Brooklyn, NY – After Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s bringing of the molestation issue to the forefront several months ago, several young boys have come forward to report they had been inappropriately touched or propositioned by frum strangers in frum neighborhoods as they made their rounds collecting tzedakah door to door or standing on streets.
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The most recent incident occurred last week in Borough Park and is under investigation. It came to light after an adult staffer of a tzedakah organization informed Hikind’s office of what had occurred;
where some man where trying to lure kids into secluded areas by giving them Tzedakah
Hikind’s office, in turn, asked VIN News to alert the public.
For our part, we hereby post a PSA, or public service announcement, for all yeshivos and Talmud Torah’s: Please do not let young boys, and certainly not girls, collect tzedakah in public areas without supervision.
Imbuing our children with the communal value of collecting tzedakah is very important, but activities which impart this value, such as publicly collecting tzedakah, must be carried out carefully.
In particular, children entering strangers’ homes, even if ostensibly to collect tzedakah, is ill-advised into today’s day and age. It’s the responsibility of yeshivos and schools to take a second look at whether they should be asking kids at all to collect money from private residences and reinforcing this practice with prizes and other rewards.
Yeshivas and parents must not let kids collect publicly with pushkahs—or at least properly instruct kids on how to prevent strangers from taking advantage of them.
There is no reason children should be collecting money from people. it is a sick practice of modern american jewish institutions to send out our children to schnorr money from people offering sill trinkets as incentive. this practice is what must cease. fundraisers should learn to do their jobs effectively without sending out kids to collect money.
What sick people. Now if this is happening inside a home VIN NEWS should publish the addresses.
We believe that the only way to stop this horrecndous behavior is to publish addresses of these sickos and not allow them in a shul and or NOT to get an aliyah and certainly not to honor them at dinners!
Another suggestion that people in shul were suggesting is to break their legs and other “parts” so this won’t happen again.
It’s a sick world out there and it’s getting sicker.
it is a chiyev chinech for jewish yeshives and mosdoys to send the buchram and boys for tzduka
ps. the old satamr rabbi reb yoelys z”l said in public if a bucher dont go for tzduka he dont need a yashive
No more collecting on Purim? whats going on here?
Shnoring has to stop for good, it disturbes the davening and the amount of money is minimal. A shul a sacred place where one gets to medidate and speak to hashem without being bothered every minute. I know it’s hard times and that is exactly why we need to pray, not be busy asking for change. If you ever davened with Kavana you know what I mean. We should have tzdaka organiztions that do the shnoring not boys running around. Satamar rebbe spoke at different times with a percent of shnoring. Shnoring never existed this way even in europe.
Rabbeini Yoel Ztzl lived in a time when abuse was not a problem. It’s different today. It’s dangerous for young boys to go around collecting.
The old satmar rebbe z”l said “If a bochur goes collecting tzadaka, when he grows up he gives Tzdaka too for who know how hard it is to collect so he gladly has Rachmunis and gives too”. He insisted on al bochirim to go every thursday or Friday collecting tzdaka.
Where are the parents???
Where are the yeshivas who send this kids to the streets?
If anything happens chaz veshulem, the yeshivas will say, “Oy how terrible!” The next minute they will look for more, new children to send out. I’d like to see the administrators stand on the avenue. They wouldn’t dare because it’s beneath their dignity. However, why don’t they respect a child’s dignity?
I know for a fact that many kids who go shnoring, don’t give the money to their yeshivas. I never give to those kids. They spend it on narishkeiten.
To # 18 You couldnt have said it any better, you are right on target, its a disgrace.
Its amazing how 1 bloger managed to turn around the conversation from the real issue here & instead of blaming & trying to find a solution to those real roitzchem he turned the table on the Yeshives.
I always instruct my kids when going around to collect tzedokah:
1) never go around by yourself, always with a partner, when your partner is not available, find another one.
2) never enter anyone’s house or apartment, no matter what that person is promising, or what sheiner yid it is.
a mitzva should and could be done the proper way, you just have to be aware, and have your kids beware of the situation we live in.
The fact that these kids are shnorring is just a sign that the fundraisers are shmying around on the Internet. It is bad chinuch and parents are idiots for allowing their kids to shnorr, supervised or not.
On the other hand, maybe it is the Yeshivas’ form of “vocational training” for the future, given that college and parnassa are off-limits. So, maybe they are doing a tremendous public service for tennokos shel beis rabban.
In this day and age, it is shocking that little children are being taught and encouraged to become schnorrers!
I think is nice that kids go collecting, by doing so they get some experience in the real world, learn the value of a dollar and make a few bucks for themselves. The alternative is to stay home and play on the computer, being enticed by those on the prey or if its Purim, what a wonderful reason to try a schnaps or two; drugs, did I hear someone say drugs. (Just visit the emergency room at Maimonides) So, kids should go in teams of two or three – never alone. The organizations that promote these activities have a responsibility to insure their safety. If the kids dont agree – and the parents too have a responsibility – then they don’t partake. I’ll drink to that ! LaChayim.
My own kids go collecting for those stupid trinkets. I personally hate it. I would rather give a check and be done with it, so my kids can get to do something important like learning. But they get so into it, I “can’t” say no… and it is a mitzva….
What about the aduly “tzedoka” collectors in shuls – how do we know who is real?
Rabeini Yoel Ztzl……………never told his bochurem to go to homes only in the shuel’s
I note the comment about the pocket (#37).
I myself, for the most part, rarely use “real” money – in today’s world, the plastic card is taking over.
I do use charity voucher books but they tend to run out very quickly.
What is going to happen once everyone uses a plastic card instead of hard cash – that day is likely to come sooner than we think? What will the meshullochim do then? Go around the shuls with card machines (and in England, a PIN is required)!!
When I was in elementary school 20-something years ago we used to get boxes of chocolate bars that we were supposed to sell door-to-door to raise money for the school. Even back then, my parents wouldn’t let me go, not even to neighbors. When I cried that all the other girls would get the prizes and I would get nothing and be totally embarrassed to boot, my parents bought all my chocolates. I just cannot fathom anyone sending their young children collecting door-to-door.
Some kids actually look forward for a little excitement and will go to people who will do things with them in order to get money.Many pocket some of the money for themselves.Some charities send out kids so they themselves abuse the kids. Adults should collect and do it without commissions or prizes and not in shul during davening and not at a chassuna disturbing the guests. Some people think that they are entitled to receive something in return for giving a cash donation.
The discussion at hand, as I recall, was your assertion that teaching children to care about other Jews and to try to help them is bad chinuch.
One thing it certainly teaches children is what it feels like to have to ask strangers for money and hopefully they will remember the feeling when a stranger who needs a helping hand puts his out with the palm facing up they will remember how it felt and will give a little more or at least the same amount but a little more gracefully.
I stand corrected on one point though. I failed to understand until now that Brooklyn is not only a place, it is also a state of mind.