New ‘Red Lights’ task force aims to prevent financially driven acts of desperation

A task force to prevent acts of desperation like the public suicide attempt of Moshe Silman, who dramatically set himself on fire on Saturday night at a social protest rally in Tel Aviv, will be formed under the aegis of the National Insurance Institute and the Welfare Ministry, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.

Silman, who remains in critical condition, cited a spiraling cycle of unpaid bills and fines to the National Insurance Institute as the catalyst for his deed.

The new task force, dubbed “Orot Adumim” (Red Lights) is to be led by National Insurance Institute head Shlomo Mor-Yosef and Welfare Ministry director general Nahum Itzkovitz. Its purpose will be to detect severe cases of personal hardship and provide a framework for intervention if necessary.

Red Lights will also set up an emergency hotline for Insurance Institute workers who feel they have encountered someone who might cause harm to themselves or others.

Since Silman set himself on fire on Saturday night, there have been three copycat acts of attempted self-immolation as well as two attempts to set fire to National Insurance Institute offices.