Update: Going strong, please keep donations coming.
Attention all Mishpacha and Bina subscribers! Big Chesed Opportunity! We are putting the real meaning of the word ‘recycle’ into action! When you are finished reading your magazines, instead of throwing them away or letting them pile up, now you can drop them off to be distributed to others! You may drop off as often and as many as you like, at the Koyfman home, 2424 Beachwood Blvd. in Beachwood, conveniently located around the corner from all the shuls on Green Rd. Simply put magazines in the marked bin on the front porch at your convenience. Distributions will be made WEEKLY, so please keep them coming!
*please note:the box is for drop offs only. Please frum publications only. No newspapers.
Sara says
If a person is interested in occasionally receiving some of the magazines, how do they do so?
Esther Leah Greenberger says
It is great to help others, but I am curious as to whom the magazines will be given. Is this collection only for people who could otherwise not afford to purchase a subscription? It is wonderful to share ones’ belongings, but how will this effect the companies that publish the magazines if those who can afford a subscription simply just get one for free?
CHAYA WOLF says
Kudos to E.L. Greenberger. Sometimes a chesed, although necessary, is done at the expense of those doing business in our community, thus affecting their parnasa.
Yosef says
My guess is if someone is taking magazines that are old they probably weren’t going to pay for the subscription.
Asher Barkin says
this point is very strong, and has many applications
Dovid Greenberger says
Why is this any different then the Pre Yom Tov Kemach orders? Or Matan B’Seser? Or a clothing Gemach?
If you’re opposed to the magazine distribution you should be opposed to these tzdokos too.
Some people get help, because they are in need. Other need, so they get help. We need to make the distinction clear for each group.
D says
Who cares who they’ll be giving it to?
So, I shouldn’t borrow something from my neighbor if I can buy it myself?
One thing is when someone gets tzedoko dollars without needing it, where you can legitimately argue that they are doing something inappropriate. But if people want to do a chesed and lend their belongings to others, who cares who takes it?
Should the public library, for example, only be used by those who cannot afford to buy books?
Or the swings at the park only by those who cannot afford to have private ones in their backyard?
Yes, we ought to support businesses in the community, but that should not stop us from doing chesed to others.
Aliza says
The intention of the gemach is to give the magazines only to those who do not have the means to buy them.
Asher Barkin says
In a lifestyle where higher education is frowned upon and not going to private school is frowned upon; almost everyone is a nitzrach and will do whatever they can to get as much as they can free
Oy! says
Asher,
Your comment makes you sound bitter. I feel bad for you, but please don’t knock the entire community, along with a good portion of k’lal yisroel.
Parnassah is in the hands of Hashem. It has nothing to do with higher education. Many people with higher education have no jobs, while many with Yeshiva-education are doing fine. In fact, many Yeshiva-educated individuals are doing quite well.
You might want to spend some time learning the Shaar Habitachon in the Sefer Chovos Halivovos. You will see that the best way to have good parnassah is by having a good education, an education which strengthens our belief and trust in Hashem.
Asher Barkin says
Education pays – http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm
CH Father says
http://chronicle.com/article/From-Graduate-School-to/131795/
Pizza is delicious says
How did a nice act by the family in this post, who are collecting magazines for families that might not be able to afford them & creating a gemach, turn into a string of posts that are knocking and borderline nasty.
In a city where we are proud of our chesed, its embarrassing to see some of these posts.
Its very simple, either give your old magazines to the gemach, so you can help others or just throw them out when you are done and not care that a simple act, might go along way.
This gemach has nothing to do with nitzrach or not, or that people are getting for free because its there, its no different than anything else that is here to help this city and the people who might need it.
If you feel you need to complain aout things like “these people” who are just getting as much for free as they can, write a letter to the LJN and write your complaints there, this post should not be the place for it.
When I saw this post, I though that I would see a string of comments saying, what a nice idea it is, how beautiful that we continue to look out for others in need, no matter what that need might be.
Koyfman family – I applaud your initiative here, don’t get down by these negative comments here, keep doing what your doing.
CH Father too says
If one bothers to read the statistics on CH Father’s article, it actually strongly supports Asher’s assertion.
The article mentions that while 15% of the population receives public assistance, among americans with master’s degrees the percentage is just 1.6%, almost 10 times less.
The article obviously is trying to insinuate the opposite (“education pays” doesn’t make it into an exciting article), so they mask the second statistic in numbers (360,000 out of 22 million with master’s degrees), but the reality (even in the frum world) is definitely the way the BLS site presents.
B”H we have plenty of outliers, so one can definitely hope that his kids will be among that subgroup (especially if tatty has $ and/or connections), but as a society, the stats are still 100% valid.
Go review some school scholarship applications (if they let you in), and then let’s see if you can still say that there’s no correlation between years of education and income.
Asher Barkin says
I spoke to someone from Binah magazine today and they said that they are fine with giving old magazines, and she said, “enjoy”
Private Member says
YOU GUYS HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS
GO GIVE YOUR KIDS SOME ATTENTION INSTEAD OF WASTING IT HERE!