Animating the Soul of Black Philanthropy and Jewish Philanthropy
- drschindler4
- Oct 26
- 3 min read
Spill the Honey helped to sponsor a Soul of Philanthropy Program exploring Black philanthropy and Jewish philanthropy on September 9, 2025.
With three words, how would you sum up Black philanthropy?
With three words, how would you sum up Jewish philanthropy?
Enjoy and learn from this highlight reel from
“Understanding the Soul of Money, Animating the Soul of Philanthropy.”
Rabbi Judy Schindler, in representing Spill the Honey shared:
Money matters. The way we use it reflects our values. The way we give it reflects our faith. And the way we trust that we are enough—even in scarcity—reveals our sense of fulfillment.
In Jewish tradition, we teach children about tzedakah (giving) from the earliest age. We give our little ones tzedakah boxes to collect coins meant not for spending—but for giving.
In Hebrew, tzedakah doesn’t mean “charity.” It means “justice.” Generosity isn’t optional—it’s a commandment, an obligation.
Giving is justice because there are inequities in society. Giving enables others have what they need – a roof over their heads, food upon their table, healthcare to sustain their bodies. The Bible and Rabbinic teachings sets the bar of tithing at 10% of your yearly income if you have adequate funds and if you have above adequate funds, give 20%
The rabbis ask: “Is it better to give one dollar a day, or $365 in one day?”
They teach that daily giving cultivates a generous spirit.
Money matters—not just in how we live, but in how we give.
Even the geography of the land of Israel has a lesson to teach us about giving. There are two seas in Israel. The Sea of Galilee teems with life, fish, and joy. It receives water—and lets it flow onward. The Dead Sea, in contrast, only receives. It hoards. And nothing lives there.
The difference? The Sea of Galilee gives. The Dead Sea doesn’t.
So it is with us: when we give, we live.
Seven is holy number in Judaism. The world was complete and whole in seven days, so to sum it up, I close with seven Jewish teachings on tzedakah, on Jewish righteous giving:
How you give matters.
Maimonides taught there are levels of giving. Anonymous giving is noble—but putting your name on a gift, if it inspires others, also has value. Giving cheerfully is better than giving reluctantly. The highest form is giving that helps others become self-sufficient.
Giving is for everyone.
Even recipients of tzedakah are expected to give something—however small—to others.
We are responsible for our own.
The Talmud teaches: Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh—All Israel is responsible for one another. As Jews, we are 0.02% of the global population. Two out of every one thousand people are Jewish. If we don’t care for our community, who will? I’d say the same for the African American community. We must each start our giving by supporting our own communities but we do not end there.
We are responsible for others.
The prophet Jeremiah said: “Seek the peace of the city where you dwell—for in its peace, you shall find peace.” We cannot be at peace when our neighbors or our city is struggling.
Make giving part of your home.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson taught that you should affix a tzedakah box to the wall of you home — so that your home itself becomes a vessel for giving.
Give your time.
Tzedakah isn’t just about money. It’s time, energy, presence.
Giving saves from death.
Maybe not always physical death, but spiritual death—from apathy, from disconnection. When we don’t give, our hearts harden to the world around us. Giving literally saves others from physical death.
If we think back to the Civil Rights Era, of the many white Americans who joined the Civil Rights Movement—registering voters, riding buses to desegregate them, marching for voting rights, being jailed to advance justice —the majority were Jews. We share deep and powerful roots as Black and Jewish communities in our commitment to righteous giving and healing our communities and in our religious drive for liberation and justice.
Today, I serve as Executive Director of Spill the Honey—an organization serves as a national hub producing arts and educational content that empowers the Black-Jewish alliance today in combating antisemitism and racism. This program on the Soul of Philanthropy is about spilling the honey. There is deep richness in Black philanthropy—as shown by Valaida’s book, exhibit, and leadership. And there is beauty in Jewish philanthropy. Together, we can heal, lift, and inspire this city.
May we all have enough. May we give enough. May we build a culture not of “you or me,” but of “you and me—we.” May money matter—by the difference we make with what we have.
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