Some 3,000 Holocaust survivors and their supporters arrived in Jerusalem Sunday afternoon to take part in the March of the Living in protest of the government's treatment of survivors, and particularly a recent decision to raise their allowances by a meager NIS 83 a month.
The protestors set out from the Knesset and marched towards the Prime Minister's Office and carried signs saying, "Sorry for surviving," "Holocaust survivors are still here," and "Holocaust survivors bill – our moral duty." Minister for Pensioners Affairs Rafi Eitan and MK Colette Avital participated in the event.
Thousands join rally (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Head of the fund for the welfare of Holocaust survivors Ze'ev Factor said in a speech during the rally, "The survivors don't know what to do first, to pay the electricity bill or shop for groceries." He also pledged that even if the survivors die, their issue would continue to echo throughout the world.
One of the survivors who took part in the rally, Shoshana Alon, said that she lived off NIS 3,000 a month from social security and her pension fund. "When I was younger, I was bitter about the survivors' condition, but I didn't say anything, simply because nobody wanted to listen," she explained.
Despite her decision to attend the rally, she was skeptical that the protest would help improve the situation. "I doubt anything significant will happen. Even if there is an increase in the survivors' pensions, it will not be substantial. I'm afraid I'm not optimistic."
Another participant in the rally, Shoshana Adler, a social worker who volunteers for new immigrants who are also Holocaust survivors, said that the main problem which should be addressed is the condition of those survivors from the former Soviet Union who were currently not eligible for allowances.
"I just recently visited the house of a Holocaust survivor who lives in appalling poverty. It turned out that we were both at the same concentration camp, but because she only arrived in Israel during the last decade, she is not recognized as a Holocaust survivor," she explained.