Image by Getty Images

JERUSALEM — Thousands of elderly Israelis give up food, medicine or heating because they cannot afford to pay for them, a new survey found.

Some 18 percent of Israeli elderly go without home heating and about 20 percent give up basic goods in order to pay for heating, according to the study released this week by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The survey of a representative sample of 400 elderly aged 65 and older was conducted through the Geo-cartography Institute, a leading research institute in Israel.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The survey also found that 12 percent of elderly Israelis give up using hot water at least three days a week for financial reasons; 12 percent give up medication or medical care because of financial constraints; and one in seven gives up food for financial reasons. The survey also found that one in seven elderly report feeling lonely on a daily basis.

“The immense need of the elderly in Israel is a social catastrophe which we must treat like any other emergency situation,” Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the Fellowship, said in a statement. “For the elderly, giving up food, medications, or heating can sometimes be a death sentence.”

The Fellowship will distribute more than $2.1 million in 25,000 heating grants to needy and infirm elderly in nearly 100 communities across Israel as part of its annual Winter Warmth campaign.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount