The Charity that doesn't embarrass its recipients

Welcome to the Kappy and Frank show a jump. It's Shushan Perm early morning. We were back out of the parties in the studio early. Today we have the extremely big privilege of having Rabbi Benji Stock, one of the most popular, most popular people in the entire Kabad and the Jewish community, executive director of Karen Sim Shabas. It's a big privilege and honor to have you in the studio. Is it Karen or [laughter] >> are you plugged? >> We drank a little yesterday. Rad might say per. We're coming straight from the Benji's looking great. Rav Stock is looking great. He's um big radiant smile. It's so exciting to have you in the studio. Welcome. >> Good morning. Good morning. Happy to be here. >> There's so much about you, your father, your legendary father. Tell me a little bit about your upbringing. >> We lived in East New York for many years. My father had there a drug store. Then he sold it. We didn't leave East New York until we knew that there are no Jews left in East New York and we moved to Crown Heights and we >> I was maybe 9 years old. I I'm not going in year as a member. >> 60s7s. In the 60s60s >> in the 60s we moved to Crown Heights and that's where we are. Grew up in Crown Heights. Lived on President Street in Rochester Crown is connecting then on Montgomery Street where we live now. Your father was very very legendary. He was loud. He was funny. He was charismatic. He was the guy that the Fabangans that would pass around the box and everybody would throw money in to support poor people. How did your father go from dry goods to starting one of the largest nonforprofits that supports thousands of poor families? >> Well, it start my father from dry goods store actually went to work by my uncle as in plastic manufacturing. The Reb told him that he should find the job by your brother-in-law. So my father went to work there Mandel Shamto. So my father worked there in Tshin. Uh the Reb spoke on Rashana. Why is there no Mim like for tes and only for PES? So actually I told it to my father. My father asked me what the Reb spoke about and from that weekend we started to give out food packages from our porch. I was a Baka then and I started to give out food packages. I think the first week was that were four or five food packages. Then we gave out for yam kipa and then we gave out for sukis and then the reb told us why don't we give out every week and continue. So we did and from that it became a small little organization where our budget for the week was $500 $600 and there was somebody who used to bring us almost all the money every week not even knowing that was our budget. So we were big because our budget was just covered almost automatically. >> So you currently su deliver food package every week. >> We do now a little different because since our community Crown Heights where that's our main focus there are different kinds of people like we would deliver food. So let's say we give some guy white rice then next week we got like returns. No, we only eat black rice or we eat only this kind of chicken, not that kind of chicken. >> Some beggars can't be choosers. No, >> there's no such thing. But they would give us returns. So, and then it was very embarrassing because everybody knows each other in Crown Heights. It was much smaller. So we give out fuel food coupons and the people could go to the store and give it to the manager, give it to the to the cashier and they have money. Some of them use as a credit and they have money to buy whatever they need. >> And what year did it convert from delivering the packages to digital? I mean digital or gift cards, whatever you want to call it. >> It's it's coupons we mail. >> What year did you convert that? >> I think that was 10 years later. 10 years later. So in the like the 80s >> in the in the 80s and then certain things changed also of course a lot of the families we dealt with need a different kind of help besides only food >> like >> mental health bzitzvas weddings we used to make weddings in cranites before divor Benjamin came into the picture we made a lot a lot of weddings in crown nights the Iranians who came to cranites we used my father used to collect money and we made their weddings and all different kinds of emergencies we deal with today. It's much bigger today. It's a whole different kind of organization today. >> So 1978 you guys started Karen Shabas. I was thinking I keep getting confused better. >> Now you sound like me. >> So [laughter] I'm so yeah. So it's interesting that the sim makes sense because he said that in the beginning you guys were like focused on helping people in every way possible literally making people's weddings. So and then Shabas and Yam as well. >> There's also a when people want to eat a house and I'm talking about people literally you could walk into a house that they didn't have food period. >> No food. >> What's your weekly what you say your weekly budget is this these days? We give out you send that every week or every month? >> We send that every week. every week. Coupon in the mail or >> coupon only in the mail. >> Only in the mail. >> And we have also people call us or email us and they say they have an emergency this week or some people get every other week. If it's a smaller family, different kinds of emergencies or crisises. So they come to my house once a week and they could pick it up. >> Which is >> a week, a month, a year a week. >> I would say between$8 and $10,000. I know. I live in an apartment and one week we got this thing in the mail. It said Karen >> and it was addressed to the old tenant and in it I opened it up. I was just I guess >> you might open you might be opening people's mail. >> Yeah. I thought it was a fundraiser. So I thought whatever. I opened it up. You know you see old people you see you know the organization. And I opened it up, there was a stash of coupons of for this old tenant in my place. Like, whoa, they actually, you know, as a uh nonfor-profit skeptic, sometimes you wonder what these organizations actually do. And one day I opened up [laughter] the thing. I thought it's a fundraiser, but it was a stash of these coupons, which makes a lot more respectful. You walk in instead of uh I know from a fundraising perspective, people like the rich people like delivering the packages to the doors. I'm sure it helps. >> They make a fundraiser out of packing boxes. >> Yeah. Yeah, but so I do I I guess I feel bad for you in a way that you can't have the rich people driving around their Escalades delivering packages. Hopefully it doesn't affect your fundraising because it's done in a respectful way, but you know, it's for the end user for sure a lot more respectful get in the mail these you know coupons. >> That's only one part. Once a month I go to certain stores and to stores and not c to any stores that people have accounts, they don't even know that I'm putting money into their accounts. Wow. >> Mysteriously, they have a credit. And I'm not talking about a couple of hundred dollars. There are people who have seven, eight kids who I know don't have enough money, and I put money directly into that grocery account. >> And when the economy is down, do you see more requests? And how does that how does that work? >> I see more, but right now I'm seeing a problem of the middle people. Everything is so expensive. You go to the store and someone who's making 80 $100,000 and has three four kids need help sometimes. >> How many families get help every week right now in K >> for every week is close to over a hundred and for Yantiff for now for PES I'm expecting close to 600 applications by the way everybody who we give money to has to fill out an application and they're checked. I have this mishagas that people give me money because they trust me and if they trust me I got to make sure that it's not being wasted and I could tell you out of tish 540 applications I would tell you three or four did not receive money because either I called their references and they there was no references or I had one u an application for family in the same building, the same address, the same apartment with three different names. >> What percent of the people you help don't have jobs or don't have income at all? >> I would don't have income at all. I would say like 30% don't have jobs. I would also say for 30 40%. But I try to help them get jobs. >> The people that fill out an application, they already came to terms that they're having trouble financially. And even though you're very secretive and people trust you, they already know that they're they need it. So they come to you and they and that's a good thing that they're able to come and get help and able to feed their family in about way. I also wanted to commend you that the Rambam talks a lot about in stuck a lot about giving stuck is all about sensitivity. It's not only about giving money, it's about how it's done with sensitivity and the fact that you're giving the coupons is amazing. Like Mishi was speaking about, I love that idea. I'm so happy that you guys do that. It's just very classy. They come to the register. People have food stamps and cards. They give a coupon. It looks like a gift certificate. And they get to choose the food that them and their families like because if you give them a pa and they don't like pa and they wanted schnitle. It's just genius. I love that. That was your idea to change it. >> That was my That happened to be my idea. And I used one I once got flack. Somebody saw somebody buying takeout food and and even I got news the using my cub and buying takeout food [laughter] and I was told how do you know maybe the mother was not well and she couldn't cook. What do you And guess what? You have to give and you have to look. You can't look. People have a hard time. You don't know what's going on in people's houses. Sometimes you see people, they look great and everything is hunky dory. You don't know what the wife is going through. You don't know what the husband's going through. You don't know what their kids going through. If they have issue with kids and it's and it's real. This is not fake stuff. >> Do you do this full-time? >> Right now, I do it full-time. the last year and a half I'm doing it full-time. I could tell you I could get there was one day cuz even I'm surprised because it's new to me all this that people have a number and they call me that I wrote down everybody who called me on their cases. I had 16 calls of 16 different crisises in Crown Heights that day. It could be with a 91 year old woman who needs help and it was and I was dealing with a 19year-old boy when I had a crisis and people not everything is money. Some people are doctors, some people need reference of a uh I get calls about