A little over a year ago, a new congregation, Beth Shalom, was formed in central Florida. Part of any congregation’s responsibility is service to the community, so I looked for a way to do my part.

When it comes to Jewish Law, giving to charity is more of an expectation that an act of generosity. Here’s what else you should know.

Remember putting change in the tzedakah box at synagogue or selling candy in school to raise money for needy causes? Remember thinking how generous you were? Remember feeling benevolent, perhaps even noble? Well, you were wrong.

A young South African boy in a wealthy vacation town forever changes the way one teen will think about Tzedakah.

I used to judge homeless people, and assume that they weren't very intelligent. I no longer see things so black and white; everyone has a story.

Teen Sophie S. examines whether we donate money because we're too lazy, scared, or greedy to do the real best thing.

Jewish tradition teaches us that acts of tzedakah must be done by all, no matter one's economic status. Everyone is responsible to give what they can. In popular culture, this has changed. Many people give all that they can, but the general perception is that one must be very well-off before being able to give tzedakah. Only the rich can afford to give away money. In this way, tzedakah is thought of as a activity only for the privileged.

The B'nai Tzedek Youth Foundation provides a chance for Jewish teens to recognize and act upon the importance of Tzedakah and Gimilut Hasadim. The B'nai Tzedek Youth Foundation along with the outstanding B'nai Tzedek Director, K'vod Wieder, has worked to promote enthusiasm in giving Tzedakah towards Jewish organizations that we feel are important to fund.

At the beginning of the year, we decided on our funding focus. It consisted of four areas of concentration:
1. Poverty
2. Jewish education for young people

Three years ago, my three sisters and I were doing some spring-cleaning when we realized that we had a lot of children's videos that we had either outgrown or no longer watched. We remembered how a few years earlier, when my friend Alex had been in the hospital being treated for Leukemia, she would watch movies to pass the time. We decided to take our videos to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the hospital where Alex had been treated.

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 20 (JTA) – Andrew Klazmer had an important delivery to make, but he couldn't find apartment B11. Toting a heavy box of canned goods, the 12-year-old scanned hallway after hallway, peering at faded apartment numbers in vain.

Then he spotted the mezuzah.

"Mom, it's over here," Klazmer called out excitedly, tapping the door.

In addition to acting as an ad-hoc navigational device, the mezuzah pointed to the bond that giver and receiver share – their Jewish identity.

These two teens acted on their desire to help others and joined the Special Needs Assistance Program (S.N.A.P.). S.N.A.P. teaches teens to work with other teens with special needs at local synagogues and youth groups. The program strives to help synagogues and youth groups become better equipped to serve students with special needs.

This year's program took place during the month of August in Rockville, Md., and was sponsored by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning.

You'll Learn in a S.N.A.P.
By Cori Snyder