More than 8,000 Holocaust survivors have not received reimbursement for medical expenses that they are entitled to get from the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel. Administrators for the fund say they simply cannot meet all the requests for help.
“We’re out of money,” declared Fund director Elazar Stern.
Stern, formerly the head of IDF Personnel, told IDF Radio (Galei Tzahal) “Like every year, we’re still waiting, even though we’ve been talking about this for a year already.” The reimbursements are usually given once every two years, with sums of up to 4,000 shekels being given to assist in the cost of buying glasses, hearing devices, dental care and more.
Stern said the government should provide assistance. While the fund is a non-profit organization, he said, “We are the arm of the government, and we are the ones who see people’s faces.”
He called on the Finance Ministry to come “tell the survivors the money has run out.”
The problem is finite, he added. Within two years, he said, there will already be a drop in the number of requests for aid.