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Study: 10% of Israelis are food-insecure
Omri Efraim
Published: 29.11.11, 15:19
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1. Hard to Believe
Carl   (11.29.11)
How does this fit in with the fact that 4 million (about 2/3) of Israelis flew overseas during the past year?
2. Poverty in Israel
Ed Codish ,   Pardessiya, Israel   (11.29.11)
This article should be required reading for such people as Shaul Rosenfeld, who recently wrote in your paper about how wonderful everything is here. It should also be required reading for all the "talkbackers" who mock those demonstrating for social justice. If they recognize the actuality of Israeli life, they should be ashamed and disgusted with themselves. Given the situation here, the economy simply must be managed to assure a more equitable division of resources. My family and friends find that we are forced by the great need here to give more tzedaka than we can afford while the state does much less than it must. Ed Codish Pardessiya
3. @ 1
Sheik rattle & roll ,   usa   (11.29.11)
Are you joking? Israeli salaries are pathetic and the cost of basic goods are more in Israel than most other western countries. 100 percent tax on most imports including gasoline and cars. Also soldiers earn an equivalent of $100.00 a month. Now if you are a soldier you don't earn enough money to fill your car with gasoline, now tell me that's not pathetic.
4. Food Prices
Roxy ,   israel   (11.29.11)
The main problem is the price of food here plain and simple. I have noticed that in the Arab towns the prices are a lot lower then in the surrounding Jewish areas for the same items. There is no reason for this except for the greed of the owners of the supermarkets in the Jewish areas. We need to bring back regulation on the price of more food such as certain types of chicken, meat, fruit and veggies. A family can not live on just milk, eggs, bread which is regulated somewhat by the government,
5. # 4
Birdi ,   Israel   (11.29.11)
True, food prices in Arab Towns are lower, though not many Israelis feel safe enough to shop there (in Arab towns) What's needed is price regulation, asap. & to only buy what one needs.
6. # 3
Birdi ,   Israel   (11.29.11)
Most soldiers do not own cars, they rely on public transport to get them to & from their bases.
7. Foreign travel
Ed Codish ,   Pardessiya, Israel   (11.29.11)
To number 1 Four million tickets for foreign travel were sold. Many people traveled multiple times. Far fewer than four million Israelis traveled overseas. Ed Codish Pardessiya
8. #4, Not only is the food price lower in Arab
Rich ,   Toronto, Canada   (11.29.11)
areas than in Jewish areas, but the quality of the food is better in the Arab areas. Now how can that be? Jews are being ripped-off in Israel where the quality of living is not worth the high price. We always complain about anti-semites, but look how we treat each other.
9. # 4
Birdi ,   Israel   (11.29.11)
""The quality of food is better in Arab towns" ?? no thats not right. The quality of food in Israel is excellent. There are always discounts available for good produce & good quality.
10. # 8
Birdi ,   Israel   (11.29.11)
The quality of food in Israel is excellent, much cleaner & more tasty than the Arab food.
11. israelis are not responsable
izzy d   (11.30.11)
how many of these are people literally have forced themselves and their family's into this situation? Religious Jews who have huge family's and arabs as well? If you earn less then you need, you will be in trouble! its called a budget!!! i grew up religious and i can tell you my brother in law has 3 children and a 4 on the way and he has NEVER EVER had a job in his life and he will not consider it! Why should the tax payer subsidize this behavior? Also, please calculate the insane level of national defense budget israel has as well as the fact that we are surrounded on all sides by enemies and you will see that our economic situation is actually quite good. trying to throw that out the window in favor of knee-jerk impulse in favor of stateist legislation is very impulsive and irresponsible behavior. i cant say that it all but allot of people i speak to who think capitalism is bad already believe in statism so i simply don't trust their views. and FYI stateism is what some are mistakenly calling socialist. look it up
12. nonsense!
