Wealth and Poverty in Judaism

Tzedakah is the Jewish obligation to support people in need. Although it is commonly translated as ‘charity’, it is not simply a generous extra that someone may choose to offer. Its connection with tzedek, meaning justice or righteousness, presents giving as fulfilling a duty rather than doing someone a favour. Resources should be used in ways that recognise other people’s needs and dignity.

This means that a person’s wealth should not be judged only by its size. How it was earned and what it enables them to do for others also matter. Paying workers fairly and donating to poverty relief are connected responsibilities, rather than one cancelling out the other.

Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Charity

Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Charity ranks different ways of helping people in poverty. The ranking considers not just whether someone gives, but how the assistance affects the recipient and the attitude with which it is offered. From highest to lowest, the levels are:

1. Help someone become independent. Support a fellow Jew through a gift, loan, business partnership or employment so that they no longer need to depend on others.
2. Neither giver nor recipient knows the other’s identity. Assistance passes anonymously between them, for example through a trustworthy, well-managed charity fund.
3. The giver knows the recipient, but the recipient does not know the giver. Someone provides help secretly to a person whose needs they know.
4. The recipient knows the giver, but the giver does not know the recipient. The donor’s identity is known, but the donor does not know which individual receives the help.
5. Give directly before being asked. The giver recognises a need and offers help without waiting for a request.
6. Give directly after being asked. The giver responds when the person requests assistance.
7. Give less than is needed, but gladly. The help is inadequate, although it is offered willingly and with a welcoming attitude.
8. Give unwillingly. Assistance is provided reluctantly or grudgingly.

The middle levels show why anonymity matters. When the recipient does not know the giver, they need not feel personally indebted to that individual. When neither knows the other, the giving is also less likely to become a way of seeking personal recognition. Maimonides qualifies his example of a charity fund: its administrator must be trustworthy and capable, so anonymity does not replace responsible management.

Offering help before being asked ranks above waiting for a request because it avoids making someone plead for assistance. The final two levels also distinguish the amount given from the giver’s attitude: inadequate help offered gladly ranks above unwilling giving. The ranking therefore concerns dignity and intention as well as material support.

Why independence ranks highest

The highest level strengthens someone’s ability to meet their own needs in future. A food donation can relieve hunger today. Employment can provide an income with which someone buys food, pays bills and supports their family over time. A loan or business partnership can similarly help someone establish a livelihood. Independence also protects dignity by giving the recipient greater control over their own life.

This does not make emergency assistance unimportant. Someone who is hungry, displaced or seriously ill may need immediate support before they can benefit from training or work. The highest level provides a long-term ideal, but an appropriate response must also consider the person’s circumstances.

World Jewish Relief: Jewish values in practice

World Jewish Relief is a British Jewish charity whose work reaches both Jewish communities and people beyond them. Its origins lie in helping Jewish refugees escaping Nazi-occupied Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. In the twenty-first century, it combines support for vulnerable Jewish people with wider humanitarian and refugee assistance.

Its stated aims include saving lives, preserving dignity and helping people rebuild their lives. It works through local partner organisations because they have knowledge of the communities and needs involved. Supporting those organisations’ skills and capacity is also intended to make assistance sustainable.

Its work demonstrates two complementary responses to poverty: relieving urgent suffering and supporting longer-term independence.

Immediate assistance and continuing care

In its July 2022–June 2023 impact report, World Jewish Relief described emergency food and medicine, home repairs and winter relief in response to the war in Ukraine. These actions address needs that cannot wait for someone to secure employment.

Following the Turkey–Syria earthquakes in 2023, it worked with International Blue Crescent to provide emergency food, blankets, hygiene kits and mental health support. The report recorded support for 9,400 people at that stage, followed by medium-term assistance including 42 prefabricated homes.

The charity also provides care for vulnerable older Jewish people. Its report described homecare, medicines and hot meals for older people in Bosnia, for example. Such assistance recognises that independent paid employment is not a suitable goal for every recipient: age, illness and disability can make continuing care necessary.

Employment support and Maimonides’ highest level

World Jewish Relief explicitly connects its livelihood programmes with Maimonides’ highest level of tzedakah. Their aim is to help people earn an income and provide for themselves and their families.

In Britain, its Specialist Training and Employment Programme (STEP) helps refugees from all backgrounds move into work. A dedicated employment adviser supports participants with CV writing, interview preparation, job applications and understanding the UK job market. These are practical ways of removing barriers between someone’s existing abilities and an opportunity to earn.

The 2022–23 report recorded a 42% job outcome rate for STEP, with 95% of those entering work remaining in their job for at least three months. These figures show reported achievements, rather than a guarantee that every participant will find lasting employment.

World Jewish Relief also developed STEP Forward after evaluating differences in participants’ experiences. Women were leaving STEP more often, progressing more slowly and achieving fewer job outcomes. STEP Forward responds through a women-only environment and tailored activities intended to build confidence. This illustrates why treating people fairly can require different support for different barriers.

Judging the best use of wealth

There is a strong argument for prioritising employment and livelihood support: it can reduce repeated dependence on donations, protect dignity and enable someone to support others in turn. A non-religious argument can reach a similar conclusion by valuing autonomy and lasting improvements in living standards, without grounding these aims in a religious obligation.

However, emergency relief may have greater immediate importance when lives are at risk. Employment support also depends on factors such as health, available jobs and safety; training alone cannot remove every cause of poverty.

A justified conclusion therefore distinguishes the goal from the response needed now. Independence is a valuable long-term aim, but urgent aid and continuing care remain necessary. World Jewish Relief’s combination of these approaches shows how Jewish responsibility towards people in poverty can shape both immediate assistance and opportunities for a more secure future.

1. Enable independence through a gift, loan, partnership or employment.
2. Neither giver nor recipient knows the other’s identity.
3. Giver knows recipient; recipient does not know giver.
4. Recipient knows giver; giver does not know recipient.
5. Give before being asked.
6. Give after being asked.
7. Give inadequately, but gladly.
8. Give unwillingly.

Underlying priorities: lasting independence, dignity, anonymity, initiative and willingness. Charity funds should be managed by trustworthy, capable people.

World Jewish Relief

• British Jewish charity supporting people within and beyond the Jewish community.
• Works with local partners; values dignity, effective assistance and sustainable support.
• Immediate relief: food, medicine, blankets and shelter; examples include Ukraine and the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes.
• Continuing care: homecare and support for vulnerable older Jewish people.
• STEP: refugee employment support in Britain, including CVs, interviews and applications; reflects Maimonides’ highest level.
• STEP Forward: tailored support addressing barriers faced by women refugees.

Evaluation

Independence can reduce long-term poverty, but urgent relief saves lives now and employment is not possible for everyone. A justified response considers recipients’ circumstances and combines immediate support with realistic opportunities for lasting security.