God has chosen to bless Ira Riklis with many blessings. No one can say why, but he and his family are grateful for their wealth, health and freedom. While they know that they can never fully repay these blessing, they do strive to show their gratitude by giving back to those in need.
Over the years, they have had the privilege of being helping many, many fine organization through gifts of their time and money. Each year, they provide support to more than fifty organizations. They give large amounts to some, smaller amounts to others. And some receive a check for $18.00. Why such a seemingly odd amount? In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical equivalent. The numerical value of the Hebrew word Chai (which translates as Life in English) is eighteen. So for Ira Riklis’ family, it’s become a tradition to give in multiples of eighteen in recognition of the gift of Life.