Do we see and hear when people are hurting?
Do we pay attention or look away?
Do we even care?
Do we do anything about it?
As queen Marie-Antoinette said when told that her people were starving and had no bread, what did she say?
Let them eat cake!
Pray that we are better than that. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I don’t usually do this, but I felt this situation truly merits your compassion and charitable giving.
Niv Nehemia was the victim of terror in 2017 in this Israeli grocery. He suffered “14 stab wounds to the head, chest, hands, and necks, including a cut in his esophagus.”
The article appealing for help to cover his mounting medical costs appeared in the Jerusalem Post last week: Don’t leave a hero behind.
I still remember this video from when it happened two years ago. Niv is truly a hero in fighting off his brutal attacker and in saving other store employees and shoppers!
Further, Niv and his wife, Sigal, have 5 beautiful children aged 18 to 4 1/2
If you can kindly open your heart to these victims of terror, here is the link for your donation as listed in the Jerusalem Post: https://www.jgive.com/new/en/ils/donation-targets/24591.
May Hashem give a full and speedy healing to Niv and may He bless this family and all of us with peace! 😉
Thought this was a pretty good display with the Three Bears for holiday donations for Children’s National Hospital.
While it gets your attention (who sees three pink bears lite up on the street at night?), asking people with a small impersonal sign on the floor to remember to login and make the donation later isn’t very effective.
People act on the spot, especially when it’s an emotional appeal for charity for sick children that need help.
The children deserve for there to be a way for would be donors to actually give on the spot–where they can swipe or tap their credit card, write a check, or drop some money in for giving.
Later, later, later…and unfortunately, it may never happen for the Children.
Come on–it’s the new roaring 2020s–we can create some urgency and convenience and do better than this! 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “Being Jewish and Proud.”
With roughly 15 million Jews in a world of 7.7 billion people, we make up less than .2% of the world population. However, despite our small size, we’ve been recognized with over 20% of the Nobel Prizes for contributions to the sciences, medicine, literature, economics, and peace. Most Jews tend to believe not only in a strong core religious education, but in higher education and lifelong learning, and others excel even when starting out and innovating from their garages. From Abraham and Moses to Einstein and Freud, and even to today’s Jews leading the Technology revolution–such as Steve Ballmer, Sergey Brin, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, Larry Page, and Mark Zuckerberg–the Jewish contribution is truly unparalleled.
Until Mashiach, there will always be some people that hate on us and want to destroy us–perhaps and unfortunately, that’s just who they are. But we choose not be anyone else but Jews, because that’s who we are–and there is every reason to be ourselves, maintain our faith of thousands of years, continue to make awesome contributions that benefit mankind, and be forever proud to be a Jew.
(Photo Credit: Andy Blumenthal)
Hair Cuttery has 1,000 company-owned Salons in 18 states in the USA.
Dennis Ratner, the founder and CEO is a huge success story.
– Puts people first.
– Gives back to the community.
– Believes in vision, planning, and execution.
– Dennis said: “Effort = Reward” and to be “Relentless” in pursuing your passion.
– Great roles model.
(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)
Nice time today at Strathmore Concert Hall.
Listened to beautiful music by Violin Virtuoso Zoltan Maga and The Budapest Gypsy Orchestra.
Zoltan was amazing and he played the violin with expertise that I have rarely seen in my life.
It was as of the violin literally came alive in his hands.
His son, Zoltan, Jr. also played wonderfully and seems to be a “chip off the old block.”
I was pleasantly surprised to hear Zoltan and the orchestra play a pretty mean Hava Nagillah!
Also, the Hungarian Ambassador was there to welcome Zoltan.
It was beautiful at the end when they told how Zoltan does many charity concerts and donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to needy orphan homes.
I shook Zoltan’s hand, but I could tell he was very protective of his magic hands.
Truly, he is a master and you can see the skill from Hashem in him–it was amazing. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy and Dossy Blumenthal)
So the plight of the homeless in Washington, DC and other large cities like NY and LA is despicable.
This photo is taken not far from the Capitol building in DC.
The homeless are not living in tents in the dead of Winter.
As the people pass by, under this particular overpass were no less than 4 tents.
While millionaires and billionaires splurge on themselves, so many people continue to go without adequate food, shelter, clothing, plumbing, healthcare, education, and jobs in America.
When G-d looks down and see the unsympathetic wealthy next to the downtrodden poor–and many of the wealthy act like insatiable pigs, while the poor go hungry and cold–shall the L-rd that judges all the earth not do justly?
Yes, there should be incentives for people to work hard and contribute, but when the wealth is skewed so that more than 50% of all the wealth is owned by just the top 1% of people and the top 1% own more than the bottom 90% of the population–we have a system that is not just broken, but grossly unjust and inhumane.
Corruption is alive and well, and who is there among our leaders to stand up and say and do what is right by G-d children?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, “The Conviction of One’s Faith.”
What better way to welcome in the New Year of 2019 then with some inspirational true stories about amazing people and their faith in G-d and doing what’s right. Recently, I saw firsthand from some special people, the miracles that happen when one is charitable and sticks to ones beliefs.
As my father always taught me about G-d and doing what’s right: “Stick to your convictions!” 😉
(Source Photo of this amazing Tzedakah (charity) box in Israel: Minna Blumenthal)
Thought this was a wonderful story on our perspectives in life.
And how money can corrupt our vision of what is truly important.
This is the story:
A rich man became ill.
He looked out the window and saw his old friend who was a poor man.
The rich, sick man invited the poor man, his friend into his house.
After talking awhile, the rich man asked the poor man to tell him what he sees.
The poor man told the rich man to go over to the window and asked:
What do you see?
The rich man said:
I see men, women and children in the street.
Then the poor man took the rich man over the mirror and asked him:
Now what do you see?
The rich man taken aback for a moment, said:
I see myself.
The poor man says:
Ah, that is the difference. Both the window and the mirror are both made out of glass. But when you look into them, you see different things. The window is just plain glass. But the mirror is glass covered in silver. When we look through just the glass, we see others! But when we look through the glass tainted with a coating of silver (i.e. money), we only see ourselves.
Wow! Think about it a moment. Shabbat Shalom! 😉
(Story adapted from Bishvil Ha-Ivrit)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
andyblumenthal