JERUSALEM (AP) — A prominent ex-lawmaker and Holocaust survivor has been appointed to lead Israel’s umbrella organization of Holocaust survivors.
Colette Avital, originally from Romania, was a longtime Israeli diplomat, serving as consul general in New York City.
As a member of parliament, she headed an inquiry identifying properties in Israel owned by European Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.
The Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel represents 50 organizations that assist Holocaust survivors. The organization’s previous head, the late Noah Flug, fought governments to compensate survivors.
Six million Jews were killed by Nazis in World War II. Fewer than 200,000 Holocaust survivors remain in Israel. Some live in poverty.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Avital told The Associated Press on Thursday she fears governmental budget cuts could reduce assistance for needy survivors.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
I want to see it
I want to see it
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
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
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
