Holocaust survivors protest Israeli treatment
Fully one-third of those who survived the ghettos and concentration camps, or hid from the Nazis in forests and attics, before fleeing to modern-day Israel are now living below the official poverty line of about £200 per month, struggling to pay for medication and treatment for ailments resulting from so many years of starvation and torture. Most are now octogenarians.
The Israeli government had proposed a new state Holocaust survivors’ benefit of 83 shekels a month, or about £10, on top of regular pensions — an amount so scoffed at that it drew several thousand protesters to Israel’s Knesset yesterday afternoon.
"We want to ensure Holocaust survivors live their twilight years with a minimum of dignity,” said Dubby Arbel, chief executive officer for the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, who said survivors have higher-than-average rates of cancer, osteoporosis and mental illness, and are often without networks of family to help them.
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)
The Israeli government had proposed a new state Holocaust survivors’ benefit of 83 shekels a month, or about £10, on top of regular pensions — an amount so scoffed at that it drew several thousand protesters to Israel’s Knesset yesterday afternoon.
"We want to ensure Holocaust survivors live their twilight years with a minimum of dignity,” said Dubby Arbel, chief executive officer for the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, who said survivors have higher-than-average rates of cancer, osteoporosis and mental illness, and are often without networks of family to help them.