“Very true,” exclaimed the others; “a great deal is done by the mother; but the environment has a great influence on the character.”

This caused a good deal of discussion and the meeting did not close till one o’clock in the morning.

HOW CHARITY IS GIVEN

On the following Friday evening, the next letter that Mr Jacob chose for reading to his family and friends was on the way almsgiving, or charity, was managed in Palestine.  Before starting to read, he advised his hearers not to forget that the Jewish community in Palestine was very small when this letter was written, and the majority of the people were very poor.  Many had spent most of their money and worldly goods in the expenses of travelling there, with the object of ending their days in their beloved land, and being buried with their forefathers.

Mr Jacob then began the letter.

“My dear Millie,—­You seem so interested in all I have so far told you about our life in Palestine, that I think you will like to hear of some of the ways that our poorer brethren are helped in Palestine.

“Many of the ways will appear strange to you; yet I think some of them are really better than those adopted by our community in England.

“Here, there is no Board of Guardians, so that the giving of charity, or a ‘helping hand’ to the sick or needy, is more of a direct personal matter.  The givers strive to be wise and tactful, so that our people may not lose their self-respect; for, as a rule, they are naturally very sensitive, and if self-respect is lost some are encouraged to become beggars proper.

“Mother tells us that our Jewish ethics teaches ’that true charity, or almsgiving, is to make personal sacrifices when helping others.  There is no self-sacrifice in giving what you cannot make use of yourself.’  Indeed, one Jewish ethical teacher wrote:  ’If one who has lived a luxurious life becomes sick and in need, we should try to deny ourselves, in order to give the sick one dainties such as chicken and wine.’

“Really some of our neighbours here seem to rejoice in giving away not only all they can spare, but also in making personal sacrifices in helping to relieve a needy neighbour.

“From early childhood they were trained to give.  In every Jewish home in Palestine we see from two to perhaps more than a dozen boxes placed in various parts of the house, and written on each is the special charity to which the box is devoted.  Into these boxes even tiny children are trained to drop a coin at special times, and it is considered a happy privilege to do so at times of Thanksgiving to God.  The coins thus collected are from time to time distributed amongst the sick and the needy.

“There is one hospital near us; and, though it is known to be well managed, very few Jews whom we know go there for treatment, for it is a Missionary Hospital, and we strongly object to the methods of Christian missionaries.  Instead of many of them as formerly, persecuting us for clinging to our dearly beloved religion, they now try, by acts of kindness in times of sickness and poverty, to influence our people in favour of accepting their religion.