Q: When is chesed “smart”?

A: When financial support is accompanied by education, training, and guidance that helps families achieve financial independence.

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The Israeli organization Lema’an Achai, under the direction of former Baltimorean Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal, strives to break the cycle of poverty, one family at a time, using “smart chesed.” Rabbi Leventhal, who volunteered with Ahavas Yisrael when he lived in Baltimore, says that this approach to chesed is, in the long run, more respectful and effective than simply handing people a check.

Here are a few of the thousands of cases Lema’n Achai has been involved with: