Israeli Poverty Deepens As Rich Get Richer

Poverty report reveals that more than half of Israel's poor are children, who resort to stealing and picking up food off of ground. "In any other country, it would have caused rebellion."

'Underprivileged kids steal food to survive'
Poverty report reveals that more than half of Israel's poor are children, who resort to stealing and picking up food off of ground. 'In any other country, it would have caused rebellion,' says Eran Weintraub, general manger of Latet organization
David Regev • Ynet

Approximately a million of Israel's residents are needy and 530,000 of whom are children, according to an alternative poverty report published by Latet, an Israeli humanitarian aid foundation.

Also according to the report, 5,500 of the needy kids have resorted to stealing food over the past year, 2,500 were forced to beg and 5,000 collected food that was thrown away. Moreover, 110,000 went to school without lunch, 100,000 have cut down on school work to help provide for the family, and 260,000 walked around in torn shoes. Approximately 480,000 went without dental treatments.

Meital Saada's family, which lives in the central Israeli city of Lod, is the embodiment of this grim state. At night Saada wraps her four children in thin blankets, which she could barely afford. The 37-year-old's financial state deteriorated after her divorce. She shares a small studio apartment with her children, her debt is growing and her possessions are facing foreclosure.
 
Most of her income, which amounts to NIS 5,000 ($1,391) a month from stipends and child support, goes to raising her children. They live mostly on sandwiches, and get warm meals only on weekends.
 
"They don't attend extracurricular activities, don't ask for money and are too ashamed to bring friends home," Saada said. "I'm in despair over the situation, and there are many others like me."

71% of elderly can't afford medicine

The elderly population living under the poverty line does not fare much better than the needy children. According to the report, 71% are unable to pay for medicine and medical services – a 115% increase from five years ago. Two out of three senior citizens do not leave home as result of financial hardship.
 
General data presented in the report shows that 75% of the needy have had to go without meals over the past year – a 21% increase since 2009. The biggest fear of 7% of them is dying of starvation. About 75% of Israeli organizations report that demand for food by poor individuals has risen by 27%, compared to last year.
 
In 40% of underprivileged families, none of the members have complementary health insurance; more than half of the children do not have it. In 6% of these families, one member has died over the past year because of inability to pay for medical services.

Latet General Manager Eran Weintraub said that since the year 2000, poverty levels have risen despite reports that the economy is growing.

"In any other developed nation in the world, this social policy failure would have justified a civil rebellion and the overturning of the government," he said. "Only the poor in Israel don't have this kind of political power. We only have sectors that can unionize and fight for their own terms and rights."

The backstory here is that the Federations' are very poor stewards of the money they send to Israel, much of which is misappropriated by government and quasi-government agencies.

Israel has enough money on its own to deal compassionately and effectively with its elderly and poor – but its government chooses not to do it.

Muddying the waters even further are haredim who make themselves poor intentionally and who demand government handouts to continue their lifestyle of idleness.

Israel's treatment of its legitimately poor is shameful, as is its treatment of haredim, who siphon off much of the money that should be used to help the truly needy.

The answer to these problems is not to send more money to Israel.

The answer is tough love. Cut off all donations to Israel until the government shifts to taking care of its legitimately poor and makes haredim get jobs, serve in the army and pull thier own weight.

Will the Federations do this?

I doubt it. They don't have the guts or the vision or the talent.

Comments

[Adam Neira]

I'm sure there are many competing voices in the State of Israel for various government programs. Wise heads should prevail with the deliberations. It is my personal opinion that all of the Holy Land is a priority. Raising the level of the general welfare of the whole Middle East must be the overarching aim. Having a safety net that encompasses those less fortunate is vital. These areas of less opportunity must be brought into the national fold. Good connections between communities must be enhanced. No-one in the land should feel excluded from the larger community. People are healthier and happier when they feel part of something.

[JC]

Something is fishy here. I thought that healthcare is free in Israel.

That being said, *haredim who make themselves poor intentionally* those evil bitches, intentionally making themselves poor when they could be middleclass or more, what backward people not to strive for what we call here the American dream. Imagine to choose being poor - what fools!

[Adam Neira]

To J.C.

A good safety net in a country must "catch" people and help them back on their feet, not envelop them and make them comfortably bum.

Please note...The last expression I use above is not a nifty plagiarism of a Pink Floyd track.

[Mr. Apikoros]

There are a couple of six-letter words, both starting with the letter "A," that certain Israelis need to regard as something other than a cussword before the income gap is narrowed.

In German and Yiddish, the word is "arbeit."

In Hebrew, the word is "avodah."

Arbeit macht gelt!

[Adam Neira]

To Mr.Apikoros,

Your post reminds of the story of when the sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" was stolen from Aushwitz. In its correct, untouched place the sign is a powerful reminder of the evil that can exist in the world. Stolen, chopped up and in the hands of some nutcase collector sitting in his dark basement it would have been nothing but a bit treife charm.

Anagrams are fun...

[jay]

Israel gutted large portions of the safety net and cut back tremendously on healthcare. In a sense, they've followed the US model of retrenching on the social contract between gov't/employers and the people.

[JC]

*Israel gutted large portions of the safety net and cut back tremendously on healthcare. In a sense, they've followed the US model*

I hope those poor souls do not have to deal with deductibles, copays, pre-existing conditions, and all the other narishkeits that we have to deal with here. I sure hope that these cuts are not the results of having to feed the haredi and arab miscreants.

[Judah]

"Muddying the waters even further are haredim who make themselves poor intentionally and who demand government handouts to continue their lifestyle of idleness."

Feeding, clothing, and sheltering eight kids (and a deadbeat husband) is not a "lifestyle of idleness". Those women work five times as hard as some secular female with her precious degree in clinical psych and her One Perfect Child (tm).

[yidandahalf]

Why do they have children they know they cannot and will not be able to afford? One or two children is enough.

[Mr. Apikoros]

There is not one word in the article about the Jewish Federations, nor about the rich getting richer.

To eliminate poverty in Israel, the haredi parasites need to stop being so fruitful and stop multiplying. At least a stray cat can generally take care of himself.

[Jay]

And what of the elderly, the disabled, the uneducated secular underclass?

[Mr. Apikoros]

Every society has its less fortunate. But most don't choose to become its members, as the Haredim do.

BTW, I don't think Israel's 80-year-olds are fruitful and multiplying.

[Michael David Kittell]

Netanyahu is a Republican so what do you expect