud to have shared the Shavuot education stage with him at Beth David in West Hartford back in 2010. When he passed away suddenly last year of a heart attack, the entire community and all those tied to Miki were broken. He was a boon to the West Hartford community, but he also was internationally known and recognized for his research in Numerical Linear Algebra, Matrix Theory and Linear Algebra, and Numerical Analysis. Miki published more than 150 scholarly articles, coauthored a book in his field and was working on another book at the time of his death. In shul, I will always hear the prayer for the safety of Israel Defense Forces soldiers with his voice, as every Shabbat he led the prayer in West Hartford.

So why am I writing this now? Well, a fund has been set up in his honor at the University of Connecticut, where he was a professor at the time of his untimely death. This is a note from his wife, Helen:

I'm writing to tell you that the University of Connecticut has established a scholarship fund called the Michael Neumann Dissertation Award fund. This scholarship will be given every year to the student who writes the best PhD dissertation in mathematics. This is a very fitting way to honor Miki's memory. In his career at UConn he was a wonderful and devoted PhD supervisor to nine students. He remained a mentor to them all. 

A very generous member of the math department at UConn has offered to match all donations made between now and June 21st up to $5,000. Below is the information on how to make a donation to this fund. 

So, if you're feeling like giving today, considering giving to the Michael Neumann Dissertation Award. He was a brilliant, kind soul, and his memory should be for a blessing!

How to Make a Donation By Mail Checks, payable to "The University of Connecticut Foundation," can be mailed to: The University of Connecticut Foundation 2390 Alumni Drive Unit 3206 Storrs, CT 06269-3206 Please note Michael Neumann-22909 in the memo line. Online Donors can also make a gift, up to $5,000, to any part of the University from our secure Web server. ·         For gifts to the Michael Neumann Dissertation Award, visit: giving.uconn.edu ·         Check box: I would like to give to a fund not shown on this list. ·         Account or fund you would like to support: 22909 ·         Gift Amount: ______ ·         Please enter school, college or program this fund supports (if known): Michael Neumann Dissertation Award - 22909 Online donors should select the box on the giving screen (example on the left) that informs the Foundation that the gift is being made in memory or honor of someone. When this box is checked, a form will appear where the donor can enter the name of the honoree and who should be notified of the gift (often the honoree or a family member if it’s a memorial gift). Payroll Withholding If a UConn faculty or staff member would like to give through payroll deduction, they may call Human Resources for more information. As little as $1 per pay period can be deducted from your paycheck and designated to the account of your choice until you reach your goal. You may download the pledge form, which may be delivered to the UConn Foundation or faxed to the Office of Annual Giving at 860.486.0907. Phone Donors can also make a gift over the phone by calling the Office of Annual Giving at 860.269.9965.

Parshat Terumah: Giving & Taking

This week's parshah begins with something very near and dear to the heart of the Jewish community: contribution. HaShem says to the Israelites, “Take for Me (vayikchu-li) an offering from every person whose heart inspires him to generosity" in preparation for the construction of the mishkan, the tabernacle that will be carried throughout the desert and eventually will lead to the building of the Beit haMikdash, the holy Temple.

It's a particular word spin, and I hope it makes you pause. The Big Man speaks, saying we should take from ourselves -- but only if we're inspired! The verb that's used does not mean give, it means quite literally to take, which also is peculiar because how does one take of himself or from himself? How does one provide a contribution on command and guarantee that it's genuinely inspired?

Very little of giving today happens on demand. HaShem doesn't call us on Super Sunday and say we have to give to our local federations or that the local Jewish retirement facility needs funds so we must give. And even if that did happen, would we? What compels us to give? Is it the action of taking of ourselves rather than giving of ourselves? It becomes a two-way street when you take something from your own life, from your own lot, and provide it for others. When you give, it's less so.

I want to start using more folktales on the blog (and really, who doesn't), so let's start with this one, a Yiddish one, that offers perspective on the difference between "giving" and "taking."

"Yankel the Cheapskate" would not give money to anyone, for any reason. It didn't matter how important the cause. No one could crack him. He just wouldn't contribute. One day, Yankel was crossing the river in a small boat. Suddenly, a huge storm breaks out, and his boat capsizes. Luckily, another boat approached. The sailor calls out to him: "Give me your hand. Give me your hand."

Yankel can barely hear him over the strong winds and the roaring waves. He hears only one word, over and over: "Give, Give..."

And good old Yankel can't help himself. He yells back: "No. I don't give. I don't give."

Again: "Yankel, give me your hand! Give me your hand." And again Yankel screams: "Never. I don't give."

Finally, in desperation, the rescuer yells: "Yankel, take my hand." And Yankel says: "Oh, take? Sure."

I think that this week's parshah offers a spin on what we considering taking. To take something from someone else benefits the self, so perhaps HaShem knew that asking the Israelites to take of themselves would give them a chance to feel a part of the building of the mishkan. No matter how poor or rich, old or young, everyone provided for the construction. Everyone took of themselves to put into the construction of a dwelling place for the shechinah (the divine presence of HaShem). 

