Kiddush Sponsorship...

There is a reception (kiddush) for the congregation every week after services at my synagogue. It can be large or small and people generall sponsor it for a lifecycle event.

I noticed over the past few weeks that for the particular service I attend, the synagogue itself has been sponsoring the reception, which means that no one congregant has made the offer.

That fact, combined with the fact that I hadn't done it in a LONG time, led me to offer to sponsor the reception this week.

I was asked, "what is the occasion?"

Now, I didn't really have one in mind, so I thought long and hard about it.

I figured I could have fun with it, so I said it was "in honor of the upcoming launch of Microsoft Windows Vista." What the hell, right? It would be a topic of conversation. Some people would appreciate it. My geeky friends would love it and it probably would anger some people that I've crossed the line. Just the type of controversy I enjoy.

Then, I saw another benefit. When you make a donation to a non-profit and you get something in-kind or food, it's not tax deductible. However, now that I am making this a commercial effort, it seems like this could be a tax deduction as a "non-reimbursed business expense." I'll have to look into this, but I may have opened up an entirely new category of philanthropy :-)