Why Give to Jewish Federation?

According to Jewish tradition, the highest form of tzedakah is giving to a community fund, or kupah. Throughout Jewish history, it was the custom of Jewish communities to create an address for centralized giving. This guaranteed the privacy and dignity of the poor as well as the successful maintenance of communal "agencies."

Today, the kupah (community fund) is the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation.

The Best Way to Give
Some maintain that the most "Jewish" way to give is to bypass the centralized campaign and give directly to those in need. In fact, the Talmud insists that the contribution to the centralized fund is the highest form of tzedakah.

The gift to the communal campaign is a noble expression of devotion to the entire Jewish people. It demonstrates a love of community and of every individual Jew without limitation. The first step is your pledge, to enable us to project and plan.

The Need for Increased Giving
In El Paso, the Annual Campaign has raised approximately $600,000 for many years, limiting what we can do. The average individual gift in El Paso is just over $700—a low figure compared to other small cities. Most of the money is kept locally, though between $80,000-120,000 is sent abroad annually to care for our brethren throughout the world.

Click here to see how you can give.