On this date in 2004, which was Black Friday that year, I turned 20 and found myself in Brazil, thousands of miles from home. I thought I’d keep close with family and friends by opening this website and blogging about deals, travel, and free stuff, such as free toilet paper, that the school I was volunteering in so desperately needed.
Since that birthday, I’ve written about the ensuing 19 years plenty of times and had fun talking over just a fraction of it earlier this year:
Given the war in Israel, which I wrote about after the first month in a 3 part series, it’s tough to be very celebratory these days. But it’s still easy to know what we’re most thankful for.
Indeed, I’m very thankful for the moral clarity in (most of) the US and Israel about the need to eradicate pure evil in a world that seems to have lost its ability to differentiate between right and wrong. Being part of the rally in DC truly uplifted our spirits and it was amazing to hear TSA agents, airline crew members, and fellow passengers let us know that they support us unconditionally.
To you, our readers, new and old, you make all this possible. I’m most thankful to you for coming along on the journey these past 19 years.
And yes, you really are the greatest readers I could ask for.
Just this morning, somebody stopped by my shul to tell how how grateful he was for what DansDeals has brought to their life, with effusive thanks for his side income, vacations, flights to Israel, and more as he moved his family from Toronto to Cleveland.
2 years ago, the DDF community worked with Rabbi Grossman, the Chabad shliach in Fargo, to help him provide a Jewish Doctor with a proper burial. The note that Rabbi Grossman sent to me a week ago touched my soul.
It makes all of the long hours put into this hobby of love more meaningful.
We faced a dilemma over the Prime Big Deal Days last month when it felt wrong to post deals when the entire country of Israel was in mourning after the Simchas Torah attack. But we channeled it for the good by donating all of the revenue earned during that sale to organizations like United Hatzala of Israel, Chabad of Sderot, the Sephardic Israel Aid fund, Nahal Oz recovery fund, Chabad of Chevron, Shai Graucher’s Chessed V’Rachamin fund, and more.
The DansDeals Team includes my brother JJ and my wife Mimi, and I’m proud of our work fighting darkness with light by offering tefillin to men committing to praying in them daily.
It was inspired, of course by the Rebbe’s Tefillin Campaign for the Six-Day War and by a Tweet from a Chabad Shliach in the Caribbean and has turned into a movement that includes dozens of people working to verify requests, source and check kosher tefillin, and fulfill orders. I know that JJ and his partner in running the tefillin campaign Yonatan Azrielant have spent many nights and countless hours speaking with team members in Israel, Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Argentina, and more to ensure everything runs smoothly.
I will get a pair of tefillin to the first person who commits to start wrapping every day in honor of our brothers and sisters in Israel.
— Avromy Super (@islandjew) October 9, 2023
While our original goal was to dedicate one pair of tefillin for every soul brutally murdered on October 7th, we were able to exceed that and turn the movement into two campaigns.
The original campaign to bring Tefillin to Jews around the world who committed to wearing them daily, and another campaign working together with the IDF to bring tefillin to soldiers working on the front lines in Gaza to free the Palestineans from Hamas.
Those campaigns have raised over $884K for tefillin, and with a new matching donor on the original campaign, I hope that we can reach a million dollars pledged towards spreading the light of Tefillin.
To our amazing readers, I’d love nothing more than a birthday present to those campaigns to spread the message of hope during these trying times.
Thank you for reading. For following on WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, SMS, and Facebook. For downloading the DansDeals app and giving us 5 stars :D. For sharing your deals, experiences, and trip reports on DDF and the DDFB group. For telling your friends and family. For commenting and adding insight. For patronizing our advertisers and opening credit cards or shopping through our links that keep this site running. For sending me countless touching emails letting me know how DansDeals made a difference in your life, whether it was being able to take a special trip that otherwise would have been out of reach or even finding your soul mate through DDF! You make it all possible and worthwhile!
With prayers for the speedy release of all our brothers and sisters being held hostage, a quick and decisive end of Hamas’ reign of terror, and for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world. May this be a year full of miles, meaningful travel, great deals, good health, happiness, and true fulfillment for all, with all your heart’s desires for the good fulfilled!
-Dan
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74 Comments On "In This Crazy World, I’m Thankful For You And 19 Years Of DansDeals!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
Happy Birthday big bro!
Been a wild 10 years working together, to 120 more 🙂
Back at ya kiddo. Good times indeed.
Happy birthday and to many more successful years of Dans Deals! Thank you for this invaluable service you provide to all of us! Especially in these economically challenging times when every penny counts even more, any good deals that we can take advantage of makes a big difference.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for helping us and so many people R’ Dan!
My pleasure, thanks!
Amen! And HaPpY BiRtHdAy! You are a wonderful person; a real mentsch… Keep up the great work you do in helping your readers, and shining the light of real goodness in the world at large, when the going gets tough. I’ll never forget the story about how you mobilized your friends and contacts to get K food to the people stranded at the airport in Cleveland…and all the collections you started and pointed your readers to, for families facing tragedy in the way of fires and loss. Thank YOU for doing your very best every day of the year! It is a privilege to be one of your “followers!”
Appreciate it!
Can we get the birthday cake recipe?
Yes please!
@Mimi 😀
I would love the cake recipe too!!!
Happy birthday!!
