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Jews traditionally use the Hebrew word tsedakah which means righteousness (and implies an obligation) rather than the English word charity (which connotes optional) to refer to helping the less fortunate. The tax code provides incentives to donate, but there are only five days left to make 2009 charitable donations. If you have been waiting until the last moment to chose which Jewish organizations to support take a look at the list in the right hand margin under the heading Recommended Jewish Charities. I first mentioned several of these almost eight weeks ago in my article on the Goodstock charity fair in Brooklyn.
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Dec. 27th, 2009
Jews traditionally use the Hebrew word tsedakah which means righteousness (and implies an obligation) rather than the English word charity (which connotes optional) to refer to helping the less fortunate. The tax code provides incentives to donate, but there are only five days left to make 2009 charitable donations. If you have been waiting until the last moment to chose which Jewish organizations to support take a look at the list in the right hand margin under the heading Recommended Jewish Charities. I first mentioned several of these almost eight weeks ago in my article on the Goodstock charity fair in Brooklyn.
If you only can give to one Jewish charitable organization UJA Federation of New York, which funds a wide variety of social services serving the Jewish community here in New York as well as helping Jews in need around the world, would be a good choice. If on the other hand you can afford to support several organizations read on.
Many of the Jewish cultrural events I have reported on in this space have been funded by the Foundation for Jewish Culture. If you have enjoyed the exhibits, plays, concerts, dance performances, films, or book talks I have reported on and want to help fund future creativity the Foundation for Jewish Culture is the appropriate address.
To help fund Jewish education make a donation to your shul's Hebrew School or to your local community day school. To support the development of engaging curricula and pedagogic approaches employed by Jewish educators consider a donation to JESNA. To ensure that Jewish college students find a Jewish home away from home on campus support Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. Three of the Jewish couples my co-author and I interviewed for I Am My Beloved's: Jewish-American Couples Talk About Their Marriages met at their college Hillels.
Kulanu assists isolated Jewish communities around the world. They sponsored the talk by JJ Keki of Uganda's Abayudaya Jewish community that I reported on a month ago. Kulanu also supports Jewish communities in several other African countries, China, India, as well as descendants of Jewish conversos seeking to return to Judaism in the Americas and the Iberian peninsula.
The organizations mentioned above benefit fellow Jews; as Hillel said, "If I am not for myself who will be?" Hillel's quote continues, "But if I am only for myself who am I?" Jewish ethics requires us to feel responsible for the weakest among all humankind as well as for the well being of the planet, and to strive for justice in our own country; several Jewish charities address just these concerns. Mazon, A Jewish Responce To Hunger supports food banks in the USA and hunger relief projects around the world. American Jewish World Servicesupports grassroots community development projects in Asia, Africa, and the Americas with an emphasis on empowering women and on marginalized communities. AJWS also sends teams of Jewish-American volunteers to work on such projects in the various countries; participants have reported that being part of a team of fellow Jews living and working with impoverished communities overseas has strengthened their Jewish identity.
My November 5th article focused on efforts by Jewish World Watch to provide solar cookers to Darfuri refugee women so that they won't have to leave the safety of their camps to find firewood. In that article I wrote that JWW also provides Darfuri refugees "with medical supplies. clinics, a maternity ward, sponsors schools for Darfuri children, and is providing similar humanitarian assistance to the civilian victims of organized brutality and systematic rape in the war ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It also advocates for legislation and policies aimed at stopping or preventing genocide and finding a comprehensive peace for Sudan and the DRC."
