The late entertainment and television personality Dudu Topaz donated large sums of money to needy families and benefactors. This is what his son Daniel Topaz said in an interview he gave to the '7 Nights' supplement of 'Yediot Aharonot' over the weekend.
He said, "Between 2008 and 2009, about 17 million shekels disappeared and we don't know what he spent it on. We estimate that he gave the majority to the needy.".
When asked why he believes that the money did indeed go to the needy, Topaz replied: "Because people came to us at Shiva and confessed that my father gave them money. One said, 'I recently received 100,000 shekels from him,' and there were others. Rabbi Yitzhak Ravitz (Deputy Mayor of Betar Illit - Y.H.), said that my father gave 140,000 shekels to families from Betar Illit who did not have money for food and did it anonymously.
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""There was an organization, which I can't name, to which my father donated 700,000 shekels. In general, my father would spontaneously donate like that on the street. He would find a beggar, go to an ATM, and withdraw 10,000 shekels from him. The beggar would tell him, 'I'm cold,' and my father would take his coat out of the car and put it on him. We have an old video of him handing out packages to people who didn't win the program," the son said.
The son continued to praise his father: "He had a huge heart, and it bothers me that his name was damaged in a devastating way because of what he did when he was just unhealthy, not the same person he really was. I miss Uncle Topaz Square, Uncle Topaz Street.".
In his last years, Topaz became somewhat closer to religion, and even made a joint visit with Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in Uman, a visit that was turned into a documentary.
