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How does tzedakah become a part of your life? For me, its
origins can be traced to my home. It was not formally taught,
but it was shown every time the doorbell rang at 160 Strathearn
Road, where I grew up in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
In those years, people seeking charity for Jewish institutions
in Israel or for needy individuals, traveled to Toronto and
knocked on doors for donations. When the door opened and the
mostly black-hatted, bearded gentlemen appeared, my father
was summoned. He invited each man into the house, listened
to their stories and then reached into his pocket or wrote
a cheque. No one was ever refused.
In later years, when I found myself canvassing my neighbours
door-to-door for the Cancer Society, I observed that the notion
of tzedakah in the general population was either forthcoming
or it wasn’t present at all. Similarly, in fundraising
for UJA Federation, I saw that there were many in the community
who never donated at all.
And now, when I think about "last acts of giving,"
I give because my parents showed me how and I give partly
for those who don’t know how.
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