Posted to Op-Ed on

“Stop asking me to vote--bug off!”


That's what someone told one of my colleagues yesterday when asked to vote for a school to win $500,000 in the Kohl's contest.

My first reaction was, “Wow, is it really that annoying? Now that I am on the asking end of it I didn't think of that.” But then I remembered back to a year ago when Devorah Benjamin asked people to vote for her amazing organization, Keren Simchas Choson V'Kallah.

Op-Ed: Stop Bugging Me!

“Stop asking me to vote–bug off!”

That’s what someone told one of my colleagues yesterday when asked to vote for a school to win $500,000 in the Kohl’s contest.

My first reaction was, “Wow, is it really that annoying? Now that I am on the asking end of it I didn’t think of that.” But then I remembered back to a year ago when Devorah Benjamin asked people to vote for her amazing organization, Keren Simchas Choson V’Kallah.

Was it annoying to vote? No, it was not annoying.

Was it annoying to get emails and texts about voting? No, it was not.

Who among us finds it physically or emotionally taxing to delete or ignore a message? But more importantly, who among us is incapable of understanding what these funds can do for an organization in need?

It is not annoying because you know that with one small action you can change the lives of many forever.

Speak to anyone who runs a school: A school is a financial black hole. The outgo will always exceed the income. This will never change. But tell me: What is more important to Klal Yisroel than Chinuch? That’s the easiest question you will be asked all day. The answer is: NOTHING!

Torah Chinuch is what keeps us alive as a nation, but it is tremendously expense. Every yeshiva on the planet is weighed down with heavy burdens of debt. Teachers are underpaid, and in some cases unpaid. Supplies are sparse. Equipment is outdated and ineffective. Classrooms are lacking basic necessities. And with all these difficulties, many outstanding educators continue to do their jobs faithfully, keeping schools open against all odds and helping us raise the next generation of Chassidim.

Now… picture a school with beautiful, airy classrooms, state of the art equipment, new textbooks, smartboards, nice new furniture, safer playground equipment, art and music supplies that can help children express themselves, more professional trainings to give our teachers better tools for education, support staff like guidance counselors, Madrichim and Madrichos….the list goes on and on and on.

These are just some of the things OUR KIDS can enjoy with additional funds. And your vote will also give the school’s head staff, PTA committee, or the local Shliach at least a couple of nights of sleep, knowing that some debts were paid off.

Are you picturing it? Now VOTE, and make the picture a reality for our schools! And replace your annoyance with a feeling of accomplishment: This, my friends, is Tzedaka!

Do it with a smile, knowing that it just might be your vote that brings half a million dollars worth of joy to a deserving group of children.

There are hundreds of Lubavitcher schools in the running. Decide which ones you want to vote for and use all 20 of your votes! Tizku L’mitzvos!

Click Here to see a list of Moisdos participating in the comeptition.

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34 Comments

  • slightly annoyed

    It is annoying when the same person asks you 75 times!! Asking someone is ok, though once is enough

  • Teacher in Australia

    It took all of five minutes to vote…..Once you have voted, just delete every other e-mail you get.
    I am involved in Chinuch and we struggle just to get basic books etc. Most teachers like me, are always buying from their own wallets things for the children (and our income is not exactly huge or reliable!!)
    Dont be lazy.

  • Sholom P

    Someone should write an OP-ED on how we don’t need an OP-ED for everything in day to day life.

  • FB user who-s been bombarded

    I’m sorry but it is annoying when your entire FB page is loaded with vote requests. Is it so annoying that I can’t handle it? NO. It also doesn’t take much to “Hide” someone on FB, we all do it.

    Some schools are more considerate when spamming the entire FB universe, composing a heartfelt and sincere request. Others type in CAPS, virtually yelling in our ears, behaving like a Camp Emunah camper. That’s annoying.

  • sdi

    Beth Rivkah a huge financial black hole? I don’t think so….just yesterday there was the most stunning bar mitzva in ch for a very special boy indeed….problem…teachers can’t make half a bar mitzva ‘cuz they’re not getting paid…money is going into pockets secretly…money that does not necessarily belong to the man who’s pocket it’s going into.

  • Not participating Shlucha

    I dont see a reason to vote when there are about 100 chabad schools and only 5 schools are going to win this. (not including the thousants of not jewish schools…)
    Maybe if some schools get together and divide the money would they win…

  • You should really vote

    Someone is going to win….if you help! If you check out the non Chabad schools on the list—Jewish, or not Jewish—you will see that the vast majority taking this seriously are US. So please, please help us win!

  • please list

    Can someone please list the 5 Chabad schools that have the most votes? Cuz there is no point on me wasting my votes on a school that only has 200 votes anyway because there is no chance they will win, sorry to be harsh but its realistic, however a school that has 2ooo votes at least has some fighting chance so I want to help them along with my vote..

  • sorry not voting

    I totally agree with no. 5. I don’t believe for a second the money will be used properly.
    Now… picture a school with beautiful, airy classrooms, state of the art equipment, new textbooks, smartboards, nice new furniture, safer playground equipment, art and music supplies that can help children express themselves, more professional trainings to give our teachers better tools for education, support staff like guidance counselors, Madrichim and Madrichos….the list goes on and on and on.
    and i definately don’t think the money will be used for any of the above mention I think the money will be pocketed and not used for the students that’s why im not voting.