references, different therapists, different kinds of stuff, all different kinds of stuff. I want to just mention based on the 25 people that came on the show and a lot of people in the world of financials, people think that doctors have money. A doctor goes to school for 10 years, 12 years, residency, they work 90our weeks getting paid like 50 grand. There's no money. They have major debt. A doctors in our circles, you know, they're paying 50% taxes and they want to buy a house for $3 million today in Gran Heights and then all the yeshivas in all the camps want full tuition. Don't answer me, but I have a feeling that a lot of the people that have fancy titles before and after their names are struggling and really need help from. >> I'm happy to see you got it right. Actually, finally, there are certain people who have titles and have degrees and I even have people who used to give out a lot of money that I help today and I help them in the way that they have to get help. You can't give somebody who used to give thousands of not to my organization even and I was angry at them then because they never gave my organization but I helped them and a big way the way it says you should help a rich person. One of the most famous stories about Pesak is that a guy came I think to the Hud or theam Cipher. I'm I'm in the comments. You could all correct me whoever it was. I think it was one of those two. And he came to the RV with a shy before Pes a few days before Pes. He wants to know if if if he could do arbosis on milk. Now maybe the guy was on a he had a heart medication, you know, you know, asking couldn't drink wine. But he asked if he could make arbosis on on milk. And the RAV has to have a fifth which is common sense. And he sent his masharas with a crazy amount of money to give to the guy. So the guy said, "Rabbi, I understand the guy doesn't have money for wine. So uh you know, give him 25, you know, coins, whatever." So he said, "If the guy doesn't have if the guy's making arboris on milk, he doesn't have meat either. He's not eating trade." >> I heard that story quite a few times, which it's true. It's true. I'm going to give out matzah. Now people come to because matzah I now what I do I gave up mats in the house now I have certain coupons someone gave me money to give out he wanted me to get in a certain store he gave out coupons and the people go to the store and get matzah >> matzah is a fortune of money you're talking about someone with eight kids need matzi and how many pounds of matzi you need >> 15 20 >> 15 20 pounds >> each pound could be $20 I don't know >> has about that's not regular matzah they actually This person only wants me to give out crown nights matzah because he says that that's what he eats. He doesn't want to do anything different. He wants to do the same thing what he does for himself and we give out and and that's could be $ 35 $40 a pound. It's very expensive giving stucker to somebody. You can't say oh you're in stuck now I'm going to give you the worst heir and the and then the most lowest quality. You have to give it to Rambam says like so you're giving it properly. The guy used to eat Crown Heights you know labavicha the best mata and you're giving him the best. >> Is it the best? It's, by the way, I love the taste. >> It's the It's a little thick. It tastes good. I like it. >> It's a little thick, but it has the best taste. >> Best taste. >> The best taste. >> I personally like the Ukraine one because it's easier to eat. >> I'm a tenn I'm not being paid to say. I'm a tenon bomb matzah guy. It's crunchy and it has a great taste. >> I'm a cough guy. >> Oh, that used to be cough. [laughter] >> And I want to tell you a very interesting thing on that subject. When we gave out uh food packages, there was a guy in the Brooklyn mug called Tabasco. He was known to have the best fruits and vegetables. The best fruits and vegetable. That's where I used to buy when we had a big crowd. My father would go there and he would buy for the house. And I knew him. I used to order by him. He used to come to my house on Thursdays, deliver it the I'm a very very close friend with Aaron Raskin. And he said to me, "Benji, I don't understand why you buying bite to the basket was the most expensive guy in the market." You know, he want they wanted the business. But but why are you buying by the most expensive guy? I said because if I eat it, that's what the people going to eat. And that was something that I do here. >> Got you. Do you have any interesting rags to richer stories? You have any uh families you helped and now help the organization? >> There are a few. >> Can tell us interesting. >> Oh, you can't say the name. No, I'm not. You're never going to hear a name. I have families that the children know that I helped them. I have opposite too that there's families that I helped and that the most richest people in Crown Heights today at least they they put on that show that I help them weekly with thousands of dollars, excuse me, yearly with thousand dollars. They make believe they don't know me. and our families and and who was big on this are the Baltas that they know that they got help and they help us a lot. >> Do Baltuas usually need more help? Is that >> No. No. >> I'm I'm just >> No, it's a question that everybody always asked me. >> I have someone who gives me a lot of money. He and he's this oldtime lab to Russian from Renoir >> Ga >> Ga real ga and he asked me when I tell him, "Oh, I'm busy with an emergency." I go I go, "What do you mean none of that? What says no you know a balt or a regular?" I go, "No, it happens to be a regular person. There's no such thing as it's all around." >> What do you think about What do you think about the class warfare alismad? What's your opinion about it? >> I don't know if we have that today. >> You're saying just this one guy. >> I was told today the currency that everybody wants is cash. They don't care if aluv gay or guillotus your last name is John Paul whoever has the cash is king and you see it with aim they're after the money >> today you don't when when I was a baka it was it was very hard someone should do with a family you don't see that today everybody mixed very well and a lot of bas are brought up in houses where they're normal so so no one looks at it that oh it's a ba you wouldn't even know it's a ba and maybe some of the people who should be who are not broo should become balas. You have a lot of some of the greatest families in crown knights are balas. You you mentioned there something I I wanted to mention the reverman said on a story shabas he said he went to two simas in the last few years struggling poor family and heshi scoop was the designer caterer for the event and he asked the person that was sponsoring it you know the family that was close to this family he says you had to use the most expensive person you have to use a scoops and the lady told him the one that was sponsoring it said that I give for families exactly like I do for my own children. I messaged Heshi on Friday, is the story true? Obviously, I wasn't going to put him in the thing and ask him who the families were. He said, Izzy, the story is 100% true. So, I love that the organizations and the people that are doing are doing it in such a classy amazing way. >> Brings als [laughter] you have to stick. >> Yeah. So positive. Misha brings them. >> He's very good to them. He's very good to them. Not >> and guess what? You could ask them to take a family and they take it in. The same thing with with uh FH. That's where you go. >> That's where I go. >> I had certain families that went there a few times and they gave me a very good deal. And there are certain families that I send away and some people say, "Well, they need to go. They can't cook. They don't know what to do." Sometime there the mother was sick, had a breakdown or god forbid postpone them or the father had issues and and these and these two places I know happened to help me because I dealt with them. >> Happens to be that FFH you get the most for your money because they're very well priced and you're getting fivestar everything. As a matter of fact, there's been an influx in calls the last few days about FFH because the the war init people don't know if they're able to go anymore >> in Mexico also >> and you know they're not raising the prices because people need to come as an emergency. That's a >> What about the Mexico wars? >> The Mexico. Oh, >> all those pes still going on. The cartels are still burning the place down. >> Just know that people are >> are chickening out. >> Are staying local in America. >> There are a lot a lot of good people and they give money. I'm really uh I told one of my kids today because yesterday was a day collecting money that I'm proud that people trust me that that I give out the money to good places and I and I thank the people a lot for h for trusting me and for giving and caring. >> Benji, what's the hardest part of running a nonforprofit? >> You ask me today, which yesterday was one of my hardest days of the year. people coming into my house that I know for many years with a lot of issues and they come there and I look at them and I and I just cry. I had a lady yesterday that I know everything about her since she's a child. I helped her family many years and I know everything what's going on with her today and I just look at her and it just makes me crazy. what's going to be the end with all these people who need help. >> So seeing the people sus is the hardest part >> is seeing the hardest thing and I and I wonder sometimes myself how do I live through it? I don't know maybe get immune. I once asked Dr. Rosen when you see a person do you see them or you see the hemorrhoids? I was much younger when I asked the question and he understood what I meant. He said he got out of it. I'm telling you, you see the you see the issues. I had people come to the house to give me a bra to ask for brah with for children. People have come with bias problems came to the house that I'm dealing with all different kinds of issues and I know >> maybe have some shalom bias tips while while we're on it. Give us a few tips. >> Yeah. Let your wife move. You live you'll do great. [laughter] Talking about chaas, people say that your father shalom was legendary legendary about chaas. He used to call people that he knew had chaas problems and he would tell them to buy their wife jewelry or what they should do differently. How did your father become such an integral figure in the world of you're saying he worked as a regular guy? How did he turn his whole life around? So what was it that turned his life around to become a man of >> so I want to tell you an interesting thing about my father and that's about yesterday I asked you what we're