Orphans of parents killed in terror attack to receive double allowance

Tel Aviv Labor Court rules in favor of granting twice the marriage allowance to orphans losing both their parents to terror attack, claiming they suffer greater financial damage
Vered Luvitch

Orphans who lost both their parents to a terror attack will receive double pay, the Tel Aviv Labor Court ruled Tuesday, following the petition filed by seven orphans who lost their parents to terror attacks in the past few years.

2006 Terror Attack

Suicide bomber strikes in Kedumim / Efrat Weiss

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The orphans filed a claim against the National Insurance Institution, after the latter refused to give them the double marriage bonus awarded to orphans. The National Insurance Institution only agreed to transfer them the regular allowance given to IDF orphans for the loss of one parent, but not a double allowance for both parents. The allowance is estimated at tens of thousands of shekels.

In her verdict, Judge Dr. Ariella Glitser-Katz wrote that in cases where both parents had been killed in terror attacks, the financial burden on their children is greater.

“In terms of common sense, there’s no doubt the loss of both parents causes greater financial damage than losing one of them. This eligibility has yet to be ratified, and we don’t believe the legislator’s reticence on the matter should imply limits yet to be legislated.”

The Judge wrote further on the matter, saying that “the plaintiffs are eligible for a marriage allowance for the death of each of their parents. The legislator’s role is to compensate an orphan on his marriage day for the lack of financial support from the perished parent. We believe that orphans losing both parents suffer a harsher financial damage than losing one parent, therefore, this doesn’t qualify as a double allowance.”

The Judge also criticized the National Insurance Institution, which refused to award the orphans twice the allowance. “The National Insurance Institution views the allowance granted for both parents as a double payment. The institution believes the children’s marriage is the event in question for benefit and not the children becoming orphans as a result of a terror attack.”

The claim was filed by Neta Halevy, a 29-year-old student whose parents, Raffie and Helena, were both murdered in March 2006, when a suicide-bomber disguised as an Orthodox Jew blew himself up inside their car at the entrance to West Bank settlement of Kedumim.

Among the other claimants were Leah, Tsofia and Yeshurun Gavish, whose parents, David and Rachel were shot at their home in the Alon Moreh settlement by a terrorist who infiltrated their home during Passover eve of 2002. They also lost their grandfather and eldest brother in the shooting attack.

Also petitioning against the National Insurance Institution were, Zvi and Tsofia Dikshtein, whose parents Ya’acov and Hanna along with brother Shuval were murdered while driving their vehicle towards the Maon Farm settlement near the West Bank city of Hebron in July 2002, and Shlomit Horowitz, whose parents Eli and Dina were murdered at their Kiryat Arba home by a terrorist.