Crying for help:
The organization center of Holocaust survivors in Israel wrote a letter this week to Knesset member Moshe Gafni, who is designated to serve as the chairman of the finance committee, requesting direct support for the organization center of Holocaust survivors in Israel, which is in significant budgetary distress and may close.
In a letter from the center, which unites 56 organizations of Holocaust survivors in Israel and deals with obtaining compensation, exhausting rights and commemorating the Holocaust, it is written that: "The center has been supported by the Ministry of Social Equality for more than 10 years, and in all the last years we have encountered increasing difficulties in terms of our ability to carry out the activity and the work plans approved by the ministry, which results from the delay in approving the supports, transfer dates and budgets and their scope, a situation that affects the very possibility of carrying out the planned activity and resulted in a significant decrease in activity."
MK Moshe Gafni, photo: Gideon Markovich
It was also written: "In practice, the organization center does not survive in terms of budget and there is a real fear for its continued existence. It should be noted that we were already close to closing the center and only last-minute 'maneuvering' prevented it." We request that the state budget the center directly and not according to the support clause 3a.
At a meeting of the center's board of directors, it was decided that if there is no change in the behavior towards us, we will be forced to hold a general meeting to close the organization center, to lay off the employees and stop all activities, including treatment of Holocaust survivors from Romania and Poland, as early as January 2023."
Colt Avital, photo: Dodi Vaaknin
Colt Avital, the chairman of the Center for the Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, who signed the letter, warned in a conversation with "Israel Hayom" of a situation that could lead to the closure of the center and that, although advanced coalition negotiations are underway, the issue of Holocaust survivors, which was under the responsibility of the Ministry for Social Equality , remained without an address: "We have no one to turn to anymore and we have thousands of applications from Holocaust survivors who are waiting for our assistance.
Our concern stems from the fact that the Ministry of Social Equality, which was responsible for the issue, is expected to be abolished with the establishment of the new government.
Also, this year we only received a small advance in April and the annual budget has not yet been transferred in full, even though we are already at the end of the year.'
Avital explained the appeal to Knesset member Moshe Gafni and stated that: "Gafni is the only one who is able to help."
He understands the matter, helps the survivors and is very committed to the issue.'
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