going to talk about and I really didn't have no idea you didn't write me too many questions you too many answers like you want this be but I want to tell you something what was in my head right away when I was sitting shiver for my father a friend brought me a newspaper from an organization in East New New York. My father was 25 years old to community newspaper. What they used to give out a good >> East York is like Lynon Boulevard. >> Lynon Boulevard. We lived on Bradford Street. My I joke around my kid 743 Batwood Street CL70134. I remember the phone number. And in that newspaper it says that there's a man who has a store on Blake Avenue. Even though he's a laber, he this what they're right and this was not then labavich wasn't today. My father was 25 26 years old. He wasn't married yet. The rebel was reb for three years. I'm not good in I don't I think it was tough. That's what it says there. and I uh and my father and they said even though he's a laber and he's going and this was in a in a Jewish community and he's going to speak to you about Kashis Muza Paris Amisha and and how you should live how you should live to be married you could go to his dry good store as a oral because those the dry good stores then sold everything and he'll will give you a good discount and and help you. My father when he was very my father had a reputation of being very wild. He said things in the street. I mean you know I made >> sure quoted your father >> I yeah >> on the most popular most popular no second most popular show. >> I may believe I didn't hear him. He said certain things to people and people could never figure him out. But you cannot imagine what kind of person he was to help people and for sha he was a shot and made hard. It's not you know he saw a a couple he saw you know a father sending a resume today and the girl's mother sent today. Oh let's see if they could fit and there's no my father knew everybody at the he knew everybody. He had an index box. It's a famous index box without any ABC. So they asked him, "Why don't you have ABC on your index box?" He said, "Because this way I have to go through every card so I don't forget anybody." >> Can you give us some of his tips, Sha tips? I'm going go back to that question before I got really interrupted. Give us some of his like classic tips for Sha Vice. >> I don't know. First of all, you know there's a the journal put out of the journal. journal has a a a booklet that my father that he wrote in the in the Nache journal >> he used to write >> like his mother >> I used to kill I you didn't like his he the way he wrote because he wrote a lot but I everything my father wrote was really the truth >> in community subjects and different kinds of stuff he he really wrote was the truth he had a way with words he had a very interesting way with words but like I give it >> he's a little edgy What is a what is a husband's job? What's a husband's job? I remember my father saying, "Get up in the morning, go to sh." My father went to sh every day. Every day. And I'm talking when I was young. He came home. He helped in the house and then went to work. And my father used to tell the the couples, Danny was there with a salesman when he when he really got into this. You got to go in the morning, go to shul. If you're lucky, could come home and help your wife send the kids to school. It's not her job. She doesn't work for you. She doesn't work for your kids. It's both your jobs. Then you go to work. That's part of Sha Bay is going to work bringing home money for the family. Then you come home at night and you help and you help with homework. You help putting the kids to sleep. Then you want to learn all that. It's all great. But not on the of your wife. Of your wife. You have to have you know a wife doesn't touch a garbage bag. My mother, I never saw a tick out a garbage vehicle in my life. We got older, the kids have to do it. My father did I remember my father washing the floor in the house. My We were very poor. My father's store in East New York didn't make money. >> He's giving out discounts to everyone. So, >> yeah. But then those days, the neighborhood took a big turn and there were no Jews left. Neighborhood had a store there. I mean, I'm talking about using using powdered milk when it said four cups for the box. We had eight in a glass bottle in a jar growing up. >> And there was no to help, >> right? And and and we had a very very hard life growing up financially. I had an uncle in the meat business. So meat wasn't wasn't an issue. We had meat. I didn't look the way I looked because of drinking milk in the bottle. We used to buy orange juice, far frozen little things of orange juice, put in the thing, >> concentrate, >> concentrate and mix it up and put in sweet and low so it had a taste and we had orange juice. But my father didn't let my mother be the slave of the house. We all helped. And my father had weird jokes. My mother once bought a vase. I thought my father's going to throw the vase the vase out. She bought one. She decided she got a cheap deal. Um, my sisters are going to kill me. Peacocks. My father went berserk. Who needed peacocks? You know these metal things, you know, to hang on the wall like a picture. But my mother liked it. He made fun. My mother liked it. He appreciated it and he appreciated my mother. And that's what same thing he he wanted with show and bias a lot of and for the kids and show bias a lot of four-letter word which people it's not a dirty word l o v e >> a lot of love >> my father loved us we know he loves us with all his craziness and the love what he had for my mother a matter of fact I don't know if you know my father's last words was what he I'm not going to say it exactly the way he said it because you'll have to >> edit bleep >> bleep me out. My father asked that my father was by my mother in the hospital in my manes. They checked him out. Everything was fine. They sent they walked him to the door cuz they all knew me there and they said go to Dr. Ros and get a blood test cuz he wasn't a patient in the hospital. My mother was then sick and my mother my father was by Dr. Rosen that from the hospital they drove him Dr. Rosen. He walked in joking and kidding around and he told Dr. Rosen, "What do you think of the load of garbage that he sold us in salon carrying about Martha which was my mother's name?" The next thing my father collapsed on the floor and they had to do CPR and he died three days later on perm. >> She had all day yesterday. We had Yeah. My father we me and my sisters my sister from California we went to aisle and actually as we walked we I as well and I know my sisters told me later that whatever has to be with my father he shouldn't suffer and he should have his dignity dignity as soon as we walked out my father passed away my my nephew called me up with my son and they weren't they were planning to have test the next week and he just passed away >> wow >> and my father once said he doesn't want to die on perm cuz no one comes to the front row cuz I have an aunt who died and who come to front and and he had >> and he had right and he had actually a very big front row cuz everybody knew him in the community. So he worked on chalice like it was his thing and he told this one you have to give here you have to give there and rabbi in those days would even send people to the to my father because they were religious but some would come with this kind of >> just in case somebody doesn't know Rabbi Rabkin was the senior ro in crown heights for many years >> the labav from for many years and he would send people to my father because this the lady wanted to use spices on yand or kids didn't or kids, you know, became more religious. So my father had to straighten them out. I had actually a fight with my father. He once put liver on a matzah and he grew up eating regular matzah, you know, not >> g, but you know, not so >> he grew up kaban your father. No, >> till they threw him out of every yeshiva and he bec they it's a true thing. And then he went to about Yeshiva as a kid. >> Wow. So that's how it >> No, but his brother was a his brother was was also inas and became he put the liver on the mat just to end. >> He put a liver on the mat and I said, "I'm not going home anymore cuz I learned I learned Rabbi Dr. came to me in 770." And he says, "I hear you're not going home." in in the dishes. >> Wow. >> I hear you're not going home. So he says, "Uh, yeah. My father put the mouth on the thing. >> He's not careful." And he said to me, "You don't shouldn't put live on the matzah. Stop worrying what your father does." [snorts] >> This is how old were you when this happened? >> Maybe 17 18 years old. >> So you were bakar. >> I was a bak was where I learned we baked our own matzah. We go to the matzah baker. We bake our own matzah. And he went and put I thought it was like >> and he told me don't worry what your father does. >> You there's legendary stories the whole world talks about it. How when your father was a Bakar and yeshiva and maybe in 770 at the years we're talking about in the 1950s or maybe in the 1940s no in the 1940s. No, in the 1940s before the Reb was the Reb, he was called the the Ramsh. He was there by his name. He go by the by the by the letters of his name. >> They say that your the Reb had a very special love for your father and that he used to learn with him. Was it daily, weekly? He used to learn. >> He learned he made a sh with him weekly. the time when my when he knew that my father scheduled to go with his friends to movies [laughter] everything was >> so he used to wear them with him >> yes >> how many people in the world could say the rebb had a with their father I mean this is wild stuff >> and how long did this go >> my father didn't brag about it a lot my father was practical learned we learned my father had was unbelievable for the rebous things when I was a little kid and became before raj He would make me stand outside by the bakery. And I'm talking about when I was before Bitzvah with a pushka for Karana for the Reb's mother and he didn't and he and my father wasn't the learned oh I love is it was push. My father had a relationship with the Reb. He loved him and he appreciated everything about him. It was unbelievable. And he raised us that way. There was no such thing. If I wouldn't come go to first of all never happened since I'm 12 years old. I stood by every for >> So what year did your parents get married? >> They got married. Well, um >> you say he's not good with the years. >> I'm not but in the 1950s. >> It was 19 No, I'll give you that. I know because I know how old I am. I was born seven months late. [laughter] >> 57. >> So they got married 56. >> Yeah. By the way, my mo my father wrote to the Reba about going out