About The Mitzva Fund
What’s in a Mitzva?
At The Mitzva Fund, we assist families in anash with financial aid, moral support, and a well-developed network of resources.
Lubavitch is known for helping others. But who’s helping Lubavitch?
All over the globe, Lubavitch chassidim are busy spreading Torah, mitzvos, and ahavas yisroel. We’re focused outward, intent on helping every Jew we meet.
We’re out there supporting the whole world, but who’s supporting anash?
When our fellow community members are going through a rough patch, who do they have to turn to?
That’s where the Mitzva Fund comes in.
We believe that every family in anash deserves to enjoy a high quality of life. And what’s more, we believe it takes the whole community to make that happen.
Life events, yomim tovim, and simchos should be joyous, not stressful. With the right support, an unexpected accident, illness, or event doesn’t need to be devastating. With a one-time grant, a sudden large expense or bill doesn’t need to throw a family’s finances into a downward spiral.
Whether it’s a wedding or the sudden death of a washing machine, The Mitzva Fund is here to make life that much easier.
We’re here to let every member of anash know that they’re not alone.
Helping from Within
We support families in anash with financial grants and other resources to ultimately foster a stronger, healthier, and happier Lubavitch community.
We often think of tzedakah as something we give to *other* people. You know, those people who are maybe a little bit different, who need a little extra, who are not quite like… us.
At The Mitzva Fund, we’re redefining tzedaka. It’s not a couple of dollars we toss to the less fortunate. Instead, we see tzedakah as lending strength, support, and comfort to our fellow anash. Our neighbors, our friends, our coworkers, the family down the street.
People just like us.
Maybe it’s financial support. Maybe it’s a referral to a great provider. Maybe it’s just the knowledge that someone cares and is ready to help, and that makes all the difference.
We’re not giving money to the poor; we’re lending a hand to a brother who could use the boost.
We’re putting people back on their feet—not on another chesed list.
Our Services
Up to $3,500 per grant,
or other services
Referrals, resources,
and support from our network
Serving USA-based
anash members
Our Story
The Mitzva Fund was founded by 4 friends in March 2021, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over the course of the preceding year, the four of us had received countless phone calls from anash who needed help or who were seeking help for others.
Due to Covid, many had lost their jobs, gotten sick, or were dealing with unexpected life events. These one-time bills or emergencies had a snowball effect, throwing them completely off track. In most cases, even a one-time financial boost could have prevented further disaster.
The greater Lubavitch community, we realized, had no central support system. There was nowhere for your average Lubavitch family to go when the going got tough.
Lubavitch is all about helping others, we thought. But it’s about time our anash get the help they needed, too.
Since March 2021, we’ve helped dozens of Lubavitch individuals and families. And in the process, we’ve shown them that they have a community to fall back on.
We’ve shown them that they’re not alone.
The Mitzva Fund was started by Shloime Nelken. It was inspired by his parents and founded in memory of his father, Harav Yechiel Dov ben Avrohom Menachem a”h.
לע״נ הרה״ח התמים ר׳ יחיאל דב ב״ר אברהם מנחם ע״ה
Our Inspiration
The Mitzva Team
Our board members are located across the three largest Lubavitch communities in America, allowing us to serve members of USA-based anash wherever they might be located.
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Hollywood, Florida
Founder & Board MemberGrowing up in a large family with a father who worked in chinuch, Shloime Nelken saw firsthand what it was like for frum families that have a hard time making ends meet. Having seen how financial difficulties could snowball, Shloime resolved to be there for other Lubavitch families who might be struggling.
Shloime believes that with just a little bit of help, the average Lubavitch family can live better lives. It is with this belief that he founded the Mitzva Fund in 2021. In the time since, he’s facilitated the distribution of dozens of grants and seen the difference it has made in the lives of anash.
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Studio City, California
Board MemberRabbi Yossi Baitelman is a shliach of the Rebbe to Studio City, California, since 1995.
Rabbi Baitelman sees the Mitzva Fund as an opportunity to help fellow yidden. He refers to the the Hayom Yom of the 4th of Iyar:
“The Alter Rebbe received the following teaching from the Tzadik Reb Mordechai, who had heard it from the Baal Shem Tov: A neshama may descend to this world and live seventy or eighty years simply in order to do a Jew a material favor, and certainly a spiritual one.”
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Crown Heights, NYC
Board MemberMenachem Freeman is always busy; in addition to the print shop he owns in Crown Heights and the bungalow colony he manages upstate New York, he’s committed to giving back to the community. To this end, he volunteers with Hatzalah and runs the Crown Heights division of the Chai Lifeline Crisis hotline. He also mans the Chai Lifeline national hotline, offering support and guidance to individuals who are facing different challenges.
Having dealt with crises firsthand and helped local families with a variety of issues, Menachem believes that The Mitzva Fund will be a game changer in easing financial hardships and consequently other challenges that typical Lubavitch families encounter.
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Hallandale Beach, Florida
Board MemberEli Schochet is a longtime Hatzalah member and dedicated community builder in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
Eli is passionate about The Mitzva Fund because it helps the average Lubavitch family who might be hesitant to ask for assistance. It’s unique in that it puts beneficiaries on their feet and not, as he puts it, “another chesed list.”
Eli looks forward to using his experience in community support in making life smoother for families in anash.