My brothers give to everyone. How could they humiliate me, their own sister, with this pittance?

Talia: You give everyone so much — except your sister.

Shlomo: They wouldn’t look at our children – and you’re asking us to support them?

Talia

First there was an email, telling us to stay tuned, something big is on the way, and we need YOU to be a part of it!

Then there was a personal phone call from the school’s administrator, asking if we could take on a fundraising page for their campaign, “Whatever you can do, whatever you can give, really, every parent who signs up gives us more visibility, it’s so, so important that the school can continue doing its avodas hakodesh….”

How could I say no, right?

And then the next email: Dear Parents, We are excited to inform you that our annual fundraising campaign will be going live…

My eyes skipped the boring parts — baruch Hashem, school growth, building expansion, money... yada yada.

Ah — here it was, the fundraising pages. Please find attached your individual link to a crowdfunding page in your name…. We have set a standard goal of $1,500 for each page, but please reach out if you would like to set a higher goal. It would be deeply appreciated.

A $1,500 standard. Ha.

I closed the email. I hated this time of year and this kind of thing — the whole crowdfunding, ambassador, pages hype. Posting on my status, asking friends and family for money — again — for a cause they barely knew, the whole social you-give-me-so-I-give-you thing. And $1,500? We’d give a little, I could ask a few friends and acquaintances but, like, the $18 donation variety.

At least I had brothers to ask. Shlomo and Efi had gone into business together years ago, and were doing well, really well. I’d never asked them for money before, but I knew they gave generously to so many causes, their names were all over plaques and dinners and campaigns — if not as the matchers, then on various friends’ and families’ pages.

Hopefully, they’d help me get well along to my goal.