with my mother and my my father didn't exactly want to go out with her, but he asked the Reb. And the Reb answered Mazle. >> Mazle about going out with >> going out. >> Mle mazle. >> And they they went out and my mother made my father chocolate pudding and that was it. >> Why didn't he want to go out with her? Do you know why? What? Where? >> She wasn't an orphan. She didn't have no parents. And you know he was wild. He wasn't interested. Actually the shalom dich was my parent he had a he worked in um in a knitting or material or and my mother was the bookkeeper from father >> he was the my mother worked as a bookkeeper and my father he knew my father because they're da are related to the shtovs. He tried he thought it's a good idea. All the big were very angry that my mother got engaged to my father because he was wild. And my grandfather, my mother's father was this big lab and all the Rabbi Simpson, Rabbi Riiffken, Rabbi Jacobson, he's she's going to marry this wild guy and uh and they were very very happy the respect they had for one another and they brought out my mother would stay on the side but give her opinion about Charl and different things. for that ever to write Mazletov on a suggestion of a shik. It's probably the first and last time it ever happened. >> I could tell you about my parents. Wow. >> And it was unbelievable. >> Do you do official fundraisers currently for your organization? >> We have a campaign >> like a like a fun like a goof. >> A go uh uh uh charity whatever >> online fundraiser >> online. >> You're into dinners or not really? We never we had one the year after do a dinner they give out coupons >> once we did a a thing when my father just passed away. We did a uh >> honorary >> an honorary thing but we we never make dinners. Perm is a big day and I want you to know the people know that yont you have to help and yont is not only uh a popup. >> What percent do you have to call versus people just sending it? >> I call people obviously the people who give money I call >> the bigger money. the bigger money, but people send money. We had yesterday over 5,000 people checked our site. My kids tell me all this. I wouldn't even know. And my kids told me on on donations, we had close to,300 donations on our site. >> 1300 people donated. >> 13 checkouts. 1300 checkout. >> Check out that's on my site. That's not talking about that's not talking about people who came person gave checks, people who gave money and and the credit card machines and zel and uh >> cash app >> cash app. There's so many different teams today. I don't even know. >> Benji, give us three tips. If you're a new moist trying to fund raise money, give us some tips for the new people how to fund raise. >> Be honest. be honest and do the work because they c eventually it catches up to you. Eventually people know what you do and you have to be honest and you have to be upfront and your bookkeeping got to be perfect that anybody could walk in and show it to them. I beg certain people in community I don't want to start raim and different people to come upstairs to look what I do. I want them to see my application. I wouldn't show them the applications and I and they could check my bookkeeping. Anybody's open to check. I just something very interesting. I look at the Lak Bimer videos from 50 years ago and this is before everybody had Apple phones and everybody had telecommunications whatever and I see you as a young baker and you're running the entire like bimer parade with this radio the size of this table a big radio. You're walking around and I was watching his video as like a baker like a teenager or whatever. I was watching his video from a parade 50 years ago and I asked who's that before I was like I was a little I was like a 13-year-old they're like this Benji stock and then were telling me you don't understand he ran the whole labavich he ran the camps he ran the you you how did you become everybody trusted you to run ga and the like bamer parades and all the maka how did you get into this >> where did you first prove yourself >> where did you get this and get involved >> where did you first prove yourself >> I was I started out in gro >> Parksville >> in Parksville being the youngest the counselor of the youngest >> of the young Rabbi Galitzki who knew me took me as a counselor and I wasab which we go >> he was the head counselor then and he took me in and I was the I was young I was 14 years old I had kids from O then there was a lot of different kinds of kids and then I >> Oh special needs kids >> special needs kids they used to come to camp I don't know how they swung that deal but I guess that was then and I I think I had 15 16 kids in my bunk and uh that's that was my first job I had then I was a a head waiter in camp ever became a thing you should only have a waiters and the truth is all my friends and besides two boys who were in camp before we were all waiters I was the head waiter and I was the good admin I I and they saw for my administrative tish. >> Then I was pun intended. >> Then I was a division head and then I was a head counselor camp. Then I was back in camp. >> The head counselor of day camp. >> Yeah. For one year with I I think it was Mati. I know for sure. And lay was there then. I think he was the director. I think Mati ber was also there. And then I went from that into running Gro. What's interesting that camp is a real >> um incubator for for talent. You you you know >> 100%. >> You see like they say inim that people don't have careers. They say oh what's the guy what did he do in camp? Was he a counselor? Was he the head counselor? Was he the janitor? Was he the waiter? And that's like the the resume today for the past many years. When I was in yeshiva, so the yeshiva had 70 boys and Rabbi Rosenfeld and Rabbi Tidaban were there. I used to help them. I used someone when I was very young. I was not this big learner and it's not like today you could today it's so big. If someone doesn't learn, it becomes a problematic what to do with them. I learned in class the cook broke a hand. I worked in the kitchen two hours a day. It was a much different. So I was already storing the the government food in the stock room in LA in 1267 when I was >> Buffalo in Eastern Parkway. >> Yeah. When I was 12, 13 years old. I was carrying these number 10 cans. >> Did your father used to diamond in the Rochester? Not Roger, like Rogers Avenue. >> We diamond in Ro. We used to go there every day, me and my father, to hold out a minion. So my father used to die when there was a bakar and he >> show Rabbi Mahalik had a >> I heard about Rabbi >> and they used to dance every morning. Do you remember that? My father used to talk about >> had a good mikvah downstairs. >> A hot mikvah. >> A hot mikvah downstairs. >> My father used to din every morning and Shimshak would do like some dance before after ding. You remember that? >> Yeah. Me and my father my father used to make me go. My father was very big in doing holding out a lot of sh in the community. Matter of fact, we had a shul in our dining room. usually the Simka dance and there's some dance that my father used to come to that minion also to help out. He's also he's into helping these loner minions and he would every morning of the would dance with Jim Shinto in the Rogers Avenue >> show about the loner minion deba wanted that all the schos in crown height they were all falling apart that people should be mazic to shs I listen to podcasts other podcasts competing podcasts and a guy was talking no I'm just saying no I'm saying a lab podcast and he was talking to somebody and the guy was saying >> who ever had Benji start >> nobody this is >> okay I want to make that clear >> a guy was just saying I was listening and he was saying that every wanted that all the scholic that they should all have minyanim and they should all do well and he said that even though his father was a very he wanted that he would only go to certain times in 770 because the very much wanted that we should strengthen the shors so your father used to don Rogers on Rogers every day we would go pick up people in the car and I would go with him we used to go to the rabbi hollik shul then on yontiff I would in two three different jewels >> and because they didn't have kahan the shoes were A matter of fact, I remember going to a shul and I told they had to give me an I was the only Ken and I started to make I go, "What happened?" Akdamus. I go, "What?" >> I I didn't even know what it was. And when you read it, it was like such a shock to me because I was brought up and we don't say abdamas. I didn't even know when. Some people do it before the braha. Some people make a brah and then do it. I didn't have no idea what I was doing. There was a shul on crown and Brooklyn and Brooklyn. I think it was the scalen's house 51's house today. >> I used to diamond there in the basement on Yant. >> My father told me the issue with that minion is that you would up there on a Wednesday night for my he would say Krishma for 45 minutes. It was like [laughter] >> so there was a K minion on Montgomery and Brooklyn >> Zon's basement >> and for many many years my father davened there and my father was known not to be this big daver and matter of fact in 770 I don't think he used to he didn't let me d upstairs because he ded upstairs if I would come upstairs he would scream on me he only want me downstairs cuz I know he was doing a lot upstairs and we had my father ded and he used to slept me there every Hey, I used to d this minion every day. They were on the clock. They had a certain time to daven. But as man, they d for a very long time. I d every single day, every Friday night. Every shabas. >> Benji, I know you look a lot better these days. Could you tell us um >> Scaffia? >> How you what? How many pounds you down? >> Close to 150. >> Whoa. >> Can you tell us some secrets? You said one tip off camera. I want you to say it because I really relate to it about the bag of chips. How you >> first of all I >> but the chocolate the chocolate >> stomach surgery many years ago. Okay. >> You had a what? Yeah. But uh I gained back most >> the sleeve the rubber band. Which one? >> Sleeve is supposed to be good. No. >> Yeah. But yeah, but the doctor warned me. He said there are tricks. >> So I'm very careful. >> Tricks to what? >> Tricks. I would be work around >> to still stay fat. >> Yeah. But I lost weight and I gained most of it back. But anyway, one of the things I do now I watch myself very strictly and no tricks. But for example, the chocolate you have here, the smurling chocolate >> minor, the minors, >> which I like a lot. I like I had today a piece in the morning because I needed the energy. I like the the nut thing. I took a bite, took it out of the