Hunger & Charity Now Crimes in the US?

A friend sent me this link to a fascinating and distressing op-ed piece in today’s New York Times on the increasing criminalization of poverty. An excerpt:

“The viciousness of the official animus toward the indigent can be breathtaking. A few years ago, a group called Food Not Bombs started handing out free vegan food to hungry people in public parks around the nation. A number of cities, led by Las Vegas, passed ordinances forbidding the sharing of food with the indigent in public places, and several members of the group were arrested. A federal judge just overturned the anti-sharing law in Orlando, Fla., but the city is appealing. And now Middletown, Conn., is cracking down on food sharing.”

It seems to me that the present is an important moment for the Jewish community to speak publicly on the importance of charitable giving and gimilut hasadim (giving of loving kindness) in the Jewish religion as being of great value for both giver and recipient (more on this topic below). The Jewish community can enter the global and national conversations surrounding these topics and speak out on behalf of kindness and mercy. This may offset the harsh judgments being assessed against the needy and indigent in this time of widespread financial distress, homelessness and hunger. When poverty is allowed to become a crime in the public eye, all people may suffer for this judgment. As a people who believes in the sanctity and benefits of charity and kindness, shouldn’t we attempt to steer public opinion in a different direction?

The face of hunger and poverty in the United States

As of June 2009, less than 100 people have died of swine flu in the US.

However, over 37 million Americans, “lived in poverty in 2007. The number of people living in poverty has increased by almost 6 million since 2000.”

Millions more apply for help to feed their families

“Retail food prices remained stable over the last two decades. But in 2007, grocery prices rose 4.2 percent, the largest increase since 1990. Prices for milk, bread, flour, and eggs doubled in the last year.

Families seeking food assistance from SNAP (formerly the food stamp program) reached a record high in September 2008.

More than one in 10 Americans now receives food stamps.”

Is hunger really a problem in the United States?

When Americans think about hunger, we usually think in terms of mass starvation in far-away countries, but hunger too often lurks in our own backyards. In 2006, 35.5 million people, including 12.6 million children, in the United States did not have access to enough food for an active healthy life. Some of these individuals relied on emergency food sources and some experienced hunger.

Who is going hungry in the U.S.?

Although most people think of hungry people and homeless people as the same, the problem of hunger reaches far beyond homelessness. While the thought of 35.5 million people being hungry or at the risk of hunger may be surprising, it is the faces of those 35.5 million individuals that would probably most shock you.

The face of hunger is the older couple who has worked hard for their entire lives only to find their savings wiped out by unavoidable medical bills; or a single mother who has to choose whether the salary from her minimum wage job will go to buy food or pay rent; or a child who struggles to concentrate on his schoolwork because his family couldn’t afford dinner the night before. A December 2006 survey by the U.S. Conference of Mayors estimated that 48 percent of those requesting emergency food assistance were either children or their parents.

Poor Families Live on the Brink of Disaster

Families in poverty feel like they are always perched on the brink of disaster. . One small thing is all it takes to be blown away. One car accident. One medical emergency. One burst pipe. One robbery. One small piece of bad luck. . It takes stamina to live on the edge and keep going regardless of how exhausted you feel.

Kindness and Charity are Obligations in the Jewish Religion

Tzedakah is derived from (tzedek) – meaning righteousness, justice, or fairness, but has come to mean charity in English.

The words justice and charity have different meanings in English. How is it that in Hebrew, one word, tzedakah, has been translated to mean both justice and charity?

This translation is consistent with Jewish thought as Judaism considers charity to be an act of justice. Judaism holds that people in need have a legal right to food, clothing and shelter that must be honored by more fortunate people. According to Judaism, it is unjust and even illegal for Jews to not give charity to those in need.

Thus, giving charity in Jewish law and tradition is viewed as obligatory self-taxation, rather than voluntary donation.

Giving charity is an obligation in Judaism (Leviticus 25:35-38, Deuteronomy 19:20-24). This obligation means providing charity to both Jew and non-Jew. In many homes one will find a tzedakah box – a box or other container where coins are dropped in and collected for charity. It is a tradition for Jews to give tzedakah on Yom Kippur, Shemini Atzeret, Pesach, Shavuot, and Purim as well as during other celebratory events such as weddings.

[O]ne who helps fulfill the poor person has a letter added to Tzedek, and it becomes “tzedakah (‘charity’).” This is the secret of, “The merciful man does good to his own soul” (Mishlei 11:17). Acts of kindness show that one is under Judgment but has perfected it with Chesed. Then it turns into Mercy.

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