Barely a week after police revealed the arrest of a neo-Nazi cell comprised of immigrant teens from the former Soviet Union (FSU), the government has decided to end its support for an organization that reaches out to “at risk” Russian teens.
The Immigration and Absorption Ministry informed the organization last week that it would slice NIS 141,000 from the NIS 380,000 granted annually to the One Plus One non-profit organization.
A recent survey by the Israel Anti-Drug Abuse Foundation released figures indicated that only a third of youths from FSU immigrant families, ages 12-18, identify themselves as Israelis.
One Plus One, said spokesperson and resource development director Tal Frankfurt, reaches out to Russian-speaking teens who might otherwise be sucked into the neo-Nazi movement in Israel.
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Frankfurt pointed out that the move is self-destructive.
“The entire country is talking about this problem and the government cuts the budget of programs that are trying to help improve the situation,” said Frankfurt, adding, “We help those who are seconds away from falling into this [neo-Nazi] trap.”