Skip to main content

After escaping Holocaust, thousands of Israeli survivors struggle with poverty, loneliness

Reports indicate that many Holocaust survivors not only live in poverty, but also suffer from loneliness.
Transylvania-born Holocaust survivor Dov Yaacobovich, 84, sits in his home in Tel Aviv April 3, 2013. Some 192,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel and about a third have sought aid from the Foundation for the Benefit of the Holocaust Victims in Israel. According to surveys by the foundation, 19 percent of the survivors have admitted to going without adequate amounts of food and 14 percent had to forego medical treatment at least once a year due to financial hardship. The report said that another severe c
Read in 

In April 2013, some three months after elections and the establishment of a new government, the Knesset’s Social Welfare Committee held a heated discussion that is etched deep in Israelis' memories. The agenda focused on the results of a survey conducted by the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Survivors that found 67% of survivors unhappy with the way the government was dealing with their specific needs. Some 22% of respondents even said that the government's handling of Holocaust survivors had deteriorated.

Apart from the jarring statistics, another element that made the debate so hard to forget were the cries of Dora Roth, a Holocaust survivor who asked in the simplest of terms, “What did you do with the money?! Seeing a Holocaust survivor that doesn't have money for food or heat is your disgrace, the disgrace of this house [of parliament]!”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.