The Hillel quote I cited above concludes, "if not now when?" Around the world numerous coastal communities face imminent relocation as sea levels rise because of global warming.The Jewish Climate Change Campaign, a Jewish response to rising temperatures caused by carbon emissions, seeks active political engagement in addition to monetary donations. The campaign asks supporters to pledge:
YES: I believe that the Jewish People can and should play a distinct role in responding to climate change and fostering sustainability between now and September 2015 (the end of the next 7-year sabbatical cycle in the Jewish calendar);
YES: I call on all Jewish organizations, small and large, to create Green Teams that will draw up seven-year goals to effect change and specific steps to get started this year;
YES: I believe we must integrate education, action and advocacy. So I commit every month to learn more about the environment and about Jewish teachings on sustainability; to act by making more sustainable choices; and to advocate for generational change by speaking up to friends, family members, colleagues and opinion-leaders;
YES: I'll write to my elected representatives "I call on you and our government to build a more sustainable global economy; to support the creation of green jobs; to prioritize protecting vulnerable populations; and to ensure that the UN Climate Change Conference creates the strongest possible framework to ameliorate climate change."
YES: I hope 600,000[1] Jewish people join me in signing this pledge. Please add my name to the list.
Jewish Funds for Justice seeks to create a just, fair, and compassionate America through grantmaking and loans, service, learning, leadership development, organizing, education, and advocacy to achieve social and economic security and opportunity for all Americans by investing in healthy neighborhoods, vibrant Jewish communities, and skillful leaders. Their programs reflect four strategies to address the root causes of social and economic inequality in the United States:
* Expanding the Jewish progressive base and increasing its capacity for creating economic justice.
* Partnering with the center to engage them on issues of common concern.
* Strengthening the capacity of low income communities and their grassroots organizations.
* Reestablishing the Jewish community’s role as an anchor and ally to those committed to social and economic justice.There are many organizations that fund charitable projects in Israel. None of those that I recommend fund settlements in the West Bank that most Israelis agree are an impediment to a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and, moreover, that such a solution is essential to Israel's future as a Jewish democracy. New Israel Fund supports a variety ofsocial justice and human rights projects in Israel. Rabbis for Human Rights is an advocacy organization that documents human rights abuses in Israel. Israel is home to some of the world's cutting edge medical research, and Hadassah helps fund some of that research in its hospitals and clinics. Hadassah also supports the Young Judaea youth movement and advocates for women's issues here in America. Israel Union for Environmental Defenseseeks to reduce pollution and funds ecological sustainability projects in Israel. Camp Shutafis a summer camp in Israel for children with special needs. In the interest of full disclosure one of its founders, whose son has down syndrome, is a friend of many years, and the father of another camper (an autistic girl) went to college with my wife.
WASHINGTON — Some immediate benefits from the health care legislation advancing on Capitol Hill will ease the minds of parents who may have hit up against limitations of their existing health insurance.
Within six months, the Senate bill approved last week would allow dependent, unmarried children to remain on their parents’ policies until their 26th birthday; the House bill would allow an additional year of dependent coverage, until the 27th birthday. Right now it varies from state to state.
The Senate bill would also bar insurers from denying coverage to children under 19 years of age based on pre-existing medical conditions. And the House bill would require insurers to cover reconstructive surgery for children born with deformities.
In many cases, the requirements, including the extended coverage for adult children, would apply only to new insurance plans, though insurers could apply the changes to existing policies.
Many major provisions in the health care legislation would not take effect for several years. New federal subsidies to help moderate-income Americans afford coverage would not begin until 2013 under the House bill, and 2014 under the Senate bill. A new requirement that nearly all Americans obtain insurance would take effect at the same time that the subsidies become available.
On the flip side, many of the new taxes and fees that will help pay for the legislation would take effect much sooner. For this reason, some Republicans have criticized the bill as akin to legislation on a layaway plan: pay now for benefits later.
The concept, however, is not unprecedented. In 1965, when Medicare was created, the payroll tax began six months before the insurance coverage began for Americans age 65 and over.
Still, the lengthy gap between the expected completion of the legislation in early 2010 and the effective date of many major provisions has left Democrats working to answer the criticism with lists of “immediate deliverables.”
Here are some of the benefits that Democrats say would be available soon after the legislation is adopted:
No annual or lifetime limits Both the Senate and House versions of the legislation ultimately seek to prevent insurers from imposing annual or lifetime limits on coverage in new health policies. In the final package of amendments to the Senate bill, the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, added new language giving the secretary of health and human services the authority to regulate annual limits from six months after the bill is enacted until the broader insurance provisions take effect in 2014. Such limits are a serious concern to people with chronic illnesses like cancer that can require expensive treatments within a relatively short period of time, and the change proposed by Mr. Reid was prompted by inquiries from the American Cancer Society.
