He was sane but desperate, says tearful sister of man who set fire to himself at Tel Aviv rally

Batzion Elul, the sister of Moshe Silman — the protester who lit himself on fire at a social justice rally in Tel Aviv Saturday night — was barely able to choke back tears as she spoke to reporters at the Sheba hospital where he brother was still unconscious on Sunday. “Everyone knows he was fully aware of what he was doing. He was a sane man,” said Elul.

Silman, 57, made international headlines when he set himself on fire during the demonstration. He suffered third-degree burns to 94 percent of his body and on Sunday remained hospitalized in critical, life-threatening condition.

“His chances of surviving are slim, it is only in rare cases that we have managed to save people in similar condition,” said Isaac Hayek, head of Sheba’s intensive care unit. “He arrived here in critical condition,” Hayek told Maariv. “Anesthetized and ventilated, he is now at death’s door.”

Before dousing himself with gasoline and lighting himself on fire, Silman had read out a suicide note in which he blamed government apathy for driving him to the act.

“He was a charming guy. I lost a dear brother,” lamented Elul, apparently giving up hope that her brother will recover from his injuries. “Why must people be driven to this? Why?”

Elul said Silman had refused to lean on the family and accept their help despite his desperate financial position. “He wanted to fight his case through official channels yet was rejected time and again,” she said.

Dozens protested in front of the Ministry of Housing in Haifa Sunday against the ministry’s treatment of Silman, who according to his suicide note was repeatedly denied state housing assistance.

Some protesters said they empathized with Silman as they had appeals on housing matters rejected many times by government departments.

Roughly 1,000 people held a protest in Tel Aviv opposite the National Insurance Institute office.

Dozens of social activists held a protest rally at Gilat center in Beersheba as well, holding banners saying “We’re all Moshe Silman.” The protesters also torched an effigy, saying “What happened yesterday reflects the policy of Netanyahu’s government. This is an obtuse government which never acts on its promises.”

Silman was homeless and had been living in Tel Aviv’s tent city for three weeks before the incident.

A Haifa resident whose father was a Holocaust survivor, Silman ran his own transport business until 2002, when he amassed a debt of NIS 15,000 to the National Insurance Institute, which then ballooned dramatically due to late fees.

According to a Haaretz report, Silman was unaware of the initial debt because he had moved his business during the downturn caused by the Second Intifada and the notices were sent to the old address.

A spokesman for the National Insurance Institute said Silman had been refused financial assistance because he was a beneficiary in his mother’s will. He had explained that the inheritance was relatively small, but had not provided supporting documentation, the NII said. It said his appeal was still under consideration.

National Insurance Institute director general Shlomo Mor-Yosef, said his organization had provided Silman with the best possible service.

President Shimon Peres reportedly called the hospital Sunday to inquire about Silman’s condition. Earlier Sunday, the president called the incident “a low point for Israel.”