>>Since you like quotations so much, here is one in response:
>>
>>"The charity that hastens to proclaim its good deeds, ceases to be charity, and is only pride and ostentation." -- William Hutton
>>
>>I wonder if those benefitting from benevolence feel the same way.
>
>FWIW, in Judaism, charity is considered more honorable when neither the donor nor the recipient knows who the other one is. Here's the complete list: http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefs/a/charity_nine.htm
>
>Tamar

Tamar

That's always been something I really appreciated about Judaism. As it was explained to me, the sense of community is such that the idea of someone in the community being in need was looked upon as an embarrassment to the whole community if the community did nothing about it. But, by the same token, the community should never know who in the community was in need, which allows those in need to keep their dignity (for want of a better word).

One of my good friends in college was the son of a Rabbi and we would often have conversations about the differences between Judaism and Christianity (or at least my flavor of it).