Israel’s recently published Poverty Report for 2008 shows that poverty in Israel has worsened, the gap between rich and poor is bigger than ever and an increasing number of children are living in poverty.

The report, published by the Israeli National Insurance Institute, shows that even many Israelis who have a job and an income, are still considered to be living in poverty.

[Miri Endeweld, Head of Economic Research Department]:
"We look at the family’s income. Then we calculate the level of poverty according to different family types: elderly, single parent, etc. Then we calculate not only how many poor people there are in that family, but how poor the family is as a whole, and how far below the defined poverty line their monthly income falls."

On the plus side, the report shows an improvement in the income of elderly people compared to 2007, due to an end in government cuts to the old age pension.

[Mazal Katzav, Pensioner]:
"The National Insurance Institute cut down the pensions. Now they've cancelled the cuts and the pensions have gone back to what they used to be, but it’s not enough. We put up with a lot to be satisfied with very little. We never throw away food or bread or anything."

Of particular concern in the report are the 783,000 children in Israel who are living in poverty. A new national program for children at risk is addressing this issue, and one of its objectives is to support young children after school hours.

[Yekutiel Sabah, Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Services]:
"The national program for kids at risk is comprehensive in terns that, for the first time, different ministries and agencies are trying to work together and to offer programs, a very wide area of programs for children at risk between the ages of zero basically to 18."

The Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs and Services and the Ministry of Education offer children special clubs where they can go after school to get support.

[Yekutiel Sabah, Director, Ministry of Social Affairs and Services]:
"There is the staff that is giving them food, meals sometimes dinner and lunch and dinner and helping them go through homework, and to learn to play together and to behave together and to do what kids of this age are doing instead of being in the streets."
Israeli authorities are hoping that providing support such as this will help people break out of the cycle of poverty.

Reporter:  Lee Rom

Photographer: Anat Markram

NTD, Jerusalem, Israel.