Limits on insurance company profits Beginning in 2011, the Senate bill would set tight restrictions to force insurance companies to spend the bulk of their revenues on providing medical care to beneficiaries. The legislation would require insurance companies in the large group market to spend at least 85 percent of their revenues on care and insurers in the individual market to spend at least 80 percent of revenues on care. Critics of the private health insurance, including Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, and Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, said setting such requirements on what insurers call “medical loss ratios” was needed to tamp down on profiteering.
Short-term expansion of state high risk pools To help people who cannot obtain insurance because of pre-existing conditions, both the Senate and House bills would provide $5 billion to increase the availability of coverage through state high-risk insurance pools. This provision would take effect 90 days after enactment of the legislation, but many details remain to be worked out.
New financing for community health centers The House bill provides $12 billion in additional financing for community health centers, which serve needy populations, particularly in rural areas. Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, won the inclusion of $10 billion in financing for community health centers in the Senate bill. The final dollar amount will be decided in negotiations between House and Senate leaders, but the money would be available for five years beginning in the current fiscal year.
Closing the Medicare drug “doughnut hole” The legislation would increase the amount of drug costs covered by Medicare by $500 in 2010. And beginning on July 1, 2010, the bill would provide 50 percent discounts on brand-name drugs and biologics that low- and middle-income beneficiaries have to pay for themselves once the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole begins.
Prohibition on rescinding existing coverage Both the House and Senate bills would bar insurance companies from rescinding existing coverage other than “in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact.”
Small business tax credits The Senate bill would offer tax credits to small businesses beginning in 2010 for up to 35 percent of premium costs. The full credit would be available to firms with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages of $25,000. Reduced credits would be available to firms with up to 25 employees and with average annual wages of up to $50,000.
Patient protections For new health plans, beginning six months after enactment of the legislation, the Senate bill would prohibit insurers from requiring prior authorization before a woman sees an obstetrician or gynecologist. The bill would also require coverage for emergency care.
Discrimination protections for lower-income workers The Senate bill would bar group health plans from setting any eligibility rules for coverage that favor higher-wage employees. This provision would take effect six months after enactment of the legislation.
Cobra extension through 2013 Anyone currently paying for an extension of health benefits as permitted under federal law — for instance, after a loss of employment — would be permitted under the House legislation to continue Cobra coverage until the major insurance coverage provisions of the legislation take effect in 2013.
Reinsurance program for early retirees Both the House and Senate bills would provide federal financing for a new reinsurance program to encourage employers to maintain health benefits for employees and early retirees age 55 to 64.
Consumer assistance provisions Both the House and Senate bills would begin to impose new requirements aimed at making it easier for consumers to interact with insurers, including a requirement that health plans adopt uniform descriptions of plan benefits and appeals procedures and that they begin using identical forms.
WASHINGTON — Some immediate benefits from the health care legislation advancing on Capitol Hill will ease the minds of parents who may have hit up against limitations of their existing health insurance.
Within six months, the Senate bill approved last week would allow dependent, unmarried children to remain on their parents’ policies until their 26th birthday; the House bill would allow an additional year of dependent coverage, until the 27th birthday. Right now it varies from state to state.
The Senate bill would also bar insurers from denying coverage to children under 19 years of age based on pre-existing medical conditions. And the House bill would require insurers to cover reconstructive surgery for children born with deformities.
In many cases, the requirements, including the extended coverage for adult children, would apply only to new insurance plans, though insurers could apply the changes to existing policies.
Many major provisions in the health care legislation would not take effect for several years. New federal subsidies to help moderate-income Americans afford coverage would not begin until 2013 under the House bill, and 2014 under the Senate bill. A new requirement that nearly all Americans obtain insurance would take effect at the same time that the subsidies become available.
