This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day coincided with the inauguration of a new Parliament (Knesset) in Israel. But while the 24th Knesset scrambles to form a government (which could result in another dissolution), for Holocaust survivors time isn’t on their side.
They simply cannot wait for another election and a new government to be formed. That’s because the only way they can receive the funds that they’re entitled to, is if a budget is passed. And the only way a budget can be passed is if a government is formed.
To date, roughly 180,000 survivors live in Israel, some 50,000 of them are considered to be impoverished. 10,000 live alone. Each month, their numbers decrease even further.
Making matters worse, their average age is 82. They are indeed entitled to a wide array of benefits, The problem is that the scope and criteria keep changing, leaving them in the dark with regards to their most up-to-date status.
But the biggest reason why so many survivors live in poverty is because about 70,000 of them don’t qualify for benefits. These are the lesser spoken about survivors who made aliyah to Israel from states under USSR rule or from northern African countries like Libya and Tunisia. That’s because they only arrived in Israel after 1953 when the special compensation agreement with Germany was signed.
These survivors aren’t entitled to the monthly stipend and the yearly benefits..But there is a silver lining.
That’s because the Colel Chabad organization is stepping up where the government is failing.
Colel Chabad is a charity organization that delivers food to the homes of not only Holocaust survivors, but all impoverished Israelis as well. They were recognized and outsourced by the Israeli government to distribute food stamps to the families who need them most.
Can you spare some change to feed a hungry Israeli?
If you can, please consider donating to Colel Chabad. Because Holocaust survivors have been through enough. They don’t deserve to starve in their final days on earth. Feed a Holocaust survivor by donating to Colel Chabad today.