wrapper, put it in the garbage can, and spilled something on it. >> Bleach. >> And the same thing my family is going to laugh at me. I um uh they make uh Liers makes gypsy dip dipsy gypsy noodles wise which is really wise. >> I love that because when I was a kid growing up >> the barbecue one >> both it's really wise. >> It's really true. You get a delivery >> yet he blew butters for double the price. It's perfect. >> And I love it. But I made another once that I'm not going to eat potato chips but that's the only thing I cheat on. I wouldn't eat regular potato chips because I I said I'm not going to eat potatoes in 6 months. It's better to go. I'm 14 years cuz I went to my daughter and I stopped in the store to buy a little bag of potatoes. They didn't have that. A big bag and I with with a diet coke. I had it. So I said no more potato chips. And I didn't have a regular potato chips since then. >> You drink diet coke? >> Yeah. >> I'm addicted to that stuff. >> So am I. And they tell me it's not healthy but too bad. But I could take the chips. I take four or five out. I take the whole bag, smash it, throw it into the garbage. >> Wow. >> So instead of portion control, you executing it. >> Yeah. Now you go and I can and I don't need I lost my taste for a lot of different >> You did? >> Yeah. You get old Yeah. You'll see. My father used to tell me I don't like this. I don't like that. And you get used certain things you don't eat. >> So since that's a great uh segue into our sponsors. You spoke about minor. He has it every morning. >> I'm so proud of >> Not every morning. Now, >> but if you're going to cheat, it's on miners. We're so proud of our fantastic, fantastic corporate sponsors. We have with us Schmuring Chocolate who makes the most incredible delicious chocolate. >> Are you ready to do the best thing? He said only when he cheats, it's on. >> Well, you know it. [laughter] >> And the Schmurling and talking about people are conscious now about being healthy and about serving Hashem properly. You don't need to eat Yeah. You don't need to eat the entire huge chocolate bar. So, Schmurling was ahead of its days times because the miners They're delicious. And if you eat just one, you treat yourself here and there once. You >> eat one now. Yeah. People tell me their favorite part of the show is seeing Clappy eat the sponsors. Can we >> eat the sponsors? We eat the sponsors. >> [laughter] >> I'm floating away. >> It's also very colorful. >> What if you take a small piece? >> Creamy. >> Nutty. Melts in your mouth. Benji, you could have a little piece now. >> Yeah. Yeah. I'm I'm looking for a whole one. >> No. Your most of yours is in the garbage already because you're portion control. And >> you're also in neighbors with the CEO. >> Yeah. does food on all here. Zika on the on the left does it again. >> His wine and his chocolate. >> They say that EBBA ate every single day. That's what they say. They even say which one which color and the real Musham say that Eba ate it on Pes as well. So if it's good on his order, >> if it's good enough for the Pes and it's Kos Pes, >> but no one knows that. >> I know. Whatever. That's the rumor. They don't say rumors that they don't say rumors that had dipsy doodles. You know [laughter] a rumor even the rumors you know this is what to believe. Of course >> how about the new hag man >> I want to tell everybody about is this new hag. There's how cool is that? No. But I want to tell you something. There's certain things in life that once it's invented you're like how did the world live without it? I mean you see me go traveling with a horse and buggy to California. You get in a car you go on a plane. how we sat by the seder for hundreds of years with a big hagada. There's no room on the table. You have the kaida, you have the becker, you have the plate for the becker, you have the bowl to pour the and the the tens on him. >> How cool is this >> gorgeous gift box? >> The artwork is new artwork from >> new artwork. All new artwork. >> All new artwork. >> Beautiful gift box. It comes in a gorgeous well-designed gift box. And look at this. The back is gorgeous. It's leather. That's cool. >> Leather cover. >> Leatherrett or leather? >> I don't know. Whatever. I didn't test it in the laboratory. And it takes up they they they measured it. Rabbi Wayne told me it takes up 20 lang the artist. >> No, Wayne. This the guy >> the artist is Ling. >> Yeah. Rabbi Wayne from Kahus. He tells me that they measured it on the standard. It takes up only 25% of the table. It has bur from the but here's the best thing. It tells you every single thing to do with the sedu. No guessing. When to break the matzah, when to spill out the theat, everything clearcut. >> You know the price. We don't know. >> It's it's full MSRP. Full MSRP is $39. >> If you put Clappy and Kahasa's website, you put Clappy CLA PPY 15% off. And then also, if you do bulk orders, the price drops and drops and drops. I think when you buy like 24, the price is in the low $20. >> You stand it. the way the way you stand. I'm going to do a demonstration. He keeps telling me I'm doing it wrong. >> He saw a video I posted on my status. He said I did it wrong. But I think the way to do it properly is >> this colorcoordinated and then this. And you know you're doing it right because >> that makes sense. >> The color matches. >> That makes sense. >> You do it. Yeah. It's a magnet. When you do it the other way, it still stands. He said it's more sturdy when you do it properly. There's instructions in the box. Exactly. >> That's a nice present to give people. >> Gorgeous present. Yeah. Kabad houses. But first of all, Kabad houses need this because it tells the people exactly how to run the entire S. >> That's what the rabbi does. >> Yeah. Well, the rabbi, you know, put on a job >> the promise. It also gives you all the about going out of your uh >> nice blue trim, silver trim, whatever it's called. >> Everything from the nice >> 14 stanzas of should be recited consecutively without interruption. If you wouldn't have it, you wouldn't know. You would make interruptions. No, here you don't make interruptions. You need this. Now, I know you you you sold and the the Hagada artwork. Do you think this artwork one day? >> This this is modern art. This is a more a modern art, but what's very important about this is that it's going to cause shell and bias because you're not going to have wine spilling on the thing. The hagada. I open up a hagada from last year, I see lettuce, I see mutter, I see wine, you see a piece of a chicken bone. This clean clean standing on the table. So when you go to Kahasa's website, I think it's gahhat.org or you go on Google, you'll find it. You put in the checkout clappy cla comes with. >> Oh, the case for sure. The case. We have to talk about the case. Case is gorgeous. By the way, when you give this to a baabus or to a family member, my hands are still still have chocolate on them. I don't want to get it dirty. Comes in a beautiful case. It was well it was well thought out. >> Hus does things right. Let me say >> does something right. Does everything right. They're a classy organ. They have his mic here. Imagine getting this in the mail. A beautiful box. It looks like a $200 item. >> You know that art school was once offered. You hear that thing? >> Art school. >> At one point during their lows was offered to to sell it to Kahus. I heard it. >> And now Kahus became the art of the coolest. Kahus is the coolest bookstore in the world. >> I favor. >> You have to straighten out the back flap. It's going to fall. >> Clip the magnet. Oh, I hear a click. >> Perfect. Moving to CH Butcher. >> CH Butcher. If you live in Crown Heights, CH Butcher, the most beautiful, beautiful restaurant on Troy Avenue. You eat there. You don't have to go to Manhattan. You don't have to waste time on babysitters and parking for $500 or getting tickets. We have how we always manage to get tickets in Manhattan. It's unbelievable. You go out to eat in Manhattan. >> We're filming in a Brooklyn, our first studio ever. >> Yeah. >> Now, you go into grocery stores. Besides the CH Butcher Shop on Troy Avenue, they have a gorgeous deli on Albany Avenue. But now they bring the deli and the butcher and the and the restaurant to your local grocery stores with beautiful frozen freezers full of deli takeout. Just throw it in the oven and you have readym made food. And uh by the way, families that have the uh coupons from the uh from from the and the mother is dealing with a lot of children or a medical thing and you want to get the best of both worlds. You want delicious readymade food but you heat it up, you just take this and the coupons. accept our coupons on Avenue. >> Oh, the butcher shop. >> Every store by the way in Crown Heights. >> Yeah. >> Accepts our >> So, CH Butcher on Avenue takes the Shabasive coupons and you eat their food by the way and you have real simka because a lot of their meats are the American meats. Unlike other products that when they're imported from other countries that taste better, it happens to be that the American Angus beef. I don't I don't have a degree in anything about food. The proof is in the pudding. When I eat steaks and lamb chops from CH Butcher in Albany, you know, it's top top top American fed Angus beef. Is it called Angus? It's the top of the line. >> I just tell you one thing. I'm happy to see you eating lamb chops. [laughter] >> They're like they're like 35 $40. >> I I eat the bones from the lamb chops. [laughter] >> Another important and a lot of people made big at parties. A lot of people had >> those A1 iron trucks buzzing around. one was buzzing yesterday. Tractor train. >> I wasn't sure if they hired them just to drive around for the marketing, but they're actually >> A1 party rentals. When you make a huge event and you need gorgeous table wear, flatear, dinner wear, and a tent. You want to People were hosting PM parties yesterday in huge tents all over Long Island, Bur Park. Even people had in their driveway huge tents to greet their arim to shakman. It's always A1 party. >> They didn't want the drunk people destroying their mansions. >> That's true. Rich people don't want people to come to their house to destroy the house. You just call A1 party rentals. You call them, they'll deliver all the party goods to your house and they do an amazing amazing job. Another corporate sponsor, there's a and you were talking about your father was legendary with there's a that when it comes to you need to buy your wife jewelry. People think like is all about which way you lean by the sedar and which matsis and which that you need to buy your wife jewelry for. Now, when you're buying jewelry, gold is very expensive today, and you want to make sure you're