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Thursday, March 30, 2023
Crisis hotline reports major spike in calls amid judicial overhaul turmoil
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleRenee Ghert-Zand is the health reporter and a feature writer for The Times of Israel.
ERAN, Israel’s emotional first aid service, reports that it has seen a major spike in calls in response to the national crisis resulting from the government’s judicial overhaul plans.
In recent weeks, a full 25 percent of calls (200 per day) relate to the situation, and 70% of the calls are from people over the age of 50.
On the night between March 26 and 27, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he was firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, prompting hundreds of thousands of protesters to pour into the streets, ERAN received 344 calls, a 25% increase over the same period the prior week.
The recent dramatic escalation in requests for help prompted ERAN to add “political/social situation” as an official intake category.
Founded in Jerusalem in 1971, ERAN — the name is derived from the Hebrew acronym for emotional first aid — is Israel’s only crisis intervention hotline, serving people of all ages and backgrounds. It describes its work as a humanitarian service as opposed to professional advice.
The Times of Israel Community.