Question: If you had $100 billion to give away, how would you spend it?
Shmuley Boteach: If I had $100 billion to give away, the first thing I would do is take a sizeable chunk – let’s say $10 billion – and make marital counseling free in the United States. Because I think a lot of couples, had they had counseling – they can’t afford it – they’d still be together. Then I would take another $10 billion or $20 billion and I would launch a global education force among the warring world religions to really come together. Jews and Muslims; Protestants and Catholics, which isn’t as bad anymore; but certainly in the Middle East. I would somehow create an effective educational campaign to bring people together to finally rid war from this earth. I would then take another $10 billion and I would dedicate it to an anti-genocide fund, educating people about genocides that are going on anywhere in the world, and inspiring the UN and world governments to do something about it. I would spend $10 billion on an educational fund for women, teaching women about the real values of feminine pride, feminine dignity, of not being a man’s eye candy, of not living for male attention but living from within and the attention will come in a positive way. And I . . . I don’t know what I’m left with right now, but I would give 20% of it – $20 billion – to the state of Israel, and to its institutions and its framework. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It’s the Jewish homeland. It is fighting an existential battle for its existence. I would give it to the brave soldiers who defend it. I would give it . . . Israel has a million Arab citizens. I would improve their lives as well, God willing, to show them that they are absolutely welcome, and loved, and appreciated in the Jewish state. Just because it’s a Jewish state doesn’t mean that they’re not equal in every single way. And I would do my best to strengthen Israel because I fear for its existence. I fear for its continuity. And I love it and respect it. I respect its achievements. I respect the fact that it has created so much freedom and liberty in a region that just doesn’t have it.
Recorded on: 09/05/2007
Discuss
Laura Elorza on February 26, 2008, 2:08 AM
I am with you about the education for the women I wish there were more campaigns working on this. "We are starting to see a few." I really believe we as women need some better female role models it's so sad to watch the young girls of today. I have two teenage daughters myself and I've been working on teaching them since they were born, because I know it needs to start in the home, but we have so much media, and other outside influences now that it seems like we as parents are losing this battle. Thank God my daughters still care about their minds and hearts more then showing off or doing harm with their body, but we've witness so many good girls that have been in their lives cross over because it seems to be the thing to do. It sad, manly for these girls lives they are picking, but I hurt watching my daughters lose such good friend too.
I also believe that a lot of marriages end due to money problems. I think we should be taught a lot more about money in school then we are. When I was in school they only taught us how to write a check and balance a check book, it has gotten a little better, but it still needs to be a lot deeper. If we could get our minds around money, and get our girls to realize how special they are & use their skills for good I think it would slow the divorce rate down a lot.
Laura Elorza on February 26, 2008, 7:08 AM
I am with you about the education for the women I wish there were more campaigns working on this. “We are starting to see a few.” I really believe we as women need some better female role models it’s so sad to watch the young girls of today. I have two teenage daughters myself and I’ve been working on teaching them since they were born, because I know it needs to start in the home, but we have so much media, and other outside influences now that it seems like we as parents are losing this battle. Thank God my daughters still care about their minds and hearts more then showing off or doing harm with their body, but we’ve witness so many good girls that have been in their lives cross over because it seems to be the thing to do. It sad, manly for these girls lives they are picking, but I hurt watching my daughters lose such good friend too.
I also believe that a lot of marriages end due to money problems. I think we should be taught a lot more about money in school then we are. When I was in school they only taught us how to write a check and balance a check book, it has gotten a little better, but it still needs to be a lot deeper. If we could get our minds around money, and get our girls to realize how special they are & use their skills for good I think it would slow the divorce rate down a lot.
Ray Stillman on October 1, 2009, 10:04 PM
Quite honestly, in my town, our high school is falling apart at the seams. I’m currently a sophomore there and when I was on student council for a year, I constantly heard conplaints about leaking ceilings and piping coming off the walls in the locker rooms. Recently, there was an idea to regionalize with a couple other towns in my area, to have one large high school. (One of those towns’ students go to my school as it is now, since they are a small town.)
I hate to see my school fall apart. It was built during the cold war and my dad and all of my siblings went there, as well as half of the teachers in my town. I would donate the majority of the money to build a new high school which would be as enviromentally friendly as possible and be big enough for all three towns to regionalize without worrying about the financial crisis. (Part of the reason we are in a financial crisis is because one of our past superintendents embezzabled a quarter of a million dollars from our school treasury.)
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