getting the real deal stuff and stuff that has a resale value. Ley Lane of Lane Jewelers on Kingston Avenue has a gorgeous showroom. No pressure. You go in, you get the best service, the best quality. My 14th anniversary was Yazer. I brought my wife in. I got her a beautiful piece of jewelry. She's happy. I'm happy. You have to know the 30 days before Yamiff, you have to start preparing for Yamiff. The Reb used to speak perm. >> Yeah. >> That that you have to start preparing preparing that and everything is 30 days before, >> right? So people should already call Lane Jewelers or stop with their wife on the budget. You tell them how much money you could afford. You don't need to spend $25,000 on a tennis bracelet, a tennis necklace. It's all diamonds and glitzy face. You need to go in. You get to go with your wife and it's showing the appreciation. Even something 200, 300, $400, you work out, you work something nice. And what I what it's really really nice is my friend told me he had an anniversary coming up or was his wife's birthday a few days ago. Told me he's going to send his wife in. What's he going to do? She's going to go pick something. It's $22,000. He's going to what? Remortgage his house. He told me he called him up. He told him his budget between this and this. He came into the store. Ley and his amazing staff had seven, eight, nine pieces. and they said your husband, you know, this is something you could get. And his wife felt like a queen. She was able to choose it. She could bring it home. They make a decision together. It >> was very nice. But between I I don't think that is the greatest story. I I'll explain you why. Uh a wife should know what's going on in the house when she goes to the store, not to buy a $22,000 piece of jewelry if my husband's making $70,000 a year. So when you say that's good for andala, the sends in the kala to the candle labor store and tells them give him a between $15 and $1,800. That sounds good. But when a wife and a husband have to start playing around with uh >> credit cards, you know, only get for this much this much, it's a little it's a little iffy in my mind. A matter of fact, you mentioned about bias. My father used to give c a certain man when he knew different things were going on money to go get go give it to your wife to go buy a dress go get jewelry and that's how the started my father used to give money to go tell your wife to buy a sh's money go get a >> cl you have any tips how to get a clean car for pes >> how to get a clean car >> if you want to get a brand yeah >> if you need a clean car for PES and you want to get the best pricing for cars used brand new financing or leasing they specialize is in leasing is wheels to lease. My friend Saul from wheels to lease. We were just there on Thursday. The place is hustling and bustling. A parking lot full of cars. He knows how to get the pre-approvals. People call them up. They say, "We need a car. You know, our car is up. We don't have a car. My kids going to school now. We need a car to bring her to get carpool." Two, three hours later, there's cars in the driveway. And the amazing thing about wheels is they're giving people now the prices. Pre-COVID. I spoke to one of her salesman, Izzy Herman, tells me now, uh, a Rogue S, an S, an SV. Some of them already have all the the power from the you can turn it on from the winter and the all-wheel drive. You could turn it on, get the heating on before you go the car lift. You don't have to bend down and pick up the boxes. They have beautiful Rogues. 2026, we're 2026 cars. Second half 2026, the cars are like 279 bucks a month. It's like an expensive cell phone bill. suggesting now on the question he as you how you clean a car factory I saw [laughter] >> to clean this car we've it's it's cheaper it's cheaper to just buy get a new lease call wheels to lease >> but now because of inventory levels so high the economyy's down a little bit the best best deals on cars they just need to empty the lots >> so if you're holding off now is the time >> I remember co the prices are so expensive on cars people just kept their leases. They're buying their cars back. Now is the time prices are really, really low. So, you know, in general, when the economy is down, speaking, you know, I'm sure you >> about the economy. You were very gicked. You were very popular. You were running all the meisters. Did you ever was or is it was always was always will be. My question is when you first got married, did you ever think about, hey, let me just go into business and make $5 million a year. How are you not a billionaire and businessman? Actually I had three options where to go to work. People came to me to work. One the first one was lab Shiva. The second one was a fellow by the name of Nati Schlush Olivam >> and it was San Ley. >> He had a very he had a very big jewelry business. My father was a shhatan and we were very close to them and to go work in Brifka. I decided I'm not going to work in the mid. I'm going to go into business with Natush. I'm going to be his partner. He was doing very very well. Also, what he how did I start with the parade? I raised the money. He told me, you raise the money. Whatever you're short, I'll give you. So, what that did to me was it gave me power to work. >> Confidence. >> Confidence to work. And he did it to me at the two I the two parades that I actually raised the money and with my I raised the money my friends ran it with me. We were very wasn't it wasn't a oneman show but I took the responsibility of of the finances which is the main thing. He was my backbone. I'm going to be in business. He was in pearls and jewelry. He showed me when you get from American Express have sales of jewelry and you can buy this and I don't I I don't know. I get so much mail I just drove in the garbage from everybody and I don't want to see it not a credit card. I don't know but they have sales. He showed me this is my jewelry. This and I saw what was going on. >> Wow. >> I'm going to go. I went with him to Chicago to a show. >> A jewelry show. >> When is this? In the early 80s, >> right? If they got Yeah. I forget what the 85 circle. What's going on? 85 86 and I went with him. I remember he had the jewelry shipped with insurance in this and I stood in this fancy hotel with him and I was a guy never went away. I would I wasn't a buck when American I was always here in the reb this I was always put here in Ghana. So I stood in this fant >> and I never saw something like this and in the he ordered for in the morning a orange juice and uh in a glass and I saw was like $40. [laughter] I this is unbelievable and we went up >> I and then this and that and I was all excited. Then I thought about it and it came shabas and I was very privileged since I was 12 years old. I stood right across the rebrain >> and even a couple years when I was a little older there there was a a shrill an opening so I even walk around and actually I was heavily involved in 770 as a very young boy the shaw people don't know but there were certain things that I did in I used to go very early in the morning so I was very much about but I stood right across to rebas I said how could I go into business and stand in front of reba if there's m that are asking me to work. So I decided to go work in Brifka. I worked there for many many years and I actually ended up later for a couple of years in laba but that's how I >> You have any regrets for not going into business? >> No regrets? >> No. I I stood many many years of runba I it's now before which is a very tough day and I was heavily involved in different >> for those that don't know that are watching is when the had a stroke >> he had a stroke actually once and then >> the next year as well >> the next year again >> or two years later >> whatever >> two years later again I was heavily involved in different things then I I really don't think we should get into it because I wouldn't and there's no details I would discuss and it was a of what I did in my life in business I wouldn't be able to do it. I was involved always with my organization simontiff. I was involved with different asas and I used to make all the rallies in 770. >> Benji is someone as whole life. Who would you say is your role model in that space and why? >> There are a few. >> Please name a few. >> One is Rabbi Rosenfro from my Tyra >> Oliver Shalom. >> Why? >> Just the way he worked. He >> he's a cayenne also. >> He's he didn't drive. He used to come with a taxi. He was the He used to shle boxes. He used to fer us. He was the principal of the administrator, the cook and the dishwasher. It was an unbelievable person to to watch. Rabbi He >> JJ >> JJ He who I worked with. He had his different things. But he was an unbelievable respected person. And those are people that I I looked up to in my life. I looked up to Rabto from Philadelphia for many years. I know people are going to wonder how I could say that, but I did. >> What was unique about him is what is unique? >> Well, for many decades, you ran base Rift saying you worked with him on a daily basis. >> That wasn't He came in much later. Oh >> into Bass Rift. >> What was unique about him? >> I think he's a I think that he cared about the Rebest things. You should know I was uh many years in Gus New York that's where I would say got my first uh leadership approvals and one morning I I used to arrange aid this in the morning shabas and he said moshi the way you speak to the kids on the hill over there I don't you know on the side of the bed >> I know >> he's like this is like mosha and harina [laughter] little do you know many years later with my social media I definitely have my Mosha uh um impact with all the millions of views that we get every month between the podcast and my social media. So you had that foresight. >> I didn't know you were in GA even >> many four four years. >> I didn't know >> Yas was if I may say the my biggest backers and >> we're very close friends actually. >> He's just he doesn't look like he's not a very like hotthehead. He's a very straight administrative. English >> English but when he saw my wins Miche he just came all full force supportive he really gave me that confidence that I probably live between my mother and him I live to this very day so that's why I said before camp is a real breeding grounds to see people's different talents and push them >> during your years as a mrifa was their biggest growth that was that was when they moved into 470 left it's probably one of the largest >> that was overnight >> it was like one of the large it is one of the largest girls schools in the world Today there's a couple of thousand students. I mean >> I don't know how many there. Then there was closer to two and a half thousand. We moved