A message from the Chief Executive, Rabbi Danny Rich
Faith has never been easy. It is a vision liable to fade, as passing clouds conceal the sun. There are times of faith, and there are times of doubt and despair, in the histories of peoples and the lives of individuals. Faith has always been a venture, a pilgrimage, and a struggle.
Siddur Lev Chadash, p. 219
The despair caused by endless media broadcasts about the credit crunch represents an assault against faith in the same way that passing clouds conceal the sun. Even if we don’t lose our jobs, see our businesses fail, our homes repossessed or our investments falter, we are still vulnerable to panic. But struggle, faith and hope have always been Jewish precepts and it is vital that we bear this in mind as we weather the current bad financial climate. Now more than ever we must be vigilant and aware of those in our communities who find themselves in need. And even though reaching into our own pockets at this time may fill us with dread, we must find the courage to be able to do just this.
In response to this need, and in positive defiance of the credit crunch Liberal Rabbis have committed to contributing 1% of their annual salaries to a new 'Pe'ah Fund' which will assist individuals or groups who are hit by the credit crunch and cannot access financial support elsewhere. The fund is named in reference to a passage in Leviticus:
And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners (pe’ot) of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.Leviticus (19:9 – 10)
Rabbi Danny Rich (Chief Executive), Rabbi Pete Tobias (Chair of the Rabbinic Conference) and a senior Liberal Judaism Officer will serve as the trustees of the fund. Applications can be made via your congregational rabbi. On BBC Radio 2 this morning, Rabbi Pete Tobias told Terry Wogan about the fund and stressed that money was not the only kind of capital available to us at this time:
Social capital is the potential we all have to bond together as human beings sharing mutual interests and concerns. We live in a society that is becoming increasingly fragmented and isolating people from each other. Our everyday lives are dominated by material needs. Perhaps it’s time to consider what really matters to us as individuals, as families, as communities and recognise that by offering support and encouragement to each other we can bring comfort and hope into all of our lives.
(to listen to the broadcast please paste this link into your browser and click ‘listen again’ – Thursday): http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/wogan/pauseforthought_thu.shtml
The rabbis are also looking at developing a ‘skills bank’ comprised of people wiling to offer their time and skills to help people in need as a result of the financial crisis.
Liberal Judaism is a community of some 10,000 souls, some of whom will be suffering financial and other distress but many of whom are still receiving a salary even if this year’s increase is not what they had expected. It must be our task to bring each other hope, to support those in need and to maintain and increase contributions to tzedakah. I am confident that every Liberal Jew will respond with heart, effort and finance.
No-one in our communities is immune to job loss or business failure but we sincerely hope that they ought not to have to suffer the pain and despair of being neglected while others who do have resources stand idly by.
I am very pleased that the rabbis responded positively to my suggestion and I hope that others will follow suit.
Any person who wishes to make a one-off or regular payment to the Pe’ah Fund can do so by sending a cheque to Rabbi Danny Rich, made payable to Liberal Judaism (please write Pe’ah Fund on the reverse) to:
The Montagu Centre
21 Maple Street
London
W1T 4BE
For more information please contact Rabbi Danny Rich directly on d.rich@liberaljudaism.org or call 020 7580 1663.
If you are currently unemployed (or under threat of redundancy), work-ready, Jewish, and eligible to work in the UK you will find a warm welcome, professional help and support at the ERC. 
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