The Israeli theater has been trying to recover since the outbreak of the corona plague that closed its hall, and now another difficulty is emerging, this time from an unexpected place, one that should not make it difficult for its people at all.
It is well known that the majority of the audience that comes to watch the theater is an adult audience.
Until the younger generation connects to the magic of the stages, in the meantime it is the generation of parents who frequent the halls, and constitutes a considerable part of the subscription factories in the country.
Among the adult audience there are also quite a few senior citizens, who enjoy the Israeli theater, those who according to the "Law of Senior Citizens" in the country are entitled to pay half price for a ticket to a show.
The repertory theaters that implement the law receive refunds that allow the expensive performances to take place - meaning indemnification for a discount for senior citizens.
Since the beginning of 2022, theaters in Israel have received nothing, which creates economic ignorance and losses of millions of shekels.
The directors of the theaters decided to stop being silent and sent an angry letter to MK Meirav Cohen, Minister of Social Equality, about "breach of agreement between the Ministry of Social Equality and the Israel Theaters."
Meir Bing, Director General of the Ministry of Social Equality, Photo: Ministry of Finance Spokeswoman
"We, the undersigned, are asking you for immediate treatment and to implement in practice the Senior Citizens Law, as agreed between the director general of the ministry, Mr. Meir Bing, and the theaters - indemnification for discounts for senior citizens.
We are in June and have not yet received the promised agreement and the promised payment.
"Please give your urgent help, before heavy economic damage is done to the cultural institutions," the letter reads.
The letter is signed by Noam Semel, Director of the Habima National Theater, Tzipi Pines, Director of the Baruch Ivcher House Lessin Theater, Haviva Hadar, Acting Director of the Cameri Theater, Lena Kreindlin, Director of the Gesher Theater, Shmulik Yifrach , Director General of the Be'er Sheva Theater, Nitza Ben Zvi, Director General of the Haifa Theater - with copies to the Minister of Culture and Sports, Hili Trooper, Raz Froelich, Director General of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, and Meir Bing, Director General of the Ministry of Social Equality.
Noam Semel, CEO of Habima,
"It is a matter of millions of shekels. There is a law, there is an agreement, and until now we would have received the compensation according to the law," a senior figure in the Israeli theater told Israel Today.
"The Ministry of Social Equality distributes between NIS 15-20 million to all theaters according to reports we submit, and everything worked until this year. We were not paid anything, it is NIS 3-4 million per theater. This is very significant for us, especially during this period, and it is not clear to us "Why are they trying to make it difficult for us? The next step will be legal proceedings and filing a lawsuit against the minister and the ministry for not implementing the law. We are tired of being silent."
No response was received from the Ministry of Social Equality until the date of publication of this article.
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