With record-breaking temperatures in Israel of over 38 / 100 degrees for nearly a month straight, making this one of the hottest summers on record and increasingly dangerous for the elderly community, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) has signed an agreement with the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to ensure supply for needy Israelis who are unable to pay their own electric bills.
The agreement will establish a fund of 30 million shekel, jointly funded by the two parties. This amount will enable thousands of elderly Israelis and households, many of whom are inhabited by Holocaust survivors, to run air conditioners without concern over their electric bills.
Due to the severity of the conditions and the danger the weather poses, the agreement has gone into immediate effect for over 700 Holocaust survivors around the country. These survivors have been identified as being in particularly desperate financial situations, and have been given notice that their electric bills have been covered by the fund.
Among the beneficiaries was 82 year old Yehuda Anavu, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel from Bulgaria in 1948 and now lives in the Israeli town of Yehud.
“My daughter got the call telling us that our electric bills would be covered by the generosity of the IFCJ and the Electric Company and we were really moved by this gesture,” he said. “Particularly in these days, it’s heartwarming to know that our community of survivors is being remembered. I am always worried how I will get through my monthly bills and in particular in the summer when we need to keep cool and the electricity costs are adding up. I have been forced to limit the amount of time that I run the air conditioner but with it only getting hotter I can now live without that concern and be able to enjoy a cool and safe home.”
The fund works to identity needy individuals and homes in cooperation with Israel’s Welfare Ministry and various local agencies and organizations with specific criteria developed by the IFCJ, to ensure the support is needed and distributed responsibly.
Meir Shpeigler, CEO of the IEC, explained, “This partnership expands our ability to provide humanitarian support to those households that are facing particularly difficult financial conditions that force them to conserve electricity. Electricity is a basic and life-saving commodity, particularly in these extremely hot conditions. Together with the IFCJ, we feel it is our mission to work on behalf of those who need our support and ensure these people have what they need.”
IFCJ President Yael Eckstein added, “There is no way we can stand by and witness people, particularly the elderly, be forced to live in Israel today without their basic necessities, and certainly without electricity. It is inconceivable that people have to live in fear of turning on their air conditioner because they won’t be able to afford the monthly bill. We therefore decided to join with the IEC in directly supporting the needs of those who can’t pay those bills and we are committed to continuing to do all we can to help these families and individuals live their lives in dignity and with the support they need and deserve.”