Many years after most civilized countries passed laws meant to aid the disabled and to make public building and multi-family dwellings like apartment buildings accessible, Israel has finally begun to do so:
…For the past six months the amendments' wording has been discussed at the Interior Ministry, and a ministry spokesperson says it "requires the approval of the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee, and must be published in the regulations file."
"We expect the regulations to be approved by the end of the year," says Yuval Wagner, chairman of Access Israel, a non-profit organization that promotes awareness on this subject. In the meantime, amendments have been inserted into the planning and building law, requiring that changes be made to existing public buildings, with particular attention paid to wheelchair access in new buildings. There is also a section on access to public buildings in the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law of 2005.…
This is after years of pressure from activists including violinist Isaac Stern. Try to walk with a wheelchair-bound person in Jerusalem. You'll quickly see how difficult this is. Try to go shopping or visit a restaurant. Many stores and food establishments are inaccessible. Bathrooms? Few are accessible.
As it now stands, building after building after building is built inaccessible. Few Israelis seem to care. That includes rabbis, by the way, who seem to be able to spout off on many diverse issues – showing kindness to the disabled is not one of those issues, however.