The Truth About The Jewish Community Fund: A Legacy Beyond Charity

For centuries, the Jewish Community Fund was a vital support system for the settlers in Israel. Special envoys traversed the Jewish world, gathering contributions for those living in the Holy Land. While some literature has painted this effort in the light of mere 'charity', branding its recipients as 'idle', what really happened was quite different.

Let's delve into the truth. Were these settlers merely living off charitable handouts?

Leaders in Israel always emphasized that the fund's purpose was not simply 'charity', but rather a unique privilege that allowed Jews abroad to partake in the mitzvah of settling the land, as noted by the Chida: 'The Torah scholars dwelling in Israel are representatives for the entire Diaspora to serve Hashem in complete devotion, and all Jews who support them share in their Torah and prayers'.

Dr. Israel Bartal writes: 'The old settlement developed from elite groups who saw themselves on a spiritual mission. Consequently, the settlement was inherently imbued with deep religious and ideological consciousness. Both Sephardim and Ashkenazim, albeit with some differences, regarded themselves as a chosen community of Torah scholars'.

So, was the community fund their main means of sustenance as some claimed? Not at all.

Moses Montefiore's detailed census in 1839 recorded that in Jerusalem, which housed 46% of the Jews in Israel, there were 407 heads of families engaged in Torah study or religious roles; 257 craftsmen; and 87 merchants, peddlers, and brokers. This means over 45% of Jerusalem's residents were employed.

However, the demand for jobs was always higher than the supply, leading even those who worked independently to require additional support from the fund, acting as a form of income assurance.

As Professor Eliav notes: 'The number of those earning through crafts, trade, and services rose significantly—from 55% in 1877 to 74% twenty years later (1897)! The majority of the settlement struggled for existence without a stable economic base and therefore couldn't forgo the fund. For most of the Sephardic community, the fund's stipend wasn't significant, and they belonged to the self-sustaining population'.

What was the extent of support? Professor Eliav states: '...According to thorough calculations, about 80% of the population received no more than 40 francs per person annually, and only 10% received more than 100 francs per person annually. Only the latter could actually live on the fund, while the overwhelming majority couldn’t survive on it alone and required additional income from any available source'.

Thus, even those who received the fund could only use it as supplementary income, needing to earn a livelihood through some craft. The fund acted as a subsidy, much like government support for workers in remote regions. When Zionist immigrants arrived, they were surprised to find that the myth of surviving solely on alms was unfounded.

Zeev Dubnov, one of the Biluim, writes: 'In Russia, they think the fund's beneficiaries don't work and merely sit in synagogues reciting Psalms. But they forget that the maximum fund amount is 15-20 rubles per year, not enough for minimal subsistence, and even in the Holy Land, one needs to eat and drink. Hence, Jews begin working in various trades and also in commerce'.

Professor Eliav concludes: 'In the absence of other sources of livelihood, the fund was essential. The claim that idleness was the community's desire is baseless. If suitable conditions had existed, a significant portion of the community would undoubtedly have endeavored to earn their living through their own labor'.