Over 25% of Holocaust survivors live in poverty

Report published ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day indicates some 208,000 victims of Nazi atrocities remain in Israel; poll reveals 40% of survivors feel lonely, while half say they are in need of financial aid

Omri Efraim|Published: 05.01.11 , 08:28

A report published Sunday morning ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day reveals that 60,000 out of 208,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel are indigent, despite a 160% increase in the scope of financial aid given to survivors of Nazi atrocities.

The report, published by The Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims, also shows that some 10% of Holocaust survivors receive nursing aid in addition to a social security pension.

In Memory

Remembrance Day torch-lighters named

Omri Efraim

Among six survivors to light torches at Yad Vashem is man who survived two death marches

Remembrance Day torch-lighters named

According to the data, some 13,000 survivors died in 2011, and the number of survivors is estimated tol decrease by more than 30% to about 145,000 by the year 2015.

A recent poll indicates that some 40% of survivors feel lonely frequently, and a similar number find it difficult to leave the house for errands and shopping.

Some 20% of survivors suffer from the cold weather in winter and lack proper equipment to heat their apartment, while 5% reported that they suffer from shortage of food. Half of Holocaust survivors said they require financial aid and some 30% are also in need of nursing.

Following the publication of the report, The Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Chairman Elazar Stern warned that "the younger generation will not forgive us if we don’t give the older generation the proper care it deserves."

Pua Horovitz, the coordinator of an aid program for Holocaust survivors on behalf of humanitarian aid organization Latet, told Ynet that "survivors suffer from loneliness, which is made much worse by their financial situation. Some live in dire conditions of poverty and deprivation, which are noticeable as soon as you enter their homes.

"After working with survivors for three years, I can confidently say that the State is not involved enough. Some Holocaust victims need to struggle to get recognized as survivors by the state. We need to remember that they are all adult people who cannot fight these bureaucratic wars," she said.