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Charity is a religious commandment in Judaism ( mitzvah; Mitsvot). Beginning in the 18th century, a growing number of Jewish philanthropists provided funds not only for charitable purposes but in support of the arts as well. The social and financial status of the benefactors, their aesthetic tastes, and a sense of belonging to their home town increasingly came to determine the various philanthropic undertakings, while adherence to the traditional duty receded into the background.1. Charity as religious dutyIn traditional Jewish communities that followed the religious l…