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Alarming Poverty Rate and Statistics Recorded in Israel


yad eliezer

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The National Insurance Institute of Israel released an alarming poverty report earlier this month. The statistics are shocking, and while accusations are flying between public officials, it is still unclear what practical steps the government will take to improve the lives of the nearly 2 million people (22% of the population) who are living below the poverty line.

Here are some of the most alarming statistics published in the report:

  • 1,709,300 (22%) of Israeli citizens live below the poverty line.
  • 444,900 families (18.8%) are living in poverty
  • 776,500 Israeli children (31%) live below the poverty line
  • 5.6% of families with two earners are living below the poverty line
  • An alarming 52.4% of Chareidim live below the poverty line.
  • 25.1% of single parent families live below the poverty line.
  • Poverty among the elderly increased from 22.1% in 2013 to 22.3% in 2014.

The poverty line is calculated based on the income, the number of family members and the current cost of living. Israeli poverty rates are nearly the highest of all OECD countries, second only to Mexico. The GINI index of inequality also showed a distressingly large gap between the incomes of Israel’s richest and poorest.

These statistics are heartbreaking and deeply disturbing, leaving government officials and NGO’s looking for solutions.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu announced an increase in payments to the elderly to the tune of 6,000 ₪ per year per couple, as well as other initiatives to help the elderly succeed in the work force. In April of 2015 the minimum wage was raised from 4,300 ‎₪ per month to 4,650 ₪‎ per month, yet it is clear that a much more comprehensive approach is needed.

Milka Benziman, Yad Eliezer’s Director of Social Services, says, “Two years ago the previous finance minister made serious cuts to the monthly child allotment payments. I joined representatives of other NGO’s at a symposium at the Knesset where we heard parents begging the MK’s not to slash the allotment as they would be left without the means to feed their children. Their tragic pleas were not heeded, and hundreds of thousands of families received a major blow to their budgets. This year’s poverty report reflects that change, but I don’t need a government report to tell me about the extent of the poverty in Israel. Every single day hungry mothers and children come to my office begging for help: warm clothing, food, baby formula, and money to reconnect utilities that were cut off because of lack of payment.”

Sori Tropper, from American Friends of Yad Eliezer, adds, “For me there aren’t 2 million poor people in Israel, rather there’s Chana, who is struggling to care for her children and for her husband who hasn’t left the hospital in two months; there’s Sara, the single mother who eats only bread for days so that she can save up to add some eggs to her children’s diet; there’s David, who is working 14 hour days to try to build a business so that he can move his large family out of the small moldy basement apartment where they have been living for years. These are not statistics, they are people. They are hard-working and heart-broken and it is our obligation to do everything that we can to give them a chance to succeed.”

Latet, one of Israel’s poverty relief NGOs, believes that the official poverty report does not show the full extent of poverty in Israel. They have released an alternative poverty report that presents a clearer picture of the heartbreaking reality of Israel’s poor: children who go to sleep hungry on a regular basis, the elderly who are unable to pay for basics like medication and heating, families facing eviction and cut off utilities for lack of funds. Gilles Darmon, the chairman of Latet, commented, “It is impossible to accept the reality in which more than 30% are poor, almost a million children, and there is still no multi-year program to address this issue.”

Yad Eliezer’s wide range of programs aims to help families with their day to day struggles as well as to help them rise above their difficult circumstances and enable them to break out of the cycle of poverty.

The Yad Eliezer Big Brothers program has helped tens of thousands of youth to be productive and even thriving members of society. Youths who grew up with a parent in jail, or suffering from mental illness were given the emotional and educational support that they needed to get through a difficult childhood and go on to succeed. Rabbi Eli Ya’akobi, the Director of the program, comments, “Having a mentor during crucial years of development gives a child the confidence and self esteem needed to succeed. Our mentorees are strong and motivated in the face of the devastation that they see at home. It is deeply moving for me to see them rise above their struggles and create a life that wouldn’t have been possible without Yad Eliezer’s support.”

Rebetzin Hadassa Weisel has overseen the distribution of baby formula for over 30 years. She receives dozens of phone calls a day and makes sure that the infants that are really at risk will receive the nutrition that they need. “When babies don’t receive the nutrition that they need during the first year of life, their brain development is compromised. I know that by providing the nutrition that they need we are giving them a chance at success.”

