Thursday, August 16

Many elderly are poor, not only holocaust survivors...

The fight to provide holocaust survivors in Israel with an additional 1000 NIS per month is quite justified.
No one can survive on 2200 NIS a month (state pension for the elderly for those who do not have any private pension arrangements), certainly not elderly people, many of whom need increasing amounts of medicine, assistance in their homes to carry out various tasks such as cleaning, carrying heavy shopping, bathing, preparing (special) food and what ever else, become more difficult, once your body and perhaps your mind don't function that well any longer.
Moreover, the state of Israel received large payments which should go toward aid towards elderly holocaust survivors.

But, what bothers me in this whole public discourse, is the fact the NO ONE can survive on 2200 a month, holocaust survivor or not.
Shouldn't ALL elderly people be able to live a dignified live and not have to look for half rotten vegetables at the end of the market day, or make a choice between buying food or buying medicine?
All elderly should receive that additional 1000 NIS.

In the framework of the "hesderim", the social security payments will not be raised for many months, in spite of previous promises. This implies the elderly, dependent on social security, will not receive any additions either, while we have already been informed there will be raises in electricity costs, basic food stuffs, public transport, water etc.
Many of the elderly do not have additional health insurance. Thus they are not eligible for many of the more advance medicine they need.
This means that the the majority of the elderly in the country will become even poorer.

The economic climate is cruel towards the large majority of the elderly, whether holocaust survivors or not.
Yes, holocaust survivors SHOULD receive the additional 1000 NIS they ask for, but not only they.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course, as life expectation continues to rise, with additional medical/treatment costs, and more and more people no longer work - there are more and more poor elderly citizens. The state disregards them and if they are lucky, they have children that look after them, and if not – not. It's particularly hard to fathom in a country like Israel, where most people of that age devoted all their time and resources to building a small, strife-struck country. There is another issue though: Israel received money specifically earmarked for the holocaust survivors. What the country did with it, don't ask me…

Anonymous said...

There is no solidarity anymore, a lot of people have forgotten where they come from, and under which circumstances the elders under healtbreaking conditions have laid the fundament for today's wealth.

Anonymous said...

The Shoah survivors are heroes for surviving the horrors of death camps and are testimony against the Holocaust deniers like Abu Mazan etc...who wrote a book dennying the Shoah.Even Lisa wrote in her blog that when she went from Tel Aviv to beirut via amman recently --- what did she see at the bookshop at Queen Alia airport in Amman -- Mein Kampf in Arabic for sale !!!!

So,Klal Yisrael --- honour the Shoah victims in their time of need.If need be,Jewish org in America etc should help out by subsidizing the Shoah survivors in Israel

yudit said...

Akiva, what IS your point?
Denying the holocaust? I most definitely don't, so why are you bringin up Lisa's trip to Lebanon?

My point is poverty amongst the elderly. Poverty so bad it endangers their lives.
I don't think any old person, whether holocaust survivor or not, here of not, should be able to live a dignified life.
No elderly person, whether part of "klal Israel" or not, in the state of Israel, should live in dire poverty.
when the state pension is all of 2200 NIS monthly, it implies the people are poor.
They have to choose between medicine and food. Sometimes they can not afford the medical check ups they need becouse they cannot pay the "agra.
I truly do not mind who they are.
They are our responsibility. "kol Israel areivim ze laze" and i expand that to ALL citizens of the state