Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
Illustrative photo of elderly men playing backgammon at a country club in northern Tel Aviv. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)
Israelis aged 80 or older will no longer have to stand in line for service at stores, pharmacies, banks, post offices and other public services, thanks to a legislative change approved by the Knesset on Tuesday.
The only exceptions will be made for disabled individuals, who will get priority over the elderly.
The Knesset passed the bill into law in its second and third readings in the plenary on Tuesday, with 37 lawmakers voting in favor and none opposed.
Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel (Likud) said it was unfortunate that the Knesset had to legislate the measure, which she said should simply be an obvious gesture for all Israelis.
“From today, …everyone will make way for them [the elderly],” she said.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
The law stipulates that those over 80 may jump to the front of the line upon their request.
MK Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union), who introduced the bill, said he was waiting for the day when giving way for an elderly person became the norm in society and legislation was no longer needed.
Illustrative: An elderly man crosses the street in Tel Aviv, May 20, 2009 (Serge Attal/Flash 90)
Advertisement
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