Yad Eliezer discreetly distributes about five thousand food boxes each month to families below the poverty line, provides subsidized weddings for poor couples, funds a non-profit dental clinic, and in the past two years tens of thousands of coats and comforters have been distributed to families that have little or no heating in their homes on cold winter nights. These and other targeted interventions ease the pain of poverty and help children to stay healthy and warm enough to focus on their studies, as well as help parents face their daily challenges at work and at home.

Perhaps most impressive is Yad Eliezer’s job training program, which has helped motivated individuals to actualize their dreams by providing tuition and job training as well as micro-financing loans for small businesses.

Miriam*, a single mother who received a scholarship to nursing school through Yad Eliezer, shares, “Being able to have a proper profession means a lot to me, and it will give me the opportunity to stand on my own feet to support my family and to take care of all of their needs. As a nurse, it will be my job to save lives. You have already transformed my life and the lives of my children, but all of the lives that I save in my career will also be in your merit!”

There is a long road ahead, and long term comprehensive interventions are essential to leading the way to a brighter future for Israel’s poor. One thing is clear, Yad Eliezer has been, and will continue to be, part of the solution.

 

*Name has been changed to protect privacy

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5 Responses

  1. There is one thing that can be done that will simultaneously improve the economy, bring greater social harmony and strengthen the nation’s security. That is to abolish the draft. This one action would free up billions of shekels, release tens of thousands of able bodied worker into productive work and eliminate a major source of social discord.

  2. Aryeh — couldn’t agree more, let’s seriously reduce the army to save money. I think we can make do without upkeep of highways to save money. What about not collecting garbage to save money. While we’re closing the army down, we can just ask our friendly Arab neighbors to help protect the country. Aryeh, this is one of the best ideas I’ve heard this year….

  3. #2 M – I’m sorry to say, but Aryeh is a lot more correct than you are giving him credit for. I’m assuming you have never done any research on the Israeli military. I have and once posted my discoveries on this website, but can’t find the link to post here (search engine could be improved YWN).

    In short, the Israeli army is nearly 10x the cost of any neighboring army (check out globalfirepower if you don’t believe me) and it is well known that it is under funding and beyond the scope of the national budget to sustain in its present form. It is perfectly clear that a readjustment of military regulations is necessary.

    The best way to do so is to make the army “voluntary with incentives”. This would resolve all the internal social fighting, allow for adjusting and reducing the national deficit (or at least reallocating the deficit to increase the economy), and strengthen the military by weeding out slackers who reduce reduce the military moral. Military moral is often taking for granted, but in truth ranks very high in successfully carrying out military operations. It is one of the points of blame for the failure of both Israeli/Lebanese wars.

    So in short, take Aryeh’s words to heart. He has a point.

  4. If Israel reduces the size of the IDF we won’t have to worry about poverty in Israel because there won’t be a country called Israel. There will also be a few million more Jewish graves.

  5. #4 charliehall – I’m sorry to say, but you talk out of total ignorance! You don’t know any of the statistics at all and are speaking totally out of fear-mongering!

    The reality is that “actively” our army is as large as any of our neighboring enemies except for Egypt whom we have a peace treaty with. Furthermore, we have a treaty with Jordan as well. That leaves us with Syria and Lebanon who have equal or less active duty personnel.

    Now, FACT: If all our bordering Arab neighbors decided to go to war with us and enlist all “Fit for Service” personnel and so too we, they (50 million) would out number us (3 million) more than 16 to 1! THOSE NUMBERS ARE FRIGHTENING!

    In case you don’t understand what this means, it means in short that even if we drafted “everybody” including ALL Charedim (Yeshivahlite, Satmir, Neturei Karta, the works), we would still be grossly outnumbered and statistically we wouldn’t stand a chance!!!

    Only a miracle could save us! …and so it is! We rely on miracles here constantly!

    As of now, we have 160k “active personnel” and 630k “active reserves”. If we reform the military to be voluntary how much do you think those figures will drop? 20%? 30%? More? Really? HOW UNPATRIOTIC DO YOU THINK SECULAR ISRAELIS ARE!!!

    Even if it drops a whopping 40% that’s still 96k Active Personnel and 378k Reservists which would still be larger than Jordan or Lebanon. Of course, such a drop in patriotism would certainly reflect bad on Zionists and Zionism.

    The fact is that our neighboring enemies are not fearful of the size of our army, but rather our military might (I.E. our weaponry, Air Power, and skills). They will fear us more with a highly skilled smaller army than a large, but morally divisive army. That’s a fact!

    So STOP CRYING WOLF!!!

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