overnight. I don't know if you know that. >> I don't know anything. >> What happened was the building was didn't have they were building. We got a temporary co but I was very close to the bus company. Then the city had buses >> caravan. >> Okay. >> Carvan there actually was a guy there by the name of Frank Bishop a guy who I was very close to. I know how to take care of them. And I told him this might happen. And what he did for me was he had he picked up the kids and brought them to Church Avenue. That's when we had the school. We had to move there. And the next day he brought them to Leitz Avenue. We didn't wait for all the paperwork in the city. And it was overnight. We moved the furniture from Church Avenue. We had old furniture there then because it wasn't 100% complete. It was a overnight job. I had people working for me. They moved the stuff from this place to this place. The kids in the morning was a Sunday. Went to Leitz Avenue. They put the they took their books to Le Friday they took their they took the Hebrew books because Friday was Hebrew home. They came to Leitz Avenue with the Hebrew books. They went back to Church Avenue to pick up the English books and that was the end of that. >> What's considered I know there's a I don't know a a people are very critical of non forprofits on their big overheads. Could you please comment on that as someone who's been ask for so long? >> First of all, till recently we didn't have we never had an overhead. Now that we're much busier and there's a lot of legal stuff you need, like my accountant wants, everybody should fill out an application because maybe I I say I gave this guy money. How do we know he's not going to the bank and cashing it and giving you the money and he keeps he keeps 10%. Make a check for guy $1,000. Give him a hundred bucks. He give you none under. It's tax deductible money. >> So what's considered reasonable overhead for an overhead? You have to have over you need to have books. You need to have and every mice in every organization should have 100% good bookkeeping ready to tell somebody you want to come in and see I can't show you private name things you could come in and look at the bookkeeping not a problem it's not an issue >> and you run your meister out of your house >> I moved now to a to an office because I have people come to the house so the was in my actually the office was in my parents bedroom we still use it but I can't bring people through a to a home >> public not public. There's people women come and children come and to go sit with somebody crying to you in and you in my old bedroom when there's still uh it just doesn't look right. So we have an office with two rooms we share with different companies. >> So what would you say would you say a reasonable salary for someone running a mid >> and what's not reasonable? What what would you >> depends on the family and all depends someone has to make if you're not making a living you're taking. So you got a choice and I knew this for years and that was one of the things about Bifa when they hired me I found out what the principles they were going I knew it was normal when actually I went to yeshiva they offered me one thing then when it came the reb answered me 19 weeks later and we went to renegotiate because the rebba said something there and the bottom line is that salary didn't make sense I would have to I would have to I would have to stale I would have to stale and it's not good because I'll give an example Example, I got a call from a company to buy bulbs. We were getting bulbs from Flash on Kingston Avenue and he was paying his tuition. I told him, "Listen," and they offered me, "They'll give me cash, $200, and a television, what you could plug into your car to watch." I get the cash and I get the television. I get the bulbs. It was like three times the price of the bulbs I were paying, the same 8 foot fluorescent bulbs. a guy like I went I put it on I called UPS. I put a label on it. I they charge me $4 for pickup and I send it back. >> But because it's yours but if you don't pay someone who works in the mid what he needs a make to live for his family the mid is not going to be successful. I don't and and I could tell you now another thing my I don't know if today for me personally it's the right time. You can't have people working in a mid and when you decide for good reasons that it's time to let them go. I mean, if someone doesn't work, you have to let them go. Someone's stealing, you have to let them go. You can't decide it's time and just let the person say make a deal with him. It's all good and all fine. Start doing the re. It's It's not fine. >> What should you do? Do you do you so that's what comes back when you pay someone normal and they have that they could be able to put away money like a normal person my lift I happen to live through this and I don't >> I'm not going to get into detail but you can't take a person just say what are you supposed to do at 61 years old become a plumber >> tell me what you >> there has to be sensitivity >> there has to be sensitivity and today when you hire a younger man and works in the mud you got to think if this guy is good and working what's going to be with him when he when he's 60 70 years old. >> What amount of people ahead of MSIS who end up with very big mentions and they seem to be doing very well running a quote unquote nonforprofit? What's your what's your opinion about that? Should people judge them, not judge them? >> You can't judge anybody. You can't judge anybody. Could someone judge me? I my my father worked. He left me over different things. None of that. I was lucky. And I had Rabbi Fogerman told me the first day I came to work. He called me in the office. Schmal Fogman. I don't know if you know him. I knew him very well. He was a very empire. He was a very vulnerable. He said, "Bet you get in here. >> Come here. Get yourself an IRA." I go, "What >> IRA? Who said get yourself an IRA?" What's an IRA? I didn't know what an IRA. He said, "Go to the bank." And I went and I did it. But you have to be able to pay somebody. Don't forget I I was young, so I did it all time. >> You put away money. >> So you can't judge. And then then I want you could have a balabus who says, "I want to help you." I had people when I made my children's wedding, they they want to know if I needed help. I actually, thank God I didn't need I had a big a big nest, I'll be open with you, that I made on a stock in Australia, an investment of $4,000. I found out 15 years later was more than a million dollars. >> Beautiful. So you can't people say, "Oh, I give money to this mister and I see the guy driving fancy cars, flying blah blah first class and now I'm stopping to give money to you don't what your opinion is don't judge. >> It's also you can't you have first you have to know the person and you can't judge." Yeah. I I got I get upgraded. I get upgrade because I start with you. Someone gives me money for uh to pay with gives me extra money. I should pay credit card to get points and I'm sitting in Delta Airlines in first class. Oh, Penry goes first class. Guess what? Last week I went somewhere. I was sitting in the back. >> Spirit. Last week you're in Spirit Airways. >> No, I wouldn't go on Spirit. I'm [laughter] scared. I don't know. I have this thing. My son actually came for your spirity, but I was obviously going to say, "Look, the guy for first class." >> Your donors are mostly Crown Heights. >> Mostly in Crown Heights. and uh people from all over because they uh my people I deal with Crown Heights. So people ask how could you raise money? Crown Heights is not only Crown Heights, I deal with Ukrainian people. Now there's a lot there's more than before Russians, Israelis, people from all over America make peas and they send them to Crown Heights. And unfortunately there's a lot of single moms from all over the place. We're left with the burden. So you can't say only Crown Heights people should give him money because they own the Crown Heights. Crown Heights is a world. >> I have to do a Crown Heights shout out. >> Yeah. >> My sister Salangi Gazant and her and her husband Ellie Friedman just did a story. A few weeks a few months ago actually for Cines because they host 50 to 70 students Shabas. They said sure we have a big house. No problem. They called them Sunday to thank them. She says where are you though? We're stuck in Crown Heights. There's two feet of snow. There's no airports. She had them Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. >> She has a [clears throat] huge commercial kitchen. a huge commercial kitchen. They had students, 50 to 70 students. I wasn't counting, but it was crazy. And they were coming from 5:00 in the afternoon till 10:00 at night, dinner time, 5 to 10 p.m. >> A lot of not only them, >> right? >> Not only them, there were thousands of kids that they the the people in Crown Heights, right? >> Host, the seatines, the college kids, the the the all different kinds of people and the people, right? Tish, thousands of people come to Granites. Today Khan thousands of people come to Granites and and we have a very big community. >> So there has to be a labage tax. You're using our community as an incubator. You're using it as a hub and you're they're sending people now people are struggling. You're giving them hundreds of dollars every week, millions of dollars a year. There has to be like a masaka that out of Crown Heights has to support Crown Heights. The same way the whole world sends money to the UN in Manhattan to run all the bubbes, whatever. Crown Heights has to be funded by the whole world. So I'm happy to hear you're tapping in. You're tapping it. >> Actually, my children help me and I tell them that I if it will be up to me, I would take ads out in all the Jewish newspapers. We help you all over the world. Help us here. Help us here. It's none of that. We have all over the world. That kids are living grand nights. I might be helping them or I'm helping. >> Hold on a second. Somebody's watching the show tomorrow. We're airing this tomorrow. Somebody's watching the show. They know you're giving out millions of dollars a year. Open books. You're supporting struggling families. The biggest mitzvah of stuck is to give people food to eat. Literally. Everything else is secondary. You have to live, you need food, and you need to do it in a way. How do people rip out their credit cards and give money right now for for Yam 1,800, 3,600, 5,400? How do they give money? Simple. >> cssy.org. >> We'll put it at the bottom on the on the bottom of the show. We're going to put it csy cssy.orgism. There's a lot of different ways. If you want, I'll send you all the ways. I I don't I don't even know it like people come. Yes. Watzel. So I I