Years ago I pondered if homeless people or meshulachim would ever have the bright idea to whip out a portable credit card machine. If you think about it, its quite smart, no excuses, “I don’t have any money” just doesn’t fly anymore. Of course you could always claim you left your wallet at home or in the car, but when that scraggly looking guy with a thick Israeli accent shows up at your door with a laminated piece of paper claiming to be signed by some kabalist in Tzfat asking to feed his ten children, you have no where to hide. He whips out that credit card machine and swipe, you have given tzedaka.
A fan of mine sent me a message on facebook telling me that last night she was at a wedding in Brooklyn and one of the schnorrers had a portable credit card machine. I bet you he got a lot more donations than all the other dudes trying to feed their families of 15.
On a side note I have toyed with the idea of creating one of those crumbled up dirty laminated sheets claiming I need money for beer and drugs, all in Hebrew of course with the signatures of famous people with their seals. I could really go to town with it and prove that no one ever reads those sheets – mostly because we just want old smelly men out of our faces. Kind of unfortunate I know, but the random Israeli guy showing up at your scheme is alive and well in the United States.
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Those few idots ruined it for a lot of legit collectors. Here in Montreal, we have a vaad that certifies them, so if they come woth a vaad paper you know they have been checked out. Futhermore, anyone that is legit will usually have envelopes in case you have no cash, I would be very skeptical of letting some uknown guy run my credit card.
You should be aware that the Rambam says that all you are obligated to give to a door to door shnorer is a dried fig, I actually have that halacha posted outside my front door in case any of these guys bitch when they get spare change.
I put it up after a nightmare when I decided to be nice and let a couple of these Israelis in my house for a drink. They refused to leave unless I gave them post dated checks for $1000. I had to physically escort them to the door, one of them asked to make a phone call, he made about 30 and refused to get off my phone until I yanked it away from him.
Since then, none of these guys get more than a quarter or a dollar at most, I prefer to send my tzedaka to organiztions I trust.
First time I spotted the guy you’re talking about in a local shul somewhere in the middle of past summer . Then about a week later I met him again at the wedding. I am not sure if he was collecting for some yeshiva in Israel or poor families, but I remember him.
What I was thinking of at that moment is that I don’t want to give my credit card to anyone – I’d rather find some cash.
Here’s always my bright suggestion whenever someone wants money to feed his 13 children. “You shouldn’t have had so many.”
I am sure there are people that have handed the guy condoms- but what I am curious about is how many of these people are collecting for real causes? How many of these beggars are fraudulent?
The Queens Vaad also has certifications.
If a beggar had a credit card machine, I’d be MORE likely to think he was a fraud.
My favorite schnorer fraud: you ever see the “blind” guy on the subway? He has a fluffy dog (seeing eye dogs usually have short hair). Plus, he walks IN FRONT of the dog. He goes right for the entrance and exit, too, like he knows where he’s going…
A few years ago, a guy came to our house with one of those signed papers. I had more patience back then and I actually looked at the paper and noticed that at least one of the rabbanim on it was already niftar. And not just niftar a few months earlier, niftar a few years earlier. I sent him on his way. Now I have much less patience for these guys and out Rabbi has set up a community fund to give to valid meshulachim, so all members of our community have been instructed to send the meshulachim to the Rabbis office or to his house. It saves the meshulachim a lot of hassle of going door to door, they just have to go to 2 doors – first the one that tells him where the Rabbi is, then the Rabbis office or house. If he is a fake, he skips the Rabbi and goes home or continues door to door. It also happens to be that solicitation in our neighborhood is not permitted and there is a sign right at the entrance stating that.
One time last summer a guy came back to my house and told me that the Rabbi wouldn’t give him any money and if I could give instead. I told him no with the strong implication that it would be major chutzpah for me to second guess my Rabbi!
Just to play devil’s advocate, I could imagine that if I were truly blind, I would get to know my common area after a long time (been begging in the same place for over a year every day perhaps?), and, with the exception of people getting in the way, would probably know my steps to get from my favorite bench to the door. It’s not like the subway is a confusing maze that you need top visual information to figure out (the buildings, not the routes).
Blind doesn’t mean dumb and forgetful.
“You should be aware that the Rambam says that all you are obligated to give to a door to door shnorer is a dried fig, I actually have that halacha posted outside my front door in case any of these guys bitch when they get spare change. ”
Can someone give the exact notation of that halakhah from RaMBaM? Some of us would be quite interested.
Its interesting that people feel they need to justify not giving these people money by claiming not to have any on them, etc. Why not just tell them no? Sure, its rude, but less rude than crashing a wedding and hitting up the guests for cash. Personally, I tend to ignore these people, and they go away.
I wonder, is begging more lucrative than working? I’ve been having trouble finding a job, and I’m sure I have an old beat up suit somewhere…
People actually give their cards to a stranger with a portable credit card scanner?
Welcome to Scammerville
Population You
(working in banking security makes me paranoid)
Philster, I used to have a basketful of figs to dispense when they would knock on my door, but a little while later they would ask to use my bathroom…
If I let one in, I can hear a meter ticking in my head. That meter tells me the longer I let them talk, the more I’ll have to give (“Just $5?? I just poured out my sorry LIFE to you!!!”) So I try to cut them real short and force a onesky on them (on those rare occasions they get in the door).
