In the midst of the State of Israel’s reopening plan, a new survey finds that 40% of Israelis are having trouble paying for basic expenses as requests made to the Ministry of Welfare have increased by 50%. The survey, conducted by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) and the Geocartography Institute, paints an alarming picture of the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. The survey was conducted among 600 Jewish and Arab respondents and serves as a representative sample of the population in Israel.
“The survey results serve to underscore what most experts already suspected: Even though the medical emergency for the majority of the Israeli people is winding down, the economic and social impact caused by the COVID-19 crisis has been devastating” Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of The Fellowship said. “We have much work still to do in the months to come to help the people of Israel recover.”
One quarter of survey participants (24.7%) were put on unpaid leave or dismissed from their jobs, and among 14.1% of the couples, both members of the couple lost their income. A fifth of the participants (21%) stated that they lost half or more of their household income because of the crisis. Only a quarter (24.7%) said that their income was not affected at all.
About 40% of participants responded that they are facing difficulties in paying for basic expenditures. One out of ten Israelis (9.6%) is having trouble buying food. One tenth of Israelis (9.3%) reported difficulty paying their mortgage or rent and 8.6% have trouble paying bills such as electricity, water, gas, and municipal taxes. A tenth of the survey participants said that they are in danger of being evicted from their homes or having their electricity or water turned off. One quarter of Israelis (25.4%) need or expect to need economic assistance from their family or friends. Over a tenth of the participants will have to return or have already returned to live with their parents because of the crisis.
Meanwhile, 42.6% of the survey participants cannot depend on their family members or friends for economic help. About 13% responded that they are already getting assistance or will be asking for assistance in the near future from non-profits or social service departments in the local authorities. A third of the participants expect that it will take them more than six months to recover from the harm caused by the coronavirus crisis.
"From the facts in the field that were gathered by the local authorities, there has been an increase of 50% in new requests made to local social service departments and we expect that the economic crisis these families are experiencing will only get worse,“ said Tami Barsheshet, chairperson of the organization of social service managers in the local authorities. “Having one or two members of a family dismissed from their jobs or put on unpaid leave creates an economic crisis that affects the whole family.”
To address the growing needs, The Fellowship is distributing aid grants of 700 NIS (about $200) for the purchase of food, clothing, baby care supplies, and medication to approximately 2,700 families that have contacted their local social service departments because they have collapsed economically due to the coronavirus crisis. This aid program was developed as a result of the large number of requests made by local social service departments around the country to The Fellowship, which reported a sharp increase in requests from citizens who have never before been supported by social services and are currently in a state of crisis. In early March, as the COVID-19 crisis was at its early stages, The Fellowship responded rapidly and established a $5.5M Emergency Fund that was used to purchase lifesaving respirators and other equipment for Israel’s hospitals, and to deliver food to tens of thousands of elderly people in order to enable them to stay home and minimize their exposure to the deadly virus.
"With the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, we recognized that this is a crisis unlike any we have ever experienced, and we immediately took action to assist tens of thousands of elderly people with food and purchased lifesaving equipment for hospitals,” Eckstein said. “As the medical emergency is winding down, Israel is still facing one of the greatest economic crisis in its history. Our main task right now, as Israel’s leading social welfare organization, is to help families and individuals, who have lost their livelihood due to the coronavirus restrictions, survive this crisis until they get back on their feet. Thanks to the strong support we have experienced from our dedicated donors throughout the crisis, we’re already responding and delivering critical support to thousands of families while working hand in hand with Israel’s Welfare Ministry and local authorities to create additional assistance programs.”
In the midst of the State of Israel’s reopening plan, a new survey finds that 40% of Israelis are having trouble paying for basic expenses as requests made to the Ministry of Welfare have increased by 50%. The survey, conducted by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) and the Geocartography Institute, paints an alarming picture of the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis. The survey was conducted among 600 Jewish and Arab respondents and serves as a representative sample of the population in Israel.
“The survey results serve to underscore what most experts already suspected: Even though the medical emergency for the majority of the Israeli people is winding down, the economic and social impact caused by the COVID-19 crisis has been devastating” Yael Eckstein, President and CEO of The Fellowship said. “We have much work still to do in the months to come to help the people of Israel recover.”
One quarter of survey participants (24.7%) were put on unpaid leave or dismissed from their jobs, and among 14.1% of the couples, both members of the couple lost their income. A fifth of the participants (21%) stated that they lost half or more of their household income because of the crisis. Only a quarter (24.7%) said that their income was not affected at all.
About 40% of participants responded that they are facing difficulties in paying for basic expenditures. One out of ten Israelis (9.6%) is having trouble buying food. One tenth of Israelis (9.3%) reported difficulty paying their mortgage or rent and 8.6% have trouble paying bills such as electricity, water, gas, and municipal taxes. A tenth of the survey participants said that they are in danger of being evicted from their homes or having their electricity or water turned off. One quarter of Israelis (25.4%) need or expect to need economic assistance from their family or friends. Over a tenth of the participants will have to return or have already returned to live with their parents because of the crisis.
Meanwhile, 42.6% of the survey participants cannot depend on their family members or friends for economic help. About 13% responded that they are already getting assistance or will be asking for assistance in the near future from non-profits or social service departments in the local authorities. A third of the participants expect that it will take them more than six months to recover from the harm caused by the coronavirus crisis.
"From the facts in the field that were gathered by the local authorities, there has been an increase of 50% in new requests made to local social service departments and we expect that the economic crisis these families are experiencing will only get worse,“ said Tami Barsheshet, chairperson of the organization of social service managers in the local authorities. “Having one or two members of a family dismissed from their jobs or put on unpaid leave creates an economic crisis that affects the whole family.”
To address the growing needs, The Fellowship is distributing aid grants of 700 NIS (about $200) for the purchase of food, clothing, baby care supplies, and medication to approximately 2,700 families that have contacted their local social service departments because they have collapsed economically due to the coronavirus crisis. This aid program was developed as a result of the large number of requests made by local social service departments around the country to The Fellowship, which reported a sharp increase in requests from citizens who have never before been supported by social services and are currently in a state of crisis. In early March, as the COVID-19 crisis was at its early stages, The Fellowship responded rapidly and established a $5.5M Emergency Fund that was used to purchase lifesaving respirators and other equipment for Israel’s hospitals, and to deliver food to tens of thousands of elderly people in order to enable them to stay home and minimize their exposure to the deadly virus.
"With the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, we recognized that this is a crisis unlike any we have ever experienced, and we immediately took action to assist tens of thousands of elderly people with food and purchased lifesaving equipment for hospitals,” Eckstein said. “As the medical emergency is winding down, Israel is still facing one of the greatest economic crisis in its history. Our main task right now, as Israel’s leading social welfare organization, is to help families and individuals, who have lost their livelihood due to the coronavirus restrictions, survive this crisis until they get back on their feet. Thanks to the strong support we have experienced from our dedicated donors throughout the crisis, we’re already responding and delivering critical support to thousands of families while working hand in hand with Israel’s Welfare Ministry and local authorities to create additional assistance programs.”
