One Third of Israelis at Risk of Poverty

By JTA October 18, 2012

One-third of Israelis are at risk of poverty, a new report shows.

Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday issued a report showing that some 31 percent of Israelis were at risk of poverty in 2010, compared to 27 percent 12 years ago. Some 16 percent of European Union residents fall into the same category.

Being at risk of poverty means that one’s household’s per capita income is less than 60 percent of the median disposable income. Israel’s poverty line was at $506 for 2010.The amount to be labeled at risk of poverty is anything less than $610.

The data also shows that 40 percent of Israeli children are at risk of poverty compared to 20 percent in the EU.

The data was released ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

The report also found that 32 percent of Jewish households in Israel reported that they were unable to cover all monthly expenses, such as food, electricity and telephone bills and that 8 percent were unable to reach the end of the month without incurring debt.

“Alongside concerns about those who are living in poverty, we see that a high proportion of working Israelis are not managing to make ends meet”, says Yisrael Livman, founder and director of Mekimi, a non-profit organization that advises and assists Israelis in financial crisis.

“Many of the people we assist are working 6 days a week, serving their Reserve duty in the Army, and bringing up large families. A sudden change in circumstances, such as illness, failure of a business or unexpected unemployment, can cause a major financial crisis for the entire family,” he said in a statement.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO