[GreatRoad]

Yes, very strange. I thought it was a joke at first.

[SoftwareEngineer]

“Starving” is a huge exaggeration. There is poverty in Israel like in any other first world country.

The “poverty” is relative. Comparing the poor in Israel to the poor in Ethiopia is apples and oranges.

However, there are a lot of religious Jews (Haredim) that fall below the official “poverty line” set up by the Israeli goverment.

Please do keep in mind that the State of Israel has a very generous welfare policy and your money may be better spent elsewhere.

[hitchwolf]

It’s con to steal your money IMO. It’s not the Israeli government, or anyone connected to the government asking for money. It’s an American based tax exempt not for profit Chicago based American group.

I’d be shocked if any of the money they got ever actually even went to feed anyone.

[Ditter]

I got a request for donations in the mail quite a while ago for the starving Jews. I did not donate.

[Ann Archy]

My Jewish husband HATES this commercial and think it’s a fraud.

[earglasses]

I was rather startled by the commercial’s implication that Israel is a third-world nation. According to the CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html), that's far from the truth:

National GDP per capita rankings (PPP 2010 US$):
42 - European Union $32,700
43 - Italy $30,500
44 - Monaco $30,000
45 - South Korea $30,000
46 - Israel $29,800

All is not rosy, however. Nearly a quarter (23.6%) of their populace lives at or below the local poverty line of $7.30 per person per day. And like the U.S., the economy exports less than it imports. They rely on private and U.S. largess to make up the difference.

[rabidralph]

I knew it was a scam because the guy was saying nice things about christians.

[mnehring]

Jerusalem has a large population of Senior Citizens without families. People who have escaped persecution in other countries like Russia where families didn’t come with them or didn’t survive. They don’t have families to support them and the communities there have usually always helped but like everywhere else in the world, you will still find poverty.

I much prefer these voluntary programs over government sponsored programs.

[DemforBush]

I saw this commercial recently. Made my spidey-sense tingle something fierce. Felt more like one of those “Buy Gold Now!” commercials than any legitimate charity ad I’ve seen. Very slick, very hard-sell. I could be dead wrong, of course, but I would need to do some serious investigation before I could feel comfortable sending them any money.

[PLMerite]

I sent them money a couple years ago to provide Passover meals for Holocaust survivors in the former Soviet Union.

I swear they’ve spent every dime of my money on mailings to get me to send more money.

[skr]

I’d seen their commercials for the Jewish elderly in Siberia. If aid is needed in Israel, perhaps this will explain some of the need. From http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/religious/international-fellowship-of-christians-and-jews-in-chicago-il-1962 (edited into paragraphs for readability):

IFCJ’s On Wings of Eagles program, working through Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), funds aliyah (immigration to Israel for needy Jews around the world, and provides them with klitah (resettlement) assistance to help ensure that they become full, productive citizens of Israel

Working through various charities in the former Soviet Union, Isaiah 58 funds the distribution of food, clothing, medicine, heating fuel, and other essential needs to the poor elderly and children in the former Soviet Union.

Working through charities in Israel, Guardians of Israel funds initiatives that aim to ease the suffering of needy Israelis, providing them with food, housing, medical care, clothing, and other essentials

Stand for Israel engages people both spiritually and politically on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people, encouraging them to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” and providing them with the facts they need to advocate for the Jewish State and fight anti-Israel bias.

[ml/nj]

There are lots of Jewish beggars in Jerusalem. These are almost entirely the ultra-Orthodox who have big families and spend most of their time studying religious texts.

ML/NJ

[Thank You Rush]

That is explained in the commercial. Because the bulk of Israel’s resources are used for defense against terrorism, there is a shortage of funds that would ordinarily help the people. I have no doubt that it is a legitimate charitable cause.

[morphing libertarian]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahane_Yehuda_Market

[SaraJohnson]

It’s most likely a bs shake-down.

[jakexhart]

Everyone assumes the money is going to jews. I watched the commercial very carefully and it makes no mention of Jews, just people of Israel. The money could well be going to Palestinians living in Israel

[jjotto]

It’s years old, maybe a decade. It’s a scam directed at Christian televangelist fans. Jews of various persuasions know legitimate charities that actual do what is needed.

[Aware1991]

All I read about IFCJ says this is a Chicago based organization whose main purpose is to line the pockets of its founder, Yechiel Eckstein. Many articles state that any funds actually aiding poof Israelis would indeed be a miracle.

[Safetgiver]

I’m still trying to figure out how America has 16 million starving children.