Maintaining Charitable Morale

Photo Credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90

A recent news article in The Times of Israel reported that the IDF has seen a substantial decline in the number of reservists who have reported for duty. According to the report, at the start of the war reserve units received more than 100% of the soldiers who were called up. Now, the number is between 75-85%. Those interviewed attributed this drop to a variety of factors, including emotional fatigue and burnout from over a year of fighting, as well as challenges that come from civilian life, such as being away from their families and financial or academic considerations.

In highlighting the attrition among reservists, a separate issue may also be raised; namely, the drop-off of support for the war effort from the Jewish communities around the world. While the aid from some individuals and groups has remained steady, or even grown, there has certainly been an overall decline in material support since the early days of the war. Many elements likely contribute to this trend, and below I consider two psychological factors.

Van Leeuwen and Wiepking (2012) studied national campaigns for charitable causes to determine what factors lead to charitable support. One major factor was media coverage, as increased coverage led to increased giving. When other items dominated the news cycles, donations to these causes dropped off. This aspect certainly seems relevant to the current war. As time has gone on, traditional and social media coverage of the war and those most affected by it has given way to other things.

Sargeant and Woodliffe (2007) identified a second relevant factor, known as “crowding out,” which refers to when individuals feel less inclined to contribute because the government or larger organizations are involved. There can be a belief that a person’s relatively small contribution is inconsequential or that all the significant needs are already taken care of. When people sense that their contributions are not meaningful, they tend to donate less. This reason also seems relevant to the current situation; as the war has progressed, the government and large institutions have been better able to organize and mobilize resources, and many of the small charitable acts from early in the war are no longer necessary.

We can speculate about other reasons that support has dropped off. At the beginning of the war, there was a general sense of urgency which focused people’s charitable interests, often to the exclusion of other charitable causes. Despite the expanding war, it seems that the social urgency surrounding the war has declined, at least in the Diaspora, and many people have returned to their regular habits.

The beginning of the war also saw a remarkable level of social media activity for all types of Israel-focused support. We saw videos of suitcases being shipped, barbeques prepared, shabbatonim for the families of soldiers, and many other crucial, diverse, and creative modes of support. However, as with other social media trends, as the novelty declined, so did the focus of social media personalities.

It is important to consider how to address these and other reasons why support has declined, despite the ongoing challenges. I would like to focus on one Torah-based source that can be useful to remind us of the importance of each person’s role in this milchemet mitzvah. The Rambam (Laws of Kings and Wars) rules as follows (7:4): “In a milchemet mitzvah, the entire nation must go out to war, even a groom from his chamber, and a bride from her pavilion.” Each part of this halacha has been the subject of much discussion both by our Sages over the generations and nowadays throughout Jewish communities globally. As such, this short column is not the place to explore how it should be understood practically. However, I focus here on one commentator’s remark.

Radbaz, in his commentary on the Rambam, understands that women are not meant to be involved directly in combat. If so, he asks, how are we meant to interpret the halacha that even a bride is expected to participate in the war? One of his answers is that this ruling obligates her to provide water and food for her husband who is involved in combat. Applied more broadly, one could argue that this means in a milchemet mitzvah, for those who are not involved in combat, there remains an obligation to support the war effort in whatever way is accessible to the individual.

The more that Jews around the world internalize that their continued support is a fulfillment of this mitzvah, each small act is imbued with meaning. And when each act carries importance, people are less vulnerable to the natural psychological tendencies that lead to the decline in support. The needs continue to be great, indeed, as the war continues, in many ways the needs have only expanded over time. We pray to Hashem that the hostages return home safely to their families, the soldiers return safely from successful missions, the injured are healed, and security is restored for displaced communities those living in places targeted by frequent barrages.