Golan ,   modiin   (11.30.11)
the prices are higher in Jewish areas because the cost of business is higher (thanks to government control) you want "lower prices"? get rid of entitlement programs and let the free market reign. Besides food prices in Israel are LOW. Its low as long as you do not buy packaged foods with cartoon characters and with the dishonest "all natural" or "brown" or "green" or "healthy" printed on the package. yes, you will have to actually cook the stuff instead of throwing it into the microwave. And its also "cheaper" in haredi neighborhoods, not just Arab. But who wants to go there? And please consider something called overhead. When you have to pay for workers twice as much... and taxes are high for a store to exist... and it gets sued for banana slippage and has to hold high insurance costs... and is charged hontoafot for having a "worker" or whatever those lazy people are called today... all that brings higher prices on the foods you eat and of course there is the "protection" money that the Yachimovitch politicians add on the crime of doing business in Israel is also added to the price of eating here.
13. Hungry? Nice phone dude, nice nails lady
Golan ,   modiin   (11.30.11)
nice clothes nice car nice beer/coffee/wine/tutbanana juice nice nice nice... oh you cannot afford $3 for a kilo of artichokes? in the US its $3 for EACH artichoke! so spare me. And yes I do not like the price of canned foods. That is why I buy very little of it.
14. For Golan, Izzy, and their ilk
Ed Codish ,   Pardessiya, Israel   (11.30.11)
Two people working full time at minimum wage, with two or three children, simply cannot live without outside help. They certainly do not have nice clothes and a nice car. They have had their electricity shut off a few times and cannot afford fuel for heating. I'll kindly assume that Golan and izzy d are ignorant of how the poor here actually live, but most Israelis know that the comments by Golan and izzy d are cruel and inhumane. They have nothing to do with the price of artichokes (which, in spring in the US. are much cheaper than $3 apiece). If people think Golan and izzy d are correct, feel free to let me know. I am curious how deep this strand of selfish, uncaring cruelty runs in our society. For Golan: When you write of laborers, ""workers' or whatever those lazy people are called today" you disgrace yourself, all workers, and the entire social order. For izzy d: Capitalism and free markets are wonderful when they work. In Israel they rather clearly aren't, or 20% of the population would not be hungry. Ed Codish Pardessiya
15. `food scarce
noel ,   Ct USA   (11.30.11)
Ed Codish - bool sheet - learn psych, Israelis, & how to design questionaire. very few really starving, very very few. I gave up filet mignon for Bugatti & need live on hotdogs - my choice. Most can fill up & avoid hungar pains on bread & macaroni & vitamin pill. Most cause own deprivation. 1 or 2 in 100 is nothing. There is more in USA. All depends on definitions too. Study is just more tear jerking b.s. so govt can steal more in budget season. Barak need 2 million armouredcar for status?? Who needs Barak?? Govt has lost mind & bearing exactly like govt in USA which need be cut in half which stillleaves unnecessary fat.
16. @ ed codish good points , bad reply
izzy d   (12.01.11)
you managed to completely avoid my main point friend. Charedi and arab familys do not have 2 main income earners but usually 1 and the income is not minimum wage but half of that. I would love to point out how your kneejerk response to my comment PROVED my point. When the father learns in kollel and earns 1500 NIS a month and the wife stays home because she cant afford the costs of child care for 3 or 4 children then that is whats called "not maintaining a budget. Please refrain from subjecting comments that are clearly better informed then yours to you r "withering disgust" simply as my reply stated more factual evidence then yours. I truly expected your reply and its hilarious that you all seem to have a template for your responses. "Inhuman" LOL. HAHAHAHA. my point that if you earn less money then you can afford to live without, that means you will have "food insecurity". Lets take a gander at the authors definition of "food insecurity" which is "not being able to eat what you want when you want". now imagine a family of 10. Please please please if you intend to reply, minimize the use of ad hominem attacks because they are so very very useless to winning a mature argument.
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