Soon after Sheldon Ritz made aliyah from South Africa, he began working at the Jerusalem Hilton before it became the David Citadel. Then he transferred to the King David Hotel, where he worked for many years, dealing with the diplomatic community and seeing to the needs of visiting heads of state, dignitaries, and celebrities.
After that, he became general manager of the Vert Hotel, which had previously been the Crowne Plaza, and before that, the first Hilton hotel in Jerusalem, as well as the first hotel in that part of the city. Next came the Theatron Hotel, opposite the Jerusalem Theatre, the first venture into the hotel industry by the Hassid Brothers, who specialize in luxury residential complexes. They wooed Ritz away from the Vert to oversee the establishment of the Theatron and to take on the role of general manager responsible for both the hotel and the adjacent residential building, whose occupants benefit from the services of the hotel.
When Ritz was at the Vert, some of the regular clientele who had long patronized the King David followed him, and continued to do so when he went to the Theatron, where after several months he stopped managing the hotel and continued to manage the residential complex while still spending time at the hotel every day.
Now, after 33 years in the hotel industry, Ritz has started out on a new path. He has been appointed to oversee all the Israel staff of Australian billionaire Sir Frank Lowy. A Holocaust survivor, who fought in Israel’s War of Independence, the Czech-born Lowy later went to Australia, where he made his fortune. He visited Israel many times over the years, and returned in 2018 to live permanently in Tel Aviv, where he has business interests and also chairs the National Institute for Security Studies. He also donates substantially to causes throughout the country, including Jerusalem, where the National Library is among the recipients of his largesse.
Recognizing genuine causes in a crowded fundraising landscape
Despite the high cost-of-living increase with news bulletins referring to what people have to now do without, such as family vacations, social welfare and educational organizations continue like Oliver Twist to ask for more. There were huge fund-raising campaigns in December, with umpteen organizations sending out messages on different social media platforms telling recipients that this was their last chance to give in 2025.
Now, in January 2026, the messages are repeating themselves with a slight twist: that recipients are being told that giving is a good way to start the new year. Yes, it is if you can afford it, and if there is truth to certain hard-luck stories such as 14 orphans left without one or both parents, or a poor bride whose wedding is tomorrow.
If a family is poverty-stricken, why do the parents keep on bringing more children into the world? Birth control is permissible in Jewish law, once the family includes a boy and a girl. As for a bride, crowd funding for a dowry, and even a wedding reception, is an old Jewish tradition, but receiving identically worded notices purportedly on the day of or the day before the wedding raises suspicions as to where donations would really be going.
Of course, there are many causes that are genuine, above board, and visible for anyone to see.
For instance, there is Alyn Hospital, which is a pediatric and youth comprehensive rehabilitation hospital, whose donors include leading companies such as the Ashtrom Residential Group, Altshuler Shaham Investments, Harel Insurance, the Tidhar Group, the Dan Hotel chain, and Migdal Insurance.
Chanie Canterman’s tireless efforts to support displaced families
There's also the Friendship Circle run on behalf of children with disabilities by Chanie and Rabbi Eliahu Canterman, the directors of Chabad of Talbiyeh Mamilla, who toward the end of December announced that they had reached the halfway mark of their goal in their fund-raising campaign to help in social and physical rebuilding after more than two years of war and so many bereavements.
This week, they announced that thanks to generous donors who had agreed to match all donations – and have indicated their willingness to keep doing so with regard to donations that come in after the conclusion of the campaign – the goal had been realized. In making the announcements , the Cantermans thanked all donors “for trusting us, believing in our work, and for helping us rebuild together.”
Chanie Canterman is a bundle of energy, who has organized numerous Loaves of Love challah bakes for women who for security reasons were displaced from their homes; concerts; study circles; an emergency supply store which gave away good quality clothing, food supplies and toiletries to families who had been displaced; and, of course, social activities for children with disabilities to enable them to mix and integrate with their peer generation of mainstream volunteers who play games with them.
Both the municipality and the President’s Office are calling for nominations for awards to be made to exceptional people. Chanie Canterman is deserving of awards from both entities. In addition to the above mentioned, she also has a large number of guests at her Shabbat table – and to add to her other qualities, she’s a fantastic cook.
Shai Doron’s vision lives on at the Jerusalem zoo
In ethics of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot), we are told “It is not your duty to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it” (2:16). Anyone looking to see where this is applied should go to the Biblical Zoo and see the exciting new playground and adventure park named in memory of Shai Doron, the dynamic president of the Jerusalem Foundation, who died while on a fund-raising mission to London in July 2024. He was a disciple of the iconic Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek, who appointed him as director of the Biblical Zoo, a position that he held for 25 years.
It stands to reason that Doron retained a special fondness for the zoo and was always thinking up ways to make it even more attractive than it is already. He had long dreamt of creating something really special for children who visit the zoo but was unable to see this project to its fruition. It was left to his successor, Arik Grebelsky. It is not the only project which the Jerusalem Foundation has named in Doron’s memory. There is also the Shai Doron Leadership Fellowship, honoring his belief in developing and supporting future leaders.
greerfc@gmail.com