Generational Giving as the Foundation for Helping Israel’s Poor

PLANTING ROOTS

Compassion connects the human family across time and space, bringing people together and weaving our stories together into a beautiful tapestry. In all cultures and throughout the generations, people have reached out to one another to help, to lift up, to share with those in need.

Yet each generation is unique, responding to the changing world with its own set of ideals, beliefs, and methods of engaging with their communities. Each generation finds itself in a new context, as social movements come and go and technology advances, and the way they respond to the world’s needs changes, too. Yet there are those in every generation who are deeply motivated by the same key factor: enacting positive change.

Generational Giving 

Generational giving examines how different generations, like millennials, Generation Z’ers, and Baby Boomers, approach giving and donating to their communities. The more we understand how generations approach giving to the causes they are passionate about, the more we can encourage social engagement that cultivates meaningful and lasting results.

One thing is certain: giving patterns and habits may change, but the need in our communities for help never dissipates. Issues like poverty and hunger have plagued communities for generations, so perhaps one of the most powerful gifts we can give a younger generation is to set an example of the importance of giving. 

The Generations 

An analysis of generational giving can assist both the givers and changemakers themselves to build bridges and connect with others about the causes they value. A recent study takes a closer look at how each generation approaches giving:

• Matures, also known as the “Greatest Generation,” were born in 1945 or earlier. They currently comprise 26% of the total giving today. Matures tend to be passionate about advocacy and election campaigns, religious and spiritual causes, and emergency relief. 


• Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, give the most from all generations. Representing 43% of total giving, Baby Boomers focus on health services, animal welfare, and human rights causes. 


• Millennials comprise over one-quarter of the population and are born between 1977-1995. This group only makes up 11% of giving, but 84% of millennial employees donated to a nonprofit in 2014. Millennials are most passionate about child development, crime and sexual abuse, and human rights. 


• Generation Zers, born after 1996, are sometimes called “philanthroteens,” because they are interested in supporting nonprofits and driving social impact. This group is most likely to donate using a mobile app, and show great concern over the state of our planet. Though still young, 30% of Generation Z’ers have already donated to a charity, and 1 in 10 have dreams of beginning their own nonprofit organization. 

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit 

Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, a humanitarian organization in Israel that helps needy families overcome poverty, is built on the concept of generational giving in a very real and tangible way. Aryeh Lurie, the founder of Israel’s Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, is part of a family of changemakers who made it their priority to help poverty-stricken citizens in their local communities. 
Lurie’s great grandfather, while living in Basra, Iraq, cared for his community by providing food, parnasa (jobs), and even rooms for those in need. One of those guests in the home would go on to marry his daughter and become Lurie’s grandfather. 
The tradition of giving continued as Lurie’s family immigrated to Israel. Despite not having much herself as a child, Aryeh Lurie’s mother, Shulamit, would make a pot of traditional hamin (Sephardic chulent) and would always ensure that some was given to those in need. 

Lurie’s great-grandfather, grandparents, and parents set an outstanding example of what it means to care for your local community. Their giving even spanned different countries, languages, and generations. Inspired by this, Lurie founded Yad Ezra V’Shulamit in 1998. The organization is named after his parents (Ezra, z”tl and Shulamit) and is a testament to the wonderful precedent they set. 

Shortly after its founding, Yad Ezra V’Shulamit started by distributing food packages to 50 families across Jerusalem. Today the organization has a multitude of programs across Israel, 4,500 weekly food delivery baskets, and provides hot lunch for hungry children on a daily basis in their Children’s Centers. One of the latest projects, a new community center in Safed (Tzfat) provides everything from food to jobs for locals. For Lurie, this is an achievement that connects to what his grandfather began years ago in Iraq.

What Connects Us

Changes in generations is an opportunity for continued growth. For the founder of Yad Ezra V’Shulamit, the concept of giving was planted generations ago. Baby Boomers might interact and engage with their communities in a very different manner than Generation Z’ers, but at the end of the day, the thread that connects us to our local communities and people in need remains the same.

Giving today has probably never looked more different. Donors can now engage with social media and online platforms that make giving and learning about organizations easier than ever. This represents a huge opportunity for changemaker organizations to engage with younger givers and partner with them in helping those in need. Consider giving to Yad Ezra V’Shulamit and become a part of this beautiful tapestry begun generations ago.