PM with Roth
Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO
Netanyahu meets Holocaust survivor
Dora Roth, Holocaust survivor who spoke in Knesset about survivors' hardship meets prime minister in his J'lem office. PM vows to promote survivors' welfare
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
met with Holocaust survivor Dora Roth
Tuesday to discuss the state of Holocaust survivors in Israel.
Roth spoke before a Knesset committee in April, giving a heartfelt speech on the hardship endured by many Holocaust survivors.
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Upon meeting Roth in his Jerusalem office, the prime minister addressed her speech at the Knesset, saying: "I was very impressed with what you had said, with your passion and your truth and that's what needs to stand out here – the truth. You have touched the hearts of many citizens; people realize this generation needs to be taken care of."
Dora Roth, Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO)
Roth said that though she was eligible to State assistance due to her disability status, she does not get the full amounts to which she is eligible. "It's not charity," she protested, "it's what I deserve according to the Finance Ministry, which determined that my disability is a result of the Holocaust."
The reduction Roth's assistance suffers results from the fact that she and her husband also receive other State funded pensions. "What does that have to do with disability caused by the Holocaust?" she asked. "I asked him (Netanyahu) to explain to me if he gets it. Every senior gets social security."
Roth added that Netanyahu vowed to promote the issue, "but when the prime minister called the person in charge of the welfare of Holocaust survivors, he was unavailable because he was in a conference. Netanyahu told him to call me, and I hope that he does."
She added that the prime minister "was very nice and invited me to meet his children. We also realized that since his wife grew up in Kiryat Tivon, where I live, I know her parents' house."
According to the Prime Minister's Office, "The prime minister told Ms. Roth he agreed there was an injustice that must be mended and that the State of Israel is committed to the wellbeing of Holocaust survivors."
The PMO added that Netanyahu had designated his office's director general to oversee the issue of Holocaust survivors' welfare.
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