Dan’s Note: As I wrote last week, I have no words and no answers for the tragedy in Meron on Lag B’Omer. Or as Rabbi Wagner put it after the terrorist attack in Mumbai, “And nonetheless…it happened.” Why bad things happen to good people is indeed a question as old as time. But threads on the DansDeals Forums have helped unravel what happened and what needs to be done. Some of those DDF threads include:
- Tragedy In Meron!
- How did the Meron tragedy unfold?
- Can we stop posting videos of our bretheren dying?
- Which Overcrowded Spaces Need To Be Fixed?
- Kabbalos For The Korbonos Of Meron
- Tragedy in Meron: Donate to Victims
Just before the tragedy there was a DDF post in a thread on Life Insurance saying “If death was only planned so nicely.” Mere hours later, we learned about the tragedy in Meron. We never know when our time will be up, so the least we can do is make sure our loved ones are provided for by taking out a substantial life insurance policy to cover the unexpected. Hopefully this will become something everyone does when they get married and more coverage can be added as their families grow.
DDF member “HelpMe” is not Jewish, but shared the agony we felt and he offered to match $500 in donations to the families of the Meron victims, which got the ball rolling. I will match $1,800, together with DDF members matching $10,673Â of donations made here. 100% of the proceeds will go directly to families in need and there are no fees for this campaign other than the cost of credit card processing.
About the Shomati campaign:
“The Lag B’Omer tragedy in Meron shook us all to our core.
All of us.
Together.
Moments like these are ways for Jewish brothers and sisters of all backgrounds to leave our differences aside and come together with one voice.
A voice that says Hashem, Take Us Home.
In moments like this, many of us want to help and with questions such as can we do anything? Do the families need help?
Yes.
Although we cannot yet evaluate exactly how much aid will be required, we know the financial demands will be significant and we have an opportunity to help these families directly.
To help facilitate a donation to help the affected families TYH partnered with Yad Eliezer to distribute funds directly to the families that need it most.
Yad Eliezer will assign a specific experienced staff member to work as liaisons with each family to determine the specific needs per family, how much assistance they already received, and we will ensure that 100% of the proceeds go directly to the most needed families only.
This will ensure that clear needs will be defined, and Yad Eliezer will be able to effectively provide critical aid to offset expenses to help keep families functioning for the short -term and with long term to be there as a solid source of support for families who are suffering.
Campaign Goals:
• Sponsor aid for Almanos (20 New Almanos) including psychological help for them and their families. $200,000.
• Provide families who’ve lost children, with funds for one-time immediate expenses and ongoing psychological support $100,000.
• Provide “big brothers” and other support for new Yesomim. $100,000.
• Assist individuals who’ve been traumatized or injured with costs associated with physical and mental rehabilitation. $100,000.
Together with the launch of this campaign, we are releasing a song, that is very dear to our heart – Shomati.
Shomati – Take Us Home, is a song we worked on for years and had planned to release next week.
With the events that unfolded last week we took this as a message from HASHEM saying Shomati.
I hear your cries.
Anyone who contributes $1,000 or more will receive their own limited edition of the “Moshiach Suitcase” highlighted in the video (*100% of your contribution will go to the family as a sponsor will cover the costs of the product and shipping.)
HASHEM, the time has come to take us home!
We are ready.”
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22 Comments On "DDF Matching Campaign: Join DansDeals Members In Helping Families Who Lost Loved Ones In Meron"
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Beautiful!
Thank you for arranging this and may we merit to never have any more tragedies with the coming of Moshiach Now!!
Amen!
And yes I wish people would take life insurance more seriously!
I took chosson classes by Rabbi chaiken soon after a young man suddenly passed on in your community and we had someone give us a full lecture (although his main job was to teach us basic finances etc) about the importance of life insurance.
I think within the first 3 months of marriage I already had policies for my wife and I ….
Fantastic, I’ll pass that onto them. I’m sure they will be pleased 🙂
Yah he have me the number of a frum man in NY who made it his mission (free of charge) to help connect anyone who needs helps getting the right life insurance etc etc etc
But I would love to the thank that fellow from Cleveland which I forgot his name. So thanks for doing that..
I’d assume:
https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/aaron-s-evenchik/223972
Yep! Sounds right! Been 8 years but remember that name and that he was a lawyer 🙂
There’s a yiid in Flatbush who doesn’t sell life insurance but tries to get as many people to buy Life Insurance, since it’s so cheap & there’s TOO MANY Chesedfund campaigns Unfortunately. His name is Albert Kahan.
I just spoke to Albert Kahn and he said that he would appreciate if I added his cell number to this comment and people should call him or text him and he will gladly help and advise without any pressure whatsoever and he has no personal affiliation to any insurance brokers at all but can recommend (if you ask)different ones for different situations…
His cell is 1 (347) 203-4712
He told me now please tell ppl to call me or text me (or whatsapp) he gladly gives his considerable experience and expertise to anyone who reaches out.
He has helped thousands of ppl as a chesed for many years and personally takes out full page ads in all the leading Jewish newspapers for years at his own expense, simply because he cares about klal Yisroel.
DDMS needs a like button
May I pm you or email you re Albert Kahn? I have a question.
I just got insurance on his recommendation you can reach out to me via ddf
Does charidy take a cut?
Nope, there are no fees for this campaign other than the actual credit card processing cost.
how can i donate via trust and have it added to this campaign? (and match)
You can send to Yad Eliezer and notate TYH/DansDeals for Meron
American Friends of Yad Eliezer
410 Glenn Rd.
Jackson, NJ 08527
If you send me a screenshot or image I can send it to them to get the amount added online as well, dan@dansdeals.com
Tizku l’mitzvos!
Finally some respectful and important dialogue about life insurance. I’m often chastised that it’s “not the right time” to discuss insurance; well, the truth is to those who don’t want self-responsibility it’s never going to be the right time. As someone mentioned, there are dozens upon dozens of campaigns for husbands and fathers who left behind wives and children, with zero in the bank account. Hashem ultimately decides if and when it’s someone’s time to leave this world, but (especially speaking for the income earning married men) it is up to *us* to maintain a term life policy in order that multi-million dollar campaigns won’t be necessary.
It’s not the place when a family is asking for funds.
There are plenty of reasons that someone may not have life insurance, including health problems or lack of income to get a high enough policy to take care of their family.
This is a generic campaign though, so it’s worth talking about IMHO.
So Hashem only decides when a person’s time to leave the world, but he doesn’t decide whether his family should or should not have funds?
One can only say, it’s the persons fault for not having, if he was negligent in making a keili.
Which Rabbis are saying, on their shoulders, that if one does not buy life insurance, it’s his fault that his family is left with nothing in case of death cha”v.
And if they’re not saying that, then no one can say that a person must get life insurance.
One can only suggest.
Hashem runs everything, and we have to do expected hishtadlus. Like getting a job, keeping safe, locking doors etc. Life insurance is not one of the expectations.
I see the dansdeals team page already raised $28k,
Are the funds still being matched? Or only the first 10k like you wrote?