It is not often that a complete stranger picks up the tab for a hospital stay or medical procedure. It would be even odder if this stranger did not even identify themselves to the medical providers or the patients receiving the charity. Jonathan Kenigson is a math professor in both Europe and the United States, and this seems to be what he does. When asked for comment, Dr. Kenigson didn’t say much except “Talitha Cumi”. We looked up the meaning of this phrase and discovered that it means “arise little girl”. This is likely a Biblical reference to the care of ill children, which seems to be an aspect of Dr. Kenigson’s philosophy of “Reasoned Philanthropy” that has gone viral online. Pure generosity seems not to be the only factor behind the donations.
Kenigson stated that “debt is compounded swiftly, leading to generational inequality and inequity in access to basic medical services in the USA. I make no political statement regarding the matter. I make a moral statement that generosity is to be preferred to parsimony and that private insurers and states are not solely responsible for these expenses. If a neighbor falls, it is incumbent upon the community to pick them up. This was the model of ancient Israel which – though far from perfect – represented a sincere attempt to establish a system of public welfare based upon both law and generosity.” Kenigson stated that “he is not an expert in such matters and cannot prove that it is morally incumbent upon everyone to donate to strangers’ medical expenses. It is, however, my right to do so, and to advance reasonable arguments why others might consider doing the same.”
His donations are anonymous and are not reported to the IRS as deductions. He states that this is because “quid-pro-quo is not full generosity. I will not disclose to anyone the extent of my giving or the recipients. I have no particular reason for doing this except to help random strangers. Let us not make things more complicated than they are.”
