Straw men and fictitious charity boxes at Dizengoff Center: How the organization now facing liquidation operated
The Registrar of Amutot has filed a petition to liquidate the 'Chance for a Drop of Happiness' organization. An investigation revealed that the entity was entirely fictitious and used to misappropriate funds from unsuspecting donors.
The Registrar of Amutot (non-profit organizations) filed a petition last week with the Tel Aviv District Court for the liquidation of the organization 'Chance for a Drop of Happiness'. On the face of it, the official goals of the organization, established in May 2023, were commendable: assisting the sick, the disabled, and their family members. However, an investigation opened into the matter reveals a grim picture of exploiting innocent donors' funds, conduct contrary to the law, and the establishment of entirely fictitious institutions.
At the center of the affair is a man named German Zoyerman, who operated behind the scenes without being registered as an official party in the organization. His method of operation included locating random people who would agree to sign the organization's establishment documents in exchange for payment. For example, the liquidation petition describes how an 18-year-old woman who worked at a stand in the Dizengoff Center mall was recruited to serve as a founder and board member of the organization in exchange for a cash payment of 500 shekels. It was clarified to her, as it was to others, that her signature was symbolic only and did not require real involvement in management.
According to the liquidation petition, the founders actually served as straw men for the organization's operator, who raised donations through them without being signed on any official document. From the moment formal approval for the organization's registration was received, the fundraising activity began.
Zoyerman was responsible for placing charity boxes throughout Tel Aviv, including in the Dizengoff Center and various supermarkets, according to the investigation report.
The boxes bore the misleading inscription 'Saving the lives of children with cancer', intended to play on the conscience of donors. In practice, the Registrar of Amutot determines, the organization did not carry out any public activity and did not spend a shekel for the purposes for which it was established. The Registrar's investigation revealed that the organization operated without a functioning board of directors and without any control mechanism. The individuals registered as office holders knew nothing about the scope of donations, the bank accounts, or the use made of the funds. Furthermore, since its establishment, the organization has not submitted the reports required by law to the Registrar.
After warning letters and demands for the submission of documents were completely ignored, and after it became clear that the key figure, German Zoyerman, had left Israel as early as April 2025, there was no choice but to turn to the courts. The Registrar of Amutot filed the liquidation petition on the grounds of misleading the donating public and prohibited profit distribution, with the aim of stopping the flow of funds to private parties under a philanthropic guise. Calcalist was unable to obtain Zoyerman's response.
