Ira Riklis and Important Charities

Aish HaTorah would seem an unlikely organization for Ira Riklis to support since they are intrinsically VERY, VERY Orthodox Jewish.  Ira would be best described as Conservadox, somewhere between Conservative and Orthodox. He does attend an Orthodox synagogue.  However he is neither Kosher nor Shomer Shabbas (he drives etc. on the Sabbath). It is not their orthodoxy that appeals to Ira Riklis.  Rather it is the simplicity of their outreach effort.  

“They don’t seek to create an Orthodox Jew. Their true goal is to make sure that every Jew, no matter how involved or uninvolved, has the opportunity to connect with their heritage and maintain their participation in the Jewish world,” Ira noted recently. He has studied with one of Aish’s Rabbis, David Clyman, for over 20 years and  knows that his observance level and the Rabbis will always be different; yet Ira feels his warmth and support always.

“Particularly during low periods in my life I have been able to turn to Rabbi Clyman for guidance. He has helped me to interpret my own beliefs, integrate and accept my failings, and find wisdom in the Jewish texts that help to inform my own path in life.  Rabbi Clyman, and through him Aish HaTorah, has truly enriched my life.

Ira Riklis and his wife both attended Penn, and while his degrees are both from The Wharton School, his wife Diana’s degrees are from the College and The Graduate School of Education.  They both feel deeply appreciative of their educational experience and have sought to give back to Penn.  They have done this by endowing three different scholarships, term Professorships, and various facilities such as the Dean’s office of GSE and the student lounge at the Hillel.  

Ira Riklis and his wife Diane have concentrated most of their efforts toward the GSE as this division of the University rarely graduates a student that 30 years on is in a position to contribute back.  While Ira Riklis loved his time at Wharton and think highly of the school, Wharton has no difficulty finding alumnae that are not only able, but eager, to put their name on some facility within Wharton.  He just don’t feel that they really need his help.  They feel that their efforts and money are better spent helping the GSE.

In a similar vein to the Central Synagogue Caring Committee above, Citymeals On-Wheels provides a lifeline service to the homebound elderly.  

Founded by Gael Greene and James Beard in 1981, Citymeals-on-Wheels was inspired by a newspaper article about homebound elderly New Yorkers with nothing to eat on weekends and holidays. Gael and James rallied their friends, like Ira Riklis, to raise private funds as a supplement to the government-funded weekday meal delivery program.  

During 2008, Citymeals-on-Wheels delivered 2.2 million meals. These meals were enjoyed by over 18,000 New Yorkers at times when they would otherwise have gone hungry. Ira Riklis has provided significant funding for several years achieving the rank from this organization of “Very Grand Patrons”.   “As with all these wonderful organizations, we don’t feel so “Grand”; we feel privileged to be able to participate in such an important effort.”

Every Friday morning for the last 12 years Ira Riklis has been in the same place between 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM. Serving a hot meal and a sandwich lunch to any and all that come in the mornings, either Thursday or Friday.  Essentially it is a “soup kitchen” at  The Central Synagogue Caring Committe

This wonderful group twice a week provides a hot nutritious breakfast and a take out bag lunch. They serve about  300 people two times a week in a dignified friendly setting every Thursday and Friday morning and they are the only food kitchen in the area that operates during this time.

First opening their doors in 1983 in response to an appeal by the mayor for non profit organizations to temporarily help the city’s hungry and homeless. In 1996, Ira Riklis began to volunteer, with many others as the number of homeless and hungry increased dramatically over the past sixteen years. Currently they serve almost  16,000 meals per year and are never closed for holidays and have no restrictions as to who can be served. The Central Synagogue is providing a valuable service to the community, and trying to keep pace with the increasing need.

Ira Riklis and his family have been involved with the Tel Aviv Foundation for well over 20 years.  They are not the largest donors to the Foundation, but no other donor has taken on as many projects as the Riklis family.  Also, in order to get maximum impact, they have concentrated on supporting project that are all in a single neighborhood, Schoonat Ezra.  By contributing over the years numerous parks, playgrounds, kindergartens, science centers, home environment facility and, most recently, a combination school with Arts, Science and Library facilities as well as multiple classrooms, Ira Riklis and his family have worked to enrich the lives of the people within this economically depressed neighborhood.

Ira Riklis became involved with the orphanage, Bet Elazraki, about 5 years ago when their friends, Scott & Debra Korman, held their son’s bar mitzvah celebration at this amazing facility.  It is an orphanage, but it really is more like an extended family.  At Bet Elazraki over 200 children, who would otherwise be at risk of falling between the cracks of society, are given not only the essentials of housing, food and clothing; they are brought into a family environment.  

The Director, Yehudah Kohn and his wife, Riki, tend to the children in every way imaginable paying attention to every detail.  Ira Riklis cites one example of how this place really cares for their children.  They take pictures of every child all through their time at the home.  Then, when the day comes to go out into the world, they take with them photos of themselves and their friends growing up, just as would a child raised by parents.  The home has been in existence now long enough to have graduates that have left, entered the army, gotten married, started raising children of their own.  Every graduate has successfully joined society and maintains close contact with the home, their home.

Ira Riklis and his family have always believed in contributing to various organizations.  In a conversation with Ira he mentioned however, that they don’t particularly like the English word, charity, because it has a negative connotation to those on both the giving and receiving end.  The word suggests a magnanimous act by the rich and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy. They prefers the Hebrew word, Tzedakah, which means righteousness, justice or fairness.  No one knows why God has chosen to bless him and his family; but they do feel very blessed in wealth, in health, and freedom.  They can never repay the blessings that have been given, but they can try to justify at least a portion of God’s blessings by their efforts to do Tzedakah.

Over the years Ira Riklis and his family have participated with many fine organizations. They give to over 50 organizations a year. Some receive large sums, some smaller sums, and some receive a check for $18.00.  Why $18.00 and not a rounder number such as $10, $15 or $20?  In Hebrew every letter has a numerical equivalent.  There is a game called Gematrea in which they take the numerical equivalent of a word and see what other words have an equal numerical value.  The numerical value of the Hebrew word Chai, or Life in English, is 18.  Therefore it has become something of family tradition to give 18, or some multiple thereof, as recognition of the need to appreciate the gift of Life at all times.