Jerusalem – Annual Report Paints Grim Picture Of More Than 1.7 Million People Living In Poverty In Israel

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    FILE - An Israeli woman searches for objects of worth in a garbage container in the center of Jerusalem. april 02, 2015. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash90Jerusalem – More than 1.7 million people are living in poverty in Israel today, some 22% of the population, according to the annual poverty report released by the National Insurance Institute on Wednesday.

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    According to the annual report based on data gathered by the Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2014 there were 1,709,300 people, including 444,900 families and 776,500 children living below the poverty line.

    Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef, head of the NII and Welfare Minister Haim Katz presented the report, which once again depicted a grim picture of poverty in Israel.

    The report found that the number of families living in poverty increased from 18.6% in 2013 to 18.8% in 2014 while poverty among children increased from 30.8% in 2013 to 31% in 2014 and poverty among the elderly increased from 22.1% in 2013 to 22.3% in 2014.

    In defining poverty, the findings indicated that an individual with a monthly income of less than NIS 3,077 and couples earning less than NIS 4,923 per month are considered to be living below the poverty line; whereas a family of five individuals must earn more than NIS 9,230 to be considered above the poverty line.

    According to the report, the standard of living in terms of disposable median income per capita rose in real terms by 2.4% in 2014, as did the poverty line.

    The data also indicated that the poor in 2014 became even poorer. The index of the depth of poverty, that is the gap between family income and the poverty line increased by some 6% to reach 34.6%. While the poverty severity index increased by 10%.

    With regards to working families, the data found that the poverty rate increased from 12.5% in 2013 to 13.1% in 2014.

    In families with one working person the poverty rate increased from 24.1% in 2013 to 25.4% in 2014, while in families with two working people the poverty rate remained the same as the previous year standing at 5.6%.

    With regards to families with children, the poverty rate increased from 23.0% in 2013 to 23.3% in 2014. In addition, the number of children who escaped poverty also decreased between 2013 to 2014, from 12.8% to 11.3%.

    According to the report’s author, Dr. Daniel Gottlieb, deputy director-general for research and planning at the NII, this was most likely due to the effects of the cancellation of child allotments in 2013.

    “This year there was a continued rise in housing prices and rent and in the severity and depth of poverty, partly due to the reduction in child allowances, which influenced for the first time in 2014, the year’s income for families,” he wrote in the report.

    The data also relayed a startling gap between different population groups in Israel.

    The poverty rate among ultra-Orthodox families stood at 54.3%, accounting for 17.5% of poor families in Israel.

    In the Arab population, the poverty rate stood at 52.6% in 2014, an increase from 51.7% in 2013.  However, the findings indicated that the depth of poverty increased by 8% and the severity of poverty increased by 7%.

    When compared to other OECD countries, Israel still has the second highest poverty rates, ranking only after Mexico, the report noted. In addition, the GINI index of inequality showed that the country continues to remain among those with the highest measure of inequality, in line with countries like Chile, Mexico, Turkey and Russia.

    “I recommend that the government will determine macro-social objectives for the long term to reduce poverty and income inequality,” said Mor-Yosef of the findings.

    NGOs and government officials issued sharp criticism of the data presented in the report.

    “The figures in the report are shocking as usual but not surprising. The poor in Israel are not of enough interest to the government that neglects poverty and devotes all its energies and resources to promoting the rich and the middle class only. But the suffering of hundreds of thousands of elderly, children, and families that have collapsed under the burden is not only a shame but a real threat to the social resilience of Israel. The government must pull itself together and present a comprehensive plan to reduce poverty with clear goals and appropriate resources,” said founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein.

    Gidi Kroch, CEO of Leket Israel – the National Food Bank, said, “The government is not trying to solve the poverty crisis. Year after year the NII releases its’ report and nothing is ever accomplished. Renewing benefits for children is like putting a band aid on a social wound. The gaps in the country continue to widen while the government doesn’t address the issue.

    “The only ones working towards a solution are the dedicated nonprofit organizations throughout Israel operating without a structure in place leading their efforts. These wonderful initiatives, with strong partnerships between them, could become social enterprises and worldwide leaders with the support of a governing body. If the status quo stays as is, poverty and hunger will continue to hit us harder than our enemies from the outside,” he said.‎


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    8 years ago

    I wonder if it has to do with the fact that nobody there works. everybody there is in so-called kollel