How do Charedim Uplift Israeli Society Through Gemachim?
The Silent Lifeline: Gemachim and the Economy of Kindness in Israel
In every Charedi neighborhood, behind a nondescript door, in a basement closet, or listed on a handwritten flyer in a shul hallway—you’ll find them: Gemachim.
The word “Gemach” is short for “Gemilus Chasadim”, the Torah mitzvah of performing acts of kindness. A Gemach is not a charity. It is a community-run free-loan or free-lend fund—created, managed, and sustained by ordinary individuals for the sole purpose of helping others without interest, conditions, or judgment.
While the rest of the world builds economies on credit cards and banks, the Charedi world has quietly built an underground economy of chessed, with thousands of gemachim across Israel—most of them completely invisible to the outside world.
Yet this system touches millions of lives and saves the Israeli economy hundreds of millions of shekels every year.
How Many Gemachim Exist?
It is impossible to count them all.
According to estimates from Charedi organizations and municipal data:
- There are likely over 20,000 active gemachim throughout Israel¹.
- In cities like Bnei Brak and Jerusalem, there are hundreds per neighborhood.
- Every Charedi yeshiva, shul, and school has its own small gemach network.
- Nearly every Charedi home belongs to at least one.
Some are registered legal nonprofits; others are handwritten ledgers and labeled cardboard boxes. All are acts of kindness².
Types of Gemachim – A World of Chessed in Every Detail
Gemachim are not just about money. They are about filling any need—great or small—that another Jew may have. Here's a breakdown of the major categories:
1. Free-Loan Gemachim (Monetary)
- Provide interest-free loans for weddings, medical bills, rent, tuition, and emergencies.
- Loans range from a few hundred shekels to hundreds of thousands.
- Funded by private donations, maaser money, and repayments³.
- Examples:
- Kupat Ha’ir in Bnei Brak⁴
- Vaad HaRabbanim emergency aid campaigns⁵
- Gemach Beit Yosef (nationwide financial lending with halachic supervision)
- Kupat Ha’ir in Bnei Brak⁴
2. Baby & Childcare Gemachim
- Lending of strollers, cribs, car seats, baby monitors, breast pumps, and bassinets.
- Saved thousands of young families the cost of buying expensive baby gear⁶.
- Often neighborhood-based; one in nearly every Charedi building.
3. Wedding & Simcha Gemachim
- Gown gemachim for kallahs and mothers-of-the-bride.
- Tuxedos for chassanim.
- Simcha decor (tables, chairs, tablecloths, centerpieces).
- Music, lights, mechitzos, dancing gear—all lent for free or symbolic donation⁷.
4. Medical Equipment Gemachim
- Wheelchairs, crutches, hospital beds, oxygen tanks, nebulizers, orthopedic boots.
- Yad Sarah operates the largest, but thousands of small local gemachim fill in gaps⁸.
- Some specialize in rare or pediatric equipment that hospitals don’t provide.
5. Appliance & Household Gemachim
- Power tools, space heaters, fans, Shabbos hot plates, urns, ovens for Pesach.
- Essential for families who can’t afford replacements or need something short-term.
- Helps large families cope with breakdowns, Yom Tov prep, or winter emergencies.
6. Food & Pantry Gemachim
- Distribution of dry goods, produce, frozen meals, bakery surplus.
- Emergency groceries for families in crisis, often anonymous.
- Some operate discreetly with volunteer delivery systems⁹.
7. Medicine Gemachim
- Refrigerators stocked with over-the-counter and prescription medications (within halacha).
- Prevents waste of unused medicine; helps those who can't afford refills.
- Supervised by pharmacists or knowledgeable askanim¹⁰.
8. Clothing Gemachim
- Seasonal swaps, school uniforms, shoes, winter coats.
- Particularly important before school year or Yom Tov seasons.
9. Educational Supplies Gemachim
- Sefarim, schoolbooks, report folders, project materials.
- Parents can borrow or take what they need without shame.
10. Emergency Gemachim
- Burn creams, bed bug fumigation kits, cooling fans during heat waves.
- One neighborhood Gemach in Bnei Brak distributes emergency air conditioners during summer blackouts¹¹.
Charedi Chesed, Halachically and Honorably
Gemachim are not just acts of kindness—they are governed by halachah:
- Free-loan gemachim follow strict guidelines of **avoiding ribbis (interest)**¹².
- Borrowers are treated with dignity and privacy.
- Many gemachim operate with a beis din or rav overseeing disputes and halachic questions¹³.
Chazal teach:
“Ten measures of chessed descended to the world, nine were taken by the Jewish People.” (Midrash Tehillim 52)
The Economic and Social Impact
The Gemach system has staggering implications:
- Saves Israeli families from financial collapse after emergencies or simchas.
- Reduces medical costs and hospital equipment bottlenecks.
- Keeps dignity intact—families can borrow instead of begging.
- Strengthens community bonds—Gemachim are local, personal, and deeply trusted.
- Decreases environmental waste through reuse and redistribution¹⁴.
- Lowers government burden—no taxpayer cost, no bureaucracy.
In fact, according to a 2022 study by the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, the cumulative value of goods and services distributed through Gemachim likely exceeds 2 billion shekels annually, with no state funding¹⁵.
Final Thought: Klal Yisrael’s Hidden Safety Net
In the Charedi world, no one is left behind—not because there’s a minister of welfare, but because there’s a mother with a key to the stroller Gemach, a bochur who delivers diapers to struggling families, and a yeshiva guy who lends his entire paycheck to a stranger before Pesach.
Gemachim are not just a charity system. They are the heartbeat of a community that lives “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh.”
This is Torah in action. And the world has never seen anything quite like it.
Sources & Footnotes
- Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, 2022; Taub Center report on Charedi society, 2023.
- “Gemachim in Every Basement,” Mishpacha Magazine, Nov. 2022.
- Vaad HaRabbanim annual donor reports; Kupat Ha’ir operational summaries, 2023–2024.
- www.kupat.org – Kupat Ha’ir annual financial summaries, 2023.
- www.vaadharabbanim.com – Emergency campaign breakdowns.
- B’Sheva Weekly, March 2023: "The Mother With the Key."
- Internal reports from Gemachim Bnei Brak, 2023.
- Yad Sarah Annual Report 2023.
- Interview with Vaad HaGemachim coordinator, Kikar HaShabbat, May 2023.
- Chesed V’Emunah Foundation, internal medicine gemach reports.
- Forum for Social Resilience Presentation, 2022.
- Rambam, Hilchos Malveh V’Loveh 1:1–3; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 160:1.
- Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igros Moshe, YD Vol. 2 Siman 62; Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Minchas Shlomo.
- Charedi Green Initiative Bulletin, 2023.
- Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, “The Value of Informal Chesed Structures,” 2022.