Many many happy more years!!!
Thanks for all you do, keep it up!!
Amen, to you as well!
Happy Birthday Dansdeals! You have a beautiful family! Thank you so much for teaching us how to live like millionaires on a paupers salary all the best
Thank you!
Without you, my grandkids would never get gifts! Please know your tefillin campaign was beautiful- Kol hakavod. Thanks Dan for all of your hard work-we all appreciate it.
Happy birthday! (Keep it going till 120)
Amen, thanks!
Happy Birthday! Waiting for my chance to join a dd seminar one day
Thanks!
Might need a DeLorean deal for that. 😀
Congrats Dan! Really appreciate you and JJ.
Thanks!
Happy birthday!
Thank you!
Happy birthday and Hashem should bless you and your family with health happiness and the ability to continue spreading light in the world! Thanks for all of the savings and life tips you’ve helped us with over the years and for being my financial advisor
Amen, thanks! To you and yours as well!
Yasher koach and thanks for all that you do
Thanks!
Happy Birthday Dan!!
L’chaim to many more IY”H
Amen!
Tx so so much for an amazing informative and extremely helpful platform. And on top of all this a huge thanks for dd forums!!
Thanks for being a part of it!
Happy Bday Dan! I am greateful to have you in my life! Your dedication is an inspiration! Proud reader for the past 10 years!
Thanks for sticking around!
You are part of my life now forever 🙂
Happy birthday Dan
Thanks!
Ditto for Ellen C’s comment. Couldn’t have said it better. Kol hakovod to you! And may Hashem bless you and your family with Kol tuv until 120.
Amen, thanks!
Thanks
…and adding Magnificent family! (*smile*)
Tremendous Hakaras Hatov to You Dan and the Deals Staff! Continued Hatzlachah in All Your Good Endeavors!
Amen!
There are DDF shidduchs? Please write a story about it! We need to hear more.
Sure, ask on DDF. 🙂
Happy birthday Dan
Thanks as always. I’ve been able to travel to many destinations with my family because of your hard work and great information
May G/d continue to bless you and your beautiful family !!!
Amen, thanks! To you and yours as well!
Dan, happy birthday!
You an incredible role model of showing how in every area and carrier one may find themselves, they can be a true inspiration and light to those around them.
You are an amazing shliach, and your Chabad house is Dan’s Deals, with a global reach and impact!
We can all learn from you!
Keep up your amazing work and Shlichus, with good health, success, nachas from your children, and may all your heart’s desires be fulfilled!
Looking forward to meeting up in Eretz Yisroel with Moshiach NOW!
AMEN! Thanks!
Amazing
This is Awesome! Finally a face behind the site!
Happy Birthday, Dan.
Wishing you continued koach and success.
Amen, thanks!
Wishing you the same!
Happy birthday Dan, and look, what an auspicious day. May you always celebrate with pure simcha, health, peace of mind and with your beloved…what a nation we are, to congratulate one we know through interesting reasons, and Give strength to, chas v’shalom in hard times. We are grateful for the deals, but more for your humbleness and kindness. May Hashem bless u, and and all who stand with you. Mazal tov.
+1 Amen!
Amen!
Happy birthday and a HUGE thank you for all you do!! Even though I moved to Israel years ago, I am still reaping the benefits of DansDeals in many ways – and I give thanks for that too. On a completely different note, though – words matter, and when you wrote “front lines in Gaza to free Palestine from Hamas”, please, please, please – there is NO Palestine (except for what was the British Mandate of Palestine) – the IDF is working tirelessly to free Gaza/Gaza Strip from Hamas. May all our soldiers be successful in their missions and return home to their loved ones, whole and healthy!!
Thanks!
Meant to write Palestineans, fixed!
Happy Birthday C TownBocher to Dans Deals wow how 19 yrs flies, thx for all the money we saved Because of you and your site. Hashem should continue to Bench you and your Brother JJ to Have Parnosah B’harchova Together with Much Health, Happiness.
Yours Truly….Moishe
Amen, thanks!
Wishing you a very happy birthday with birchas HaGeFeN til 180
Amen!
Thank you for allowing us to dream even at times when our pockets and accounts are empty.
Last spring I decided that 10 years of our not developed photos is somewhere deep on the bottom of the list financially yet I so badly wanted it to be my summer project.
So I dared to dream…and…one day right there on Dansdeals there was this smoking deal of $6 for 10,000 photos on Snapfish. And I did it!!!!
Yes you read right. Six Bucks for Ten Thousand Prints
Thank you for restoring my faith and allowing me to believe that Hashem really can do anything for lil me in this vast universe.
Awesome, glad we could help!
maybe this time I will get a response on my comment…
Dan, Although I am on the other side of the Atlantic, I still use dans deals a lot, and help others through this site too.
May hashem bless you with all the best of both worlds!
Thanks, may you be blessed as well!
Thanks Dan for being my Rebbi in credit cards and points!
I got a lot of trips from everything i learned from you.
And of course thanks for the amazing deals that you post.
Beautiful story.
ya’asher koach!
Thanks for supporting Israel
Happy Birthday! Until 120!
Amen, thanks!
Happy belated birthday and congrats. It’s been interesting to see this site grow and you grow with it.
Thanks!
happy birthday to a great guy!