The worst thing about it is when they come knocking and I have to tell my kids not to open the door. My little one, who hears all these fuzzy, cuddly tear-jerking stories involving poor people who collect tzedaka from generous caring Jews from her playgroup (thanks morah), looks at me puzzled with sad, puppy-dog eyes and asks me why am I not giving, thus making me look like an evil monster.
True stories:
One guy who got an $18 check and added a 1 before it to make it $118. (Happened to my friend)
I give a guy a buck and he says, “I didn’t come from Israel for just a dollar!” (Happened to me twice)
I’m in a jovial mood one day, so I give some schnorrer who accosts me in a takeout deli a finef, and he asks me for more.
So I keep a roll of quarters on me in shul so when the pack rolls in (always three at a time) I can give one to each and they leave me alone.
i’ll buy you a beer. no problem.
arnie draiman
http://www.draimanconsulting.com
I get these people from Israel coming to my door also. What I wonder is how they can afford the very expensive airplane ticket.
Klem, when I was in seminary, my principal told us that it is “absolutely assur under any circumstances to use birth control.”
A Rebbetzen is not a rav; she does not know halacho, and has no right to Paskin. But this is how many rumors start.
Well guess what, the principal isn’t the one going around collecting to feed his/her children.
Begging looks like an easy job but its tough – looks like it would be fun to try it out – nothing like putting on your old bathrobe and sitting and opening up doors for people and saying God bless you. Unfortunately the Jewish beggars haven’t taken any tips from the non-Jews, I find that Jewish beggars are quite rude and not satisfied with anything.
Collyidishemama,
I’m quoting exactly what it says in Rambam, hichos matanot laevyonim. He describes how we are responsible to provide for the needs of one who has lost everything or become impoverished. Then he goes on the the door to door shnorer who doesn’t fall into the same category, specifically says a dried fig is all we are obligated to give, probably worth about 10 to 20 cents today.
Mofo,
Using the toilet is another nightmare. One day this shnorer knocks on my door. He says he needs the toilet urgently before even asking for $$$, so I let him in. He whips of his kapota, pulls out a smoke at which point I realize I’m in trouble. I tell him not to smoke, but know I’m doomed.
20 minutes later, he runs out of my house without asking for anything. When I go to assess the damage, the enitre basement stinks, and I noticed he clogged the toilet with a full roll of paper. In addition to my mitzva, I had to plunge this toilet wearing a noseplug. I guess the reward will be waiting when I’m 6 feet under.
Hesh,
Begging is apparently the easiest job, although I don’t ever want to know. Napoleon once dressed as a beggar and tried it, when he was done, he said he was actually afraid that he might go back to doing it again and that it took extreme willpower not to do so.
Love it – it is a bout time.
I love when they ask for money for tuition, I ask if I give you money who will pay for my kids?
Sometime I just tell them we are not Jewish!
Just take your yamrulke off and throw it the ground – then pretend to be a mute
We at Olam Hatorah do our utmost to stop false cries of help. We work with the various vaadot tzedaka and our website and services are free to anyone who wants to verify Israeli Yeshivos or chesed institutions.
@Esther Tropper
That’s good to know, thanks.
What’s your site btw?
Im am assuming none of you have been threatened with starvation or lack of shelter, maybe then you wouldn’t be so critical of beggers
Better then giving them money may I suggest finding them enployment. My dad hired a guy off the street it was his best worker. These guys are in no position to negotiate so they will work very hard for only minimum wage
Bsamim Smoker:
Unfortunately, THIS IS their job. They are expected to travel from city to city, collecting for whatever fund. They give a cut of what is given to them to pay the local person who drives them around. This is easily a situation where it’s appropriate to say that offering them a job (to take them off the street, so to speak) is not the solution.
This is easily a situation where it’s appropriate to say that offering them a job (to take them off the street, so to speak) is not the solution.
Perhaps the only solution is for entire communities to refuse to give money to these guys that go door to door. In our community, our Rabbi has instructed us to send meshulachim to him (in his office or to his home depending on the day and time) and he has a fund to give to those that whose veracity he can ensure. It works out well for everyone, the bad guys that are collecting for something other than a true tzedaka get nothing, the good guys get a chunk of money (perhaps more than they would have gotten by going door to door to a few hundred homes) without the hassle of running around and searching for mezuzot on every door, giving the shpiel over and over again, and getting a bunch of $5 or $10 bills and a smattering of $18 or $36 checks.
If enough communities do such a thing, the organizations might decide to cut the cost of flying someone over to the USA twice a year and paying for all the travel, gas, etc expenses, and thus have more money left for the actual purposes of the tzedaka.
Phil,
I liked your Napolean story about begging.
My grandfather once told me, that once someone who sticks out his hand (to beg), its gets a hole in it which is impossible to fill. (goes better in yiddish, but the point is the same.)
Hesh, I was showing some friends around downtown Chicago one day, and with every street corner having at least one person begging passersby for spare change I decided that someone should draw a cartoon with a person begging on a street corner, announcing “I take PayPal”.
This…is almost the same thing….
An interesting take on the Rambam’s holding that you need only give a dried fig to a beggar at the door is that the cost of a shell from a 12 gauge shotgun is very close to that of a dried fig.