Bill to up Holocaust survivor aid passes first reading

The Knesset plenum on Tuesday unanimously passed the first reading of a bill to increase state benefits for Holocaust survivors.

The bill would amend the current Holocaust survivor benefit laws with the aim of both increasing the population eligible for grant benefits and increasing by NIS 600 ($169) the sum of the monthly pension for people who spent time in ghettos and concentration camps.

The provision of the bill raising the monthly allowance would take effect one month after its publication, while the rest of the amendments would take effect on January 1, 2014.

The “amendment is part of a series of measures taken by the Finance Ministry… designed to improve the situation of Holocaust survivors in Israel and increase the assistance provided to them,” an explanatory note stated.

The government has consistently been criticized over the years by activists and government officials alike for not doing more to help Holocaust survivors. NGOs and volunteers have often stepped in to fill the void left by the government.

Earlier this year, the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel published a report that found that one in four Holocaust survivors lives below the poverty line, and 58% of those who requested financial assistance subsisted on NIS 3,000 a month (about $830).

Finance Minister Yair Lapid has repeatedly come out in favor of increasing assistance for Holocaust survivors since he was appointed.

In March he ordered the transfer of more than NIS 50 million ($13 million) to the foundation. The money will go to meeting quality-of-life needs for aging survivors, including at-home nursing care.

The allocation reportedly was part of the government coalition deal that Lapid’s Yesh Atid party struck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The agreement reportedly raises the amount of money allocated to survivors over the next four years.

JTA contributed to this report.