There should be a time limit for a donor's name on a building - opinion

• Published date: 07 April 2024
• Author: DAN HORWITZ
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

I actually reference the episode in my book when lamenting our community's "edifice complex" – our obsession with buildings, and putting donor names on them.While Samuels shares teachings from our tradition indicating that placing donor names on walls is acceptable and common practice, as with all things in the Jewish tradition, there are counterarguments. For example, Rabbi Elazar teaches in the Talmud that "one who performs tzedakah in secret is greater than Moses, our teacher." (Bava Batra 9b)

Where I respectfully take issue with Samuels though is with her conclusion. She writes, "As far as I'm concerned, however, as long as the end justifies the means, that's enough. Even where a donor's intentions are selfish, if the donation itself has a positive effect on the community or even the world at large, then who are we to criticize!?"Philanthropy is absolutely essential to the flourishing of Jewish life. While those who invest their dollars in Jewish causes should without question be appreciated and applauded, I'd like to suggest that putting names on our buildings specifically has not necessarily had a positive effect on the Jewish community.

As I write in Just Jewish:"These names on walls have caused problems over the years, as several organizations that realistically should have downsized, merged, relocated or closed their doors haven't done so due to concerns about alienating the donors and their families whose names adorn their facility's walls.I understand the desire for legacy, wanting our names and the names of our loved ones to outlive us and be remembered. At the same time, putting names on physical structures isn't helping our organizations to make the strategic decisions they need. I'd like to propose that going forward, a donor who wants their name to go on a wall can only have it appear there for 20 years – a generation.Almost like stadium naming rights for sports teams, there can be a 20-year agreement, but then the opportunity should exist for another entity to assume those rights or for the organization to...