Passover poverty

JERUSALEM – Tens of thousands of needy families have been lining the streets here this week at key drop-off points throughout the country to obtain donated provisions for the Passover holiday, highlighting for many the oft-neglected issue of poverty in the Jewish state.

Over 20,000 ultra-Orthodox families congregated at designates street corners in 176 Israeli cities to accept boxes stuffed with Passover matza, wine, oil, eggs, sugar, salt, tea, coffee, fruit, vegetables, and vouchers for beef and chicken from local groceries. For a majority, the packages will feed entire families, which usually include eight to 10 kids or more, for the seven-day holiday stretch that begins Saturday night.

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Boxes at charity loading zone

Trucks yesterday departed a central loading area near eastern Jerusalem, where several city streets were blocked off to make way for the massive effort. The expanse was lined with thousands of crates of potatoes, boxes of oranges and other provisions that young men packed into vans, trucks, SUVs and station wagons heading out to pre-announced distribution locations.

At one pickup spot in Jerusalem, families crowded a large truck, some shoving their way to the front of the line, to obtain food for Passover. Mothers came with little kids. Elderly couples arrived together. Many traveled by foot. For the most part, the effort went smoothly.

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Mother and children obtaining Passover rations

One man, 44, a deaf father of 13, begged the organizers for two portions, explaining he knew of a family that wasn't able to meet the required pickup time. After a five-minute exchange, he was given a second box.

The food drive, organized by the Chasdai Yosef charity fund, was one of several dozen efforts this week to provide the ultra-Orthodox with Passover provisions.

Chasdai Yosef, founded over 20 years ago and previously chaired by the former chief rabbi of Israel, raises over $5 million annually for various food drives throughout the year, including soup kitchens, Sabbath and holiday meals, monthly food packages and meals-on-wheels – delivered food for families too embarrassed or unable to come to local centers.

The charity's president, Rabbi Moshe Deutsch, told WND, "Things in general are very difficult for these families, but the past few years, with welfare checks being sliced in half, poverty here is at an all-time high."

Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, particularly in and around Jerusalem, have a long history of poverty, with men preferring to study the Torah throughout the day, and women too occupied raising children to go to work.

A recent study found more than 1 million of Israel's 6 million residents live below the poverty line. The number is largely composed of Arabs, who make up one-sixth of Israel's population, with 42 percent living in poor conditions. It also consists of a large number of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Joshua Gordon, an Israeli economist, said, "The ultra-Orthodox don't go to work. They do not for the most part join the Israeli army. They rely on welfare from the state. And they live in a closed economy, because they stay within their communities and do most of their business and shopping in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. It's a downward spiral. And things are getting worst with the restructuring of the economy."

Israel has been in the throes of a major economic upheaval, damaged by four years of a Palestinian intifada affecting all aspects of the country's financial infrastructure.

Last year, Israel realized a promising economic growth, and the trend looks to continue, but the Jewish state has been transforming its status from a social economy to a Western, open-market system, aggressively cutting back on government services such as welfare, and health and education services.

"Welfare packages are now just a trickle," said Deutsch. "While the economy may be going up again, the situation for the poor is getting desperate."

He says he is proud of his organization "for what we can do. These families have nothing financially and no where to turn to. At least we can help in some way."

Deutsch says the food distributed by Chasdai Yosef "is only the finest quality. These families deserve the best treatment possible considering what else they go through."

He says he is "not an economist, and cannot judge others for their situation. Things are the way they are. We have an obligation to help. Our concern now is that everyone is able to have a happy, healthy Passover."