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Last week, Bituach Leumi released its annual poverty report pertaining to 2014. The alarming report showed an increase in poverty, especially among chareidi children.

At the start of the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday,1 Teves, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, After having taken care of conscript soldiers, today we will take care of the elderly. In our society the elderly are not a negligible component of the poverty picture, and what we will do will help reduce poverty. I remind you that the level of inequality has decreased regularly in recent years, with the exception of last year. I hope that this step will continue the trend of reducing social inequality and caring for weaker sectors. We are investing over NIS 500 million in increasing support payments for the elderly. There are approximately 230,000 such people. Couples will receive up to NIS 6,000 per annum. This will begin next month. The move was arranged by the Finance Minister and I as part of the coalition agreement between Kulanu and the Likud and this will remove more elderly from the cycle of poverty.

“Today we also will approve a first step toward encouraging the integration of adults over the age of 60 into the workforce, in the civil service and in the economy as a whole. This improves the worker’s quality of life and his pension savings. We will continue to remove barriers to the employment of older workers. Population aging is a long-term global trend that, of course, is a great blessing, but it also poses challenges; for the labor market, the health system and in additional areas.

“I would like to congratulate Minister Gila Gamliel on her important work in this area, in dealing with the problem that stands before us. I would like to say in this regard, as I have said regarding previous issues: This is a government that does. While there are those who talk – we do. I tell ministers: ‘Talk about what we do.'”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)