An old adage says that "A fool gives, a wise person takes." Be the wise person and whenever you offer a contribution or gift, make sure that you're taking of yourself and not just giving. Okay? Okay. 

That's your public service announcement for Shabbat. If you want more on the awesome goodness that is tzedakah, I suggest you check out Maimonides Eight Levels of Charity, which is fascinating. 

A Quick Favor

Hello friends. It's me, your overly busy and completely unpredictable and lacking in sleep blog host, Chaviva! I'm here, briefly, ever so briefly, because I'm working to the point of brain-explosion and not eating and ... well, you get it.

Anyway, I have a huge favor to ask.

I'm trying to help collect money to get our Hebrew High Denver and Boulder Hebrew High students to New Orleans for a service-learning trip. 

Got $18 to spare? Please oh please help them out! These are our future leaders doing good in NoLA! 

Just go to https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=caje&id=1 and make sure to mark it down for Hebrew High and for the Service Learning & Leadership Trip. 

I'll love you forever. And maybe I'll bake you something, too. 

For 24 Hours: Just Give!

no one has ever become poor by giving 

~anne frank~

Today, folks, is a big day for Colorado! Why? Because it's Colorado Gives Day, and I'm taking part in one way or another via my gnarly clients the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education and Stepping Stones.

What is Colorado Gives Day?
It's 24 hours of raising as much money as humanly possible for 839 participating Colorado nonprofits and is the brainchild of Denver-based Community First Foundation. Last year's efforts raised $8.7 million, and I think that this year will blow last year out of the water!

The Organizations for which I'm Pulling?

The Colorado Agency for Jewish Education (aka CAJE), which is pretty self-explanatory. It's responsible for Hebrew High, the Melton Mini-School (adult learning), Israel Study Tour, Early Childhood Education and everything else awesomely educational in Colorado. Them's are some big shoes, folks, and they're hoping to raise $20,000 today! Give $1, give $18, just give, will you? I know most of my readers don't live in Colorado, but Jewish education is Jewish education, and if there's a state that needs it, it's Colorado -- with a Jewish population of 86,000, most Jews here are secular and CAJE does what it can to light a spark in all Jews.

The other organization is Stepping Stones, which is an "outreach organization whose mission is to welcome, support and educate interfaith couples, children and their families." So put your anti-interfaith dialogue on the back shelf and remember that Jewish outreach to interfaith families means a Jewish flavor that otherwise might not exist, and that's important. Stepping Stones also is pushing for $20,000, so give a little, give a lot, just give darn't.

What now?
Be a part of an amazing day of giving. Seriously, give $10, give $100, just give. And then browse the GivingFirst.org website and see what other organizations are worth your hard-earned cash!

Give to CAJE!

Give to Stepping Stones!

I'll be around town throughout the day today roving and reporting for the agencies, so if you want to donate in-person, check out King Soopers on Leetsdale, Zaidy's in Cherry Creek, Panera at the Denver Tech Center, and Bookies. 

Give and let give! Spread the word, friends!

The Power of Giving

Last year I went through a phase of giving over the period of a month. I gave to a variety of Jewish organizations, with the ultimate goal of ... feeling good. I'll admit it. I never really gave to any organizations before, because I never had money. When I did have money, I was busy paying off my creditcard debt. So the moment I had a few free bucks, I gave. Meagerly, but I gave, and mostly to my tzedakah box at home.

Right now, I'm sitting at the Future of Jewish Nonprofit Summit in NYC, where giving, charity, and money have been the major topics of conversation. The fellow who opened the day's events, Charles Best of DonorsChoose.org, really paved the way for me to rethink how I view giving and charity, and for that I'm super thankful. In fact, I added a link on the right-hand sidebar to GO to DonorsChoose.org. And? I donated some money to a single effort that I'll mention in a few. All you have to do is go there, find any random or specific project looking for some funds, and give something, anything. One dollar will get a classroom far, believe it or not, and if a lot of people donate a lot of dollars, then bam -- you'll have a classroom with a bunch of awesome supplies like protractors and pencils and calculators and ... books. Yes. Books. Some people need something as simple as books.

In 2009, more than $300 billion were given charitably.* 

Seventy-five percent of that? From individuals.

A corporate giving list can be found at goodness500.org.

You can actually go to DonorsChoose.org and type in the keyword for any cause you fight for on a regular basis, any cause you donate to. Best used the example of a guy who is big on salmon in the Northwest. So Best told him to go to DonorsChoose and search "salmon." Bam. There were projects at schools all over that needed some type of donation tied in with salmon. Yoga? There are a lot of those, too. I looked up journalism, and there are a ton of projects looking for simple goods for journalism goodness. Holocaust your thing? There are a bucketload of projects looking for help in funding for supplies for Holocaust projects.

Basically, what I am saying is this: You got a cause you dig? You got an extra dollar in your pocket? Skip the latte tomorrow and donate it to a good cause. Let me get you started. An old college chum, Josh, is a Teach for America teacher in Kansas City, is looking for supplies for his math class. Simple stuff. Easy stuff. Just go there. (He needs $80, come on!)