On the flip side, many of the new taxes and fees that will help pay for the legislation would take effect much sooner. For this reason, some Republicans have criticized the bill as akin to legislation on a layaway plan: pay now for benefits later.
The concept, however, is not unprecedented. In 1965, when Medicare was created, the payroll tax began six months before the insurance coverage began for Americans age 65 and over.
Still, the lengthy gap between the expected completion of the legislation in early 2010 and the effective date of many major provisions has left Democrats working to answer the criticism with lists of “immediate deliverables.”
Here are some of the benefits that Democrats say would be available soon after the legislation is adopted:
No annual or lifetime limits Both the Senate and House versions of the legislation ultimately seek to prevent insurers from imposing annual or lifetime limits on coverage in new health policies. In the final package of amendments to the Senate bill, the majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, added new language giving the secretary of health and human services the authority to regulate annual limits from six months after the bill is enacted until the broader insurance provisions take effect in 2014. Such limits are a serious concern to people with chronic illnesses like cancer that can require expensive treatments within a relatively short period of time, and the change proposed by Mr. Reid was prompted by inquiries from the American Cancer Society.
Limits on insurance company profits Beginning in 2011, the Senate bill would set tight restrictions to force insurance companies to spend the bulk of their revenues on providing medical care to beneficiaries. The legislation would require insurance companies in the large group market to spend at least 85 percent of their revenues on care and insurers in the individual market to spend at least 80 percent of revenues on care. Critics of the private health insurance, including Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, and Senator Sherrod Brown, Democrat of Ohio, said setting such requirements on what insurers call “medical loss ratios” was needed to tamp down on profiteering.
Short-term expansion of state high risk pools To help people who cannot obtain insurance because of pre-existing conditions, both the Senate and House bills would provide $5 billion to increase the availability of coverage through state high-risk insurance pools. This provision would take effect 90 days after enactment of the legislation, but many details remain to be worked out.
New financing for community health centers The House bill provides $12 billion in additional financing for community health centers, which serve needy populations, particularly in rural areas. Senator Bernard Sanders, independent of Vermont, won the inclusion of $10 billion in financing for community health centers in the Senate bill. The final dollar amount will be decided in negotiations between House and Senate leaders, but the money would be available for five years beginning in the current fiscal year.
Closing the Medicare drug “doughnut hole” The legislation would increase the amount of drug costs covered by Medicare by $500 in 2010. And beginning on July 1, 2010, the bill would provide 50 percent discounts on brand-name drugs and biologics that low- and middle-income beneficiaries have to pay for themselves once the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole begins.
Prohibition on rescinding existing coverage Both the House and Senate bills would bar insurance companies from rescinding existing coverage other than “in cases of fraud or intentional misrepresentation of material fact.”
Small business tax credits The Senate bill would offer tax credits to small businesses beginning in 2010 for up to 35 percent of premium costs. The full credit would be available to firms with 10 or fewer employees and average annual wages of $25,000. Reduced credits would be available to firms with up to 25 employees and with average annual wages of up to $50,000.
Patient protections For new health plans, beginning six months after enactment of the legislation, the Senate bill would prohibit insurers from requiring prior authorization before a woman sees an obstetrician or gynecologist. The bill would also require coverage for emergency care.
Discrimination protections for lower-income workers The Senate bill would bar group health plans from setting any eligibility rules for coverage that favor higher-wage employees. This provision would take effect six months after enactment of the legislation.
Cobra extension through 2013 Anyone currently paying for an extension of health benefits as permitted under federal law — for instance, after a loss of employment — would be permitted under the House legislation to continue Cobra coverage until the major insurance coverage provisions of the legislation take effect in 2013.
Reinsurance program for early retirees Both the House and Senate bills would provide federal financing for a new reinsurance program to encourage employers to maintain health benefits for employees and early retirees age 55 to 64.
Consumer assistance provisions Both the House and Senate bills would begin to impose new requirements aimed at making it easier for consumers to interact with insurers, including a requirement that health plans adopt uniform descriptions of plan benefits and appeals procedures and that they begin using identical forms.