Tzedaka is central to Jewish life—and the Orthodox community in the tri-state area is no exception. Last year, the Ruderman Family Foundation, in partnership with Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, published the most comprehensive study on American Jewish giving in the past decade. In a survey of over 3,000 households in 2022, the study found that Jews in America have a long-standing tradition of giving to a variety of causes, tending to give higher amounts than their non-Jewish counterparts. But how has this shifted in the last year, especially since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel?
Earlier this year, the annual Giving USA report found that overall, donations across the board have been shrinking slightly, due to factors such as inflation and rising costs of living; similarly, religious organizations have seen a slight decrease for the same reasons, in addition to other philanthropic causes taking priority in the American mindset.
But the Jewish philanthropic sector has seen a surge: According to the Ruderman study, Jews who experience antisemitism gave at higher rates (80% as opposed to 53% who were unconcerned with antisemitism), and given the rapid rise in antisemitism since October 7, it’s no surprise that over half of surveyed Jewish nonprofits reported an increase in donations.
In July 2024, CSS Fundraising, a Jewish philanthropy research organization, published a study on communitywide donations since the events of October 7, surveying a total of 73 Jewish nonprofit organizations across the country. Sixty-four percent of organizations reported a positive change in crisis-related funding; nearly two out of five (37%) organizations received crisis-related donations from new donors since October 7. Unsurprisingly, Israel-related organizations saw the highest donation increases over the past year, perhaps because one in four (24%) of donors listed “supporting Israel” as a primary concern when it came to donating, followed closely by “combating antisemitism” at 23%.
The CSS Fundraising report also noted that as Israel continues to face turmoil, “organizations anticipate a change in giving patterns,” especially as economic uncertainty rises, which overall would negatively impact major donors.
“If things calm down and antisemitism, in a sense, dies down, patterns would go back,” said Avrum Lapin of nonprofit fundraising consulting firm The Lapin Group in an interview with eJewishPhilanthropy. “I’m of the mind that strong domestic institutions—strong synagogues, strong community centers—are important to giving to Israel [sic] because they’re foundational community institutions. Without the institutions that organize the community domestically, the ability to continue to raise money for Israel is not going to be as strong.”
In a survey conducted on The Jewish Link’s WhatsApp channels, nearly 300 respondents from across our readership reported giving some amount of tzedaka in the past year. In line with the findings from the CSS Fundraising report, 28% gave to international aid organizations—namely, those which support Israeli causes—making this the top philanthropic cause of 2024 for the community. Twenty-six percent reported that they primarily gave to their local synagogues and schools, and 25% reported giving to local charities, including gemachs, food pantries and other charitable communal resources. Finally, Jewish Link readers gave the least to political organizations and community centers, with only 5% and 3% of donations, respectively.
“Beyond the Jewish community, deeper and more nuanced understanding of Jewish giving can shape the landscape of philanthropic engagement,” wrote Jay Ruderman and Dr. Hanna Shaul Bar Nissim of the Ruderman study. “[American Jewish giving is] a multifaceted and comprehensive reflection of their identity, practices, values, the world they aspire to see and the impact they seek to make… Now more than ever, is the time for a deeper strategic process which caters to the long-term needs of the Jewish community.”
