75% of them rely on the long-term care system
Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism Day 5786, the National Insurance is publishing up-to-date data on Holocaust survivors and righteous among the Nations living in Israel who are recognized as eligible for National Insurance benefits.
Alongside the survivors' data, there is currently only one righteous woman among the Nations remaining in Israel who receives a pension from the National Insurance, and she is 91 years old.
In addition, there are four spouses of deceased righteous among the Nations living in Israel, who are also eligible for a pension and receive support and recognition from the National Insurance.
Holocaust survivors in Israel
Currently, there are 106,880 Holocaust survivors living in Israel who receive various benefits, including: senior citizen, income supplement, long-term care, attendance and survivors.
- Nursing and functioning: 75% of survivors are eligible for a long-term care benefit – a figure significantly higher than the average for the entire elderly population,
- Income support: 31% of survivors are entitled to an increment of income supplement, which is granted to ensure a minimum income for a dignified existence for those with a low income threshold.
Demographic and age data
Distribution of survivors recognized by the National Insurance Institute:
- Gender: 62% women and 38% men.
- Marital status: 35% of survivors are married.
- Reaching the age of 90: 29% of all survivors are 90 years old or older (approximately 30,900 people). For comparison, in the total population of pension recipients aged 80 and over, only 19% have crossed the age of 90.
Extended financial and long-term care assistance:
Income supplement recipients:
- A total of 33,057 survivors are eligible for income supplement (about 31% of survivors).
- 73% of them live alone (singles).
- Most of those eligible for this supplement are aged 80 to 89 (23,326 people).
Long-term care benefit recipients:
- 80,598 survivors are eligible for long-term care benefit.
- 31% of long-term care recipients are aged 90 and over (24,865 people).
- 21,076 survivors are at the highest level of long-term care (level 6), indicating a need for close assistance and a complex medical condition.
Zvika Cohen, Deputy Director General of the National Insurance: "National Insurance employees see the care of Holocaust survivors as a mission of the highest order. Throughout the year, we work not only to provide benefits, but also to create personal contact, alleviate loneliness, and assist in the take-up of rights. Our responsibility is to ensure that no survivor is left without the response they deserve. The fact that the last righteous woman among the Nations is still among us, along with the fact that about a third of the survivors have passed the age of 90, obligates us to act with reverence. The National Insurance will continue to stand by their side as a national and moral duty."