  • paula

    It is not all that annoying to get a bunch of requests
    on you facebook page. After all thats what facebook is all about that is what the creators hoped for and succeeded in accomplishing. They created a social network to help people find other people. If you dont hane to be part of it then delete your account.

  • Logic

    I’m sure Kohls won’t allow for collusion and have the money spread to different schools, they will probably want to follow the cash and see how its spent, and not let it disapear to pockets or different schools, so its gonna have to be survival of the fittest

  • sbr

    I feel the same way about Friendship Circle. I believe that many of them pocketed a good percentage of the money that was won

  • no Facebook account

    I never vote…I don’t have FaceBook, never have, never will, & I’m not signing up to create a fictitious account every Mondig & donneshtig to vote for yet another worthy cause. Even though they are all great causes. It’s not laziness it’s that I won’t get involved on any level with FB. Many of my friends say the same.

  • Free SMR!

    How about using FB to drum up support & cash for Sholom Rubashkin? Has that been done (I don’t have facebook)

  • Tired

    I’m sorry but it never stops. It’s an all year thing and I get ten emails a day.

  • Double Standard

    There are schools on that list that say no facebook accounts and now for the almighty dollar want you to vote for them on facebook!!! No wonder the students dont respect Hanholo….

  • Try not to accuse.....

    Wow, if you people only understood how hard most of us work to make our mosdos good, you wouldn’t be making these inconsiderate comments. We lose sleep, health, precious time with our families in order to do what the Rebbe asks of us. The few that “pocket” the money are just that…a few. (Actually, I don’t have ANY first hand knowledge of people pocketing money, but it sure is fun to spread rumors about it. Unless you are an eyewitness to the pocketing, it is just hearsay.) For the overwhelming majority, the money does go to the things mentioned in the article, things we can only dream of right now because we are broke!

    By the way, if you read the official rules for the contest, it says they will be requiring each winner to submit an itemized list of what they plan to do with the money, and they will be checking to make sure it is done. This is easy to verify if they required official dated receipts.

    Just vote for the mosdos you know and trust, and leave the rest up to the Aibershter.

  • to 10

    You could have voted in the amount of time you took to read the article or even just post your comment.

  • To #5 and the like....

    It doesnt seem that you have an idea of how much expenses there are in running a moisad. When you give tzeddakah just give it and shut up, its none of you buisness if they buy toilet paper or sponsor tuition. the cost in running a moisad is endless.
    you dont want to vote so dont vote but don’t encourage others. facebook is always full of bs requests and people have no problem ignoring them but when it comes to a lubavitcher moisod CH”V we should vote.
    in closing may i offer the negative lubavitcher community to start appreciating the rebbes moisdos and stop thinking that every shliach and principal is a scam artist and is out there in the world to screw you over!

    l’chaim!

  • Not the same

    To Double standard:
    The schools are not asking their students to vote. And it’s not hypocritical for the adults to vote. There are things that are ok for adults, not ok for kids.
    Example: If a teacher comes into school and she is pregnant that’s ok. Vd”L.

  • not even the age!!!

    fine maybe i agree but the fact that i cant even vote because i am not the age and still get all those emails from the same people is really disturbing!!!

  • kol yisroel arevim ze lozeh

    To #6 what you wrote doesn“t make any sense just because all 100 can”t win, it doesn“t mean a few shouldn”t also.

  • HaMaamin: HOW TO WIN THIS

    Please Chabad-Lubavitch mosdos: Get together; make a goral; and one scholl MAYBE will make it.
    We trust in Goral.

  • Believer

    to #6
    if you look at the amount of votes chabad schools have, and the amount of votes non chabad schools have, you will see we are way ahead of the game.
    this is what i found, after checking about thirty other major schools.
    SO GO AHEAD AND VOTE!!!

  • Just do it!!!

    What #31 says is true. By the looks of things, all the Chabad schools that are putting in the effort could win. Sure some have 4,000 votes and some have 1,000 but I searched about 50 of the other schools (there are hundreds of them) and none of them have more than 100 votes! They are not as motivated as we are, plus they probably don’t believe they can win.
    We saw with our own eyes how we were able to help Devorah Benjamin and the Friendship Circles win so we know it can be done. That’s why our schools are trying so hard! So vote for whichever schools you care about. Maybe the top 20 will be ALL Chabad Schools!

  • Art & Music

    I agree with the article in general BUT….

    I don’t think this money will cause schools to include art and music etc…the schools that don’t include these programs do so because they refuse to leave their bubbles and see the importance of it. if there’s a will there’s a way.

  • Don-t waste votes

    Please note that if you are not a K-12 school you will not be given money by KOHLS even if you ‘win’ as per their guidelines. Pre-schools, hebrew schools, seminarys, etc. do other chabad schools a favor and email facebook@kohls.com and ask them to remove you so that Chabad votes can go to schools that will win for real