It would be hard to imagine
a more just cause than helping needy Israeli Holocaust survivors.
Yet it is only recently, in the wake of protests by local survivors
and social activists, that this issue has finally been firmly placed
on the national agenda in such a manner that it can no longer be
ignored.
In that respect, the publication today of the State Comptroller's
first-ever report on the subject strongly confirms the general
consensus that has emerged during the past year - that the Israeli
government has ignored the plight of needy survivors for years,
and is abysmally failing in its responsibility to provide them
with adequate financial and medical assistance.
There are numerous explanations for the current situation. During
the years after the establishment of the state, when Israel had
other extremely pressing problems to deal with, there was little
interest in the Holocaust and hardly any compassion for the survivors,
often seen as the antithesis of the "new Jew" created
in Israel.
The material problems they encountered, moreover, were not unique,
and were shared by olim from other countries as well. The fact
that Israel had received billions of marks in compensation from
Germany to help absorb the survivors was not translated into generous
assistance for individuals who had escaped from Nazi-occupied Europe.
As time passed, two concurrent processes took place. Israel prospered
economically and the country's Holocaust consciousness deepened.
During these years, most of the survivors were able to establish
themselves and become reasonably financially secure without any
special economic assistance, due to their talents and resourcefulness.
Sadly, the majority's success helped make it easier for the government
to ignore the plight of those unfortunate survivors who were unable
to overcome the legacy of their past trauma.
In recent years, the often-pitiful situation of the latter became
worse, as the cuts in general benefits for the elderly were implemented
at the same time that, for many of them, the problems associated
with their traumatic experience became exacerbated by old age.
What is abundantly clear to almost all Israelis is that the State
of Israel has a moral obligation to assist its own needy Holocaust
survivors.
It is unthinkable that Israeli survivors will have to face cruel
dilemmas such as having to choose between purchasing food and buying
badly-needed medicines.
It is incomprehensible that Israeli Holocaust survivors will have
to live without the glasses, dentures or other medical equipment
they require, simply because of a lack of governmental assistance.
Such help represents the moral obligation of the State of Israel
not only to the survivors of the Holocaust but, in truth, to all
its citizens. Assistance in medical care and food represents the
bare minimum we would expect from a Jewish state, a country founded
on the vision of our prophets, who emphasized the need for social
justice.
Yet in any discussion of this issue, one cannot ignore an added
obligation that the State of Israel owes the survivors, one which
underscores the imperative that our government has to provide them
with a dignified existence (chayim b'kavod).
Ever since its establishment, the State of Israel has always presented
itself as the bearer of Jewish continuity and the heir of the victims.
As such, it was the recipient of billions in compensation and restitution,
and the beneficiary of many types of political and economic support.
But such a status entails not only privileges but also obligations,
and the same government which stands first in line to reap any
possible economic or political benefits that emanate from the events
of the Shoa also has to be proactive in fulfilling its own obligations
toward those survivors who continue to suffer deprivation and poverty.
The State Comptroller's Report constitutes official recognition
of decades of governmental failure and ineptitude in dealing with
needy Holocaust survivors. Let us hope that it will also mark the
beginning of the end of this moral failure and herald a new era
in the treatment of Israel's survivors.
jpost.com
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