said, "Here's the card. Could you tell me?" I I really don't know. Uh do you know how to do I I never send a zel. My My son does it for me. I I don't do any of this stuff. >> Benji, what's your enjoy the most about running a organization that helps feed people. What's the biggest hano? Like where's like this is why it's all worth it. >> Well, you caught me today. >> Yeah. >> Today I tell you that the people who trust me that the the labava people and most of them know me. You have to understand most of when my stu a lot of them were my students people know my family and know my father that they trust me and also when you see a family that they're doing better and right now any new family comes I meet them and I tell them I'm a very shortterm plan you got to come up with a you got to come up with a plan what you're going to do where do you work you're a teacher how much you making for it's no good no but I really want to go on so I tell him is beautiful But give me a time when you when you have a deadline, you're going to school to do something. If you're not capable, there's unfortunately people who are not capable. >> Do you know that I met you in inner circle by the pool many many many years ago and you said Clapman, where do you work? I'm not going to say the name of the company. Where do you work? And I said though, do I what? You said, what's your plans? I said, I don't know. I was stuck there a few years. I already have kids. You said you GOT TO GET OUT OF THERE. >> I SAID, WHY? You said because I I can't HOW MANY OF THESE FAMILIES CAN WE SUPPORT? You're [laughter] not going to become rich working there. I don't know that I'm that rich today. But my point is is that and at the time I was like a little bit insulted and like whatever. Oh, like he's judging me. Whatever. But you know what? And now I I realize >> you're covering the cost. You have to fund raise the money. It's not a joke. And people have to try to make a Kashmir to try to do better. Now some people can't. >> That's the best that they're able to do is work for a 9 to5. They can't do better. And then we have to the community has to help them. We have to put the bill. But if somebody's shy to get a better career, they have to do it. Not not only I I'll I'll tell you. >> You know what someone told >> someone told me for poor people it's better to live in Crown Heights because there's so many organizations helping you that it doesn't exist in these little cheaper towns. >> First of all, all over New York, Williamsburg, Bar Park, all everybody has their help. The thing is that the people grow up in our community, a lot of them, and there are very serious people. They want to go on. When do you tell them? Unfortunately, it's not going to work out. And that's the problem. A mashia has to be a mashia like it's his son. A r has to be a r to have the shoulders to tell somebody the way it is. When someone comes to a rough and has a show and bias problem, he should tell them the way it is. Don't start eching and becking because you have to tell them the way it is because it's generations generation with kids and everything. If someone doesn't have Shambice, the kids are messed up and the family's messed up and everything. And the same thing is with everything. You have to tell the younger man, I had a guy sitting with me and I'm going to help and he was and I I loved him. I love him and I'm going to take care of him. It's taking a little bit more time than I wanted to. The bottom line, he's a pimistic person. His parents can't help him. His wife's parents, they don't have and he's he wants to go on and he's a Rebian yeshiva. He needs help. Some someone needs to tell them the way it is. You have till this date to decide you're going on or if you're capable. Yeah. I I'm good in computers. >> Know when to hold and when to fold, right? >> Yeah. And and a mush has to answer somebody the way the way he answers not start this. >> Mushki I think Mushki Dman told me. >> It's my little cousin. >> Yeah. I I think she said that your father had a vert about if you're going to get divorced. Is it true? What did he say? If you're going to get divorced, what about the kids? What did he say? I >> I don't remember. He had a lot of words. So >> he said something like you have to kill the kids. Like he's like [laughter] >> it's true. >> You're killing the kids. He's like >> most kids don't grow up not there are families that do very well there. Most kids who come from a poor broken home need extra help and that affects the schools, affects their lives and affects their children. >> I'm so excited. I always >> I I just want to rephrase I always rephrase my word. I don't know what word I said kill kids. He's saying that if there's kids you're going to kill the kids if you're going to get divorced. You cannot get divorced if the children >> What about if they're they're beating the wife or killing children? >> We're talking about stupid things. We're talking about stupid things. >> Yeah. >> I'm so I heard Benji Stock's name five trillion times in my life and I never ever met him. Bar >> I met him many times. [laughter] Special guy. >> I have never had to call CSSY. But it's amazing. When I got into the art business, my vision is like, "Oh, I'm going to take these unknown artists and bring them to life and build a pranasa and get people to know them. And I really feel our podcast is that platform. It's like, "Oh, why don't you get this famous guy, that famous guy?" I really feel we're doing the most justice when we take people who no one knows about or for me it's all I only heard about him so millazillion times and bringing him and showcasing him as a real human being. And I'm sure I apologize a lot more people are going to say they'll see how nice and relatable you are. You're going to get a lot more calls. So the budget will go up, but hopefully on the same note more people will get to know you and trust you and and help support your great cause. >> You'll see now for our PES campaign. This is how it goes. If you know anybody who needs help, let us know. >> Is there application form? CS CS office at CSS there. Fill an application. If you know somebody, if needs help, your friend, your neighbor, your relatives, please let us know. Then on the bottom is if you to donate if you know friends anybody who could donate business donate. The first thing is we want to help everybody. >> So I want to commit. People ask me I did mention in the past show about my new tea that I'm coming out with. So I want to show people right here. Our first three samples came in yesterday on PUM. I see some symbolism over there. >> PM. Are they spiked? >> Not spiked. But Mashem, our first payment we're getting from the drink brand will be going to CSSY. It's only appropo drink Porm, your father's yard site. I did not know until last week, Clap. He told me, you know, that for CSSY, Porm is a huge fundraising. I didn't know. >> Thousand of people come through the house. >> And what's even more special, he told me it's also a day people come to pour out the Nosama to to and yard sites who started the organization. So, >> people bring their kids to show how to give thousands of kids. >> See, I knew D'vorah Benjamin Porande. I never knew unfortunately. >> I'm very close to her actually and I'm actually involved in helping her. >> Montgomery Street, a block away. >> Yeah. But she doesn't live there anymore. >> She moved now. She moved now. >> She's at my sister's house. So, she basically lives there. [laughter] >> So, M. I just want to let you know I also want to be We are a teaching financial podcast. So, just to tell you it works. I had the idea. I reached out to a factory in Long Island. They just sent me the samples yesterday. We'll mirror bring you on the journey of how a new product is launched. >> Iced tea from Long Island. There's a famous drink. It's called the Long Island iced tea. I think it has five shots of alcohol in it. You drink a long island iced tea and you're ready for firm. >> This is nonal. This is our three flavors. Chamomile, mint, and hibiscus. But it's going to be a few more formulations until it comes out. So stay tuned. And uh Benji, thanks a million for coming on. >> By the way, this is Debbis. You said that spoke about why they're not doing um with money for tish rate like they do for pes you know >> the reb used to give us when the rebi used to give out money to the mistas on the on the mer every couple years we were one on those there was one time the reb said he's not going to the I don't know if it was until he knows that we got our check >> wow >> it Kabi just did a funny video last last week. He said we never see never saw kamad lady stock in the room. [laughter] >> I'm saying everybody should stick to that lane. >> So it's amazing doesn't have I wouldn't say we're branded as the uh we're in Thailand or Puerto Rico. That's true. >> Taking care of our own barem. I've seen a huge sururgence in Kan Heights of MSIS focusing inward and you're from the first MSIS to really focus inward taking care of the Kabad community needs. >> Just to sign off, it's a tremendous honor and privilege to have our Benji Stock here from Shabas that's been around for almost 50 years continue to give you tremendous amounts of to continue this you and your Rebbitson and your children. Shout out to my very dear friend Barl Kassan. the big maker in the world of medicine and clinics and all types of he's not so shabas. He was in the middle of ding. He was like radio went off. He flew out. He came back by the kid that just said Barl great timing. >> I remember as a kid the high literally the highlight of the year in A41 Park Liva was Benji Stark coming with his >> father. My father >> I'm sorry. Shimshin stock coming with the big >> plastic buckets >> milk bucket wrapped with pictures of >> pictures. Yeah. Yeah. and my dear dear dear children and like we would quote that line of like as little kids >> I'll leave you with the one of the lines that my father used to use take out your wallet take out a dollar and give us the rest [laughter] >> thanks a million for coming on and help this great organization cssyorg >> the link below how to donate give all your money to this important cause that when you could go into Yamiff knowing that you're helping other people make yum I know you like driving your Escalade, bringing food to people's houses. It gives you a lot of ho, but on the receiving end, the most respectful way to receive financial food help is with cssy.org. >> No embarrassment. And only thing I'm just worried, you make it so easy. Maybe these people will never find a job because it's so that's why I meet everybody and I checked them out. Okay, [laughter] you >> will. You make it too easy to be poor. Benji, thanks a million.