Mar 17, 2016

Unique Federation Programs Generate Acts of Kindness Without Measure

Working on behalf of our Jewish community, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation delivers deeds of loving kindness, simple acts of generosity that offer social justice for individuals in need. In addition to supporting the Annual Federation/UJA Campaign, local residents can have an impact on the cycle of life in our own community through two unique programs – the Indigent Burial Program and the Tzedakah Fund.

In partnership with local cemeteries, funeral homes and monument makers, the Indigent Burial Program provides burial plots and a proper Jewish burial for those unable to afford it. In recent years, the program has been called upon to inter elderly Holocaust survivors, among others lacking the funds for proper Jewish burials. Each year, dozens of requests for burials come to Federation from indigent families, cemeteries, funeral homes, police and medical facilities.

Rabbi Frederick Klein, Federation’s Director of Mishkan Miami: The Jewish Connection for Spiritual Support, said individuals and families who donate cemetery plots to the Indigent Burial Program fulfill a very special type of mitzvah.

“This type of act is known as a ‘Kindness without Measure,’” Klein explained. “It is an act of kindness that can never be repaid and, therefore, has special merit.”

Individuals or families who are in a position to donate cemetery plots are encouraged to contact Rabbi Klein at 786-866-8621 or [email protected].

Another way to provide special assistance to members of the local Jewish community is through purchase of a Tzedakah Fund tribute card. Through a gift of $18 or more to the Tzedakah Fund, donors can extend sympathy to a mourner, send wishes for recovery from illness, or congratulate someone on an important event or milestone. Federation will send a beautiful tribute card, inscribed with a message of good wishes, to the intended recipient. Donors also can choose to receive blank tribute cards to be personally inscribed and signed.

Donations to the Tzedakah Fund enables Federation to respond to specific emergency needs of Jews in our community. Nearly $25,000 in assistance is provided each year through the Tzedakah Fund, with the majority of income derived from the sale of the tribute cards.

According to Michelle Labgold, Federation’s Chief Planning Officer, Tzedakah Fund proceeds come to the rescue of local individuals and families, many of whom are referred by Federation-supported agencies and face short-term financial crises.

“For example, the Tzedakah Fund might assist a family whose breadwinner is temporarily between jobs and needs help paying a month’s rent,” Labgold said. “Support for the Tzedakah Fund allows Federation to touch people’s lives in very specific cases when it makes a real difference.”

To contribute to the Tzedakah Fund, click here or call 305-576-4000, ext. 419.