Yes, there are people who unfortunately really struggle, especially in the winter, but there are many people who do not experience the problems that you report. I live in a new, modern building with my own heating run on gas and electricity. I do not find my apartment cold enough to require it. There are many old buildings in Meah Shearim and older parts of Jerusalem and probably Bnei Brak, and in those buildings there may be little heat or heat for the entire building and I’m sure those families really feel the cold. Clothing in Israel is too expensive in general. I just don’t think you can extrapolate this to “most” Israelis because I don’t think that’s right. Yes, more than half of the children in this country (say Chareidi children) live under the poverty level, but I wouldn’t say that most Israelis experience the issues you report. I know families whose parents managed to buy them apartments before the value of real estate went up, so even though they don’t have large incomes, they don’t have to pay rent or mortgage, so that is a huge savings for them. Please make sure to contribute to those wonderful tzedaka organizations as I am sure there are plenty of people who need that type of help, but, again, don’t envision that everybody is out there paying 5K a month for rent or mortgage, as it’s not really the case.
