Teaching Kids To Give in a Culture of Greed:
The Rashi School's Tamhui Project

By KATY ABEL

The children gathered in a small circle on the gym floor are not old enough to write fundraising checks or attend charity dinners. No one would ask them to serve on the board of a non-profit foundation. But through a unique school project that combines tzedakah and tikkun olam with family education and community building, each child has given serious thought and a small donation to support the work of five community organizations.

Rubin B., a kindergartener, is eager to tell a visitor about Mitzvah Horses, a therapeutic riding association in Israel.

"I heard this story about a boy who was injured and he was afraid to hug everything," he explains in earnest. "He couldn't even hug his parents. Then he went on a horse and started hugging the horse and he felt better."

Alyson C., a first grader, eyes growing wide, talks about Camp Sundown, a nighttime summer camp for children suffering from a rare genetic skin disorder that makes even limited exposure to sunlight extremely dangerous.

Rubin and Alyson are students at the Rashi School, the Reform Jewish day school in Newton, Massachusetts. In December 2000, they joined with hundreds of other classmates in grades K-8 to participate in the annual Tamhui Project, a unique vehicle for student philanthropy and community outreach. The word "tamhui," referring to a collective pot of funds for feeding those in need, is based on one of Judaism's most sacred principles: caring for your neighbor.

"... collectors are appointed who fetch bread and foodstuffs from every courtyard, as well as fruit products or money from anyone who donates for the needs of the moment. They distribute the collections among the poor...this is what is called the tamhui."

(Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Gifts to the Poor, 9:2)

"From the Talmud we learn that 'the highest wisdom is kindness,'" says Stephanie Rotsky, a second grade teacher at Rashi who was inspired to help create the Tamhui Project after participating in a similar program at a conference of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE.) "Tamhui in a very authentic way gives kids an opportunity to step out of themselves and assume the responsibility of taking care of other people. Each kid takes on the role God's partner, bringing the pieces back together and making the world whole again."

The Tamhui Project takes place each December. The program provides an opportunity for children to experience the joy of giving, at a time when they are more apt to focus on receiving Chanukah gifts and gelt.

Each student's family makes a donation, usually $10. The money is given to students in the form of five chips, each representing $2 (each child receives the same amount, regardless of whether their family has contributed $100 or nothing at all.) At assemblies, children hear presentations from each of the five organizations chosen to receive funds. Over the years, money has been raised for a diverse group of local and global organizations, including the Children's Rain Forest in Costa Rica, the Big Apple Circus Clown Care Unit, and Seeds of Peace, a summer camp in Maine that brings Arab and Israeli teenagers.

"Children at the Rashi School have directed the giving of over $17,000 in four years," marvels Rotsky. "I have been so inspired by the way these organizations have found their way into the hearts of our kids."

Typically, the narrower and more sharply focused a group's mission

"As a grownup, it was the organization I was least excited about," admits Rashi parent and Tamhui organizer Amy Gerber. "But the kids just grabbed onto it. 'Oh my God, how could these kids live without sunlight?' They were gripped by the fact that someone couldn't go to summer camp because of money or a skin disease."

Gerber firmly believes that merely telling children to remember their blessings is inadequate.

"Everyone in their universe has privilege," she observes. "With Tamhui, they learn about specific kids who are not able to do the same things they can do..and here's how you can help."

The Tamhui Project is woven throughout the Rashi curriculum. 4th graders interview students, teachers and Tamhui recipients for The Tamhui Enquirer. Middle school students make daily bar graphs, charting the Tamhui collections that grew daily in plastic jugs placed in a school corridor. Kindergarteners studied the work of one of this year's beneficiaries, the Little Theatre of the Deaf, by taking part in role plays to build awareness of non-verbal communication used by both deaf and hearing people.

The Tamhui results are announced at the annual Hanukkah songfest, with proud parents and grandparents in attendance. For some children, keeping track of which organization "is ahead" in donations gives the project a competitive appeal. For every child, the ability to make his or her own decision about which group to support is an all-important one.

"It's like voting," says Josh R., 4th grader. "It gives the kids the power."

"It makes [kids] feel good about themselves," echoes Jonathan Z., another 4th grader. "It's just amazing what we can do with Tamhui. And we're really getting something in return--knowing that we helped someone."