Food Security in Israel: Government Has the Responsibility

July 26, 2012 By:

Starvation does not exist in Israel. Nevertheless, almost one-fifth of the population is hungry, and
this statistic is even more disturbing in light of the fact that the Israeli government in recent years
has done everything in its power to avoid taking responsibility for the food security of its
citizens.

A hopeful sign, though, is the recently announced plan by the Minister of Welfare and the prime
minister to set aside $25 million for food for children and the elderly. A number of nonprofits,
among them the one Idirect, YEDID, were the catalyst for this historic move.

More, of course, needs to be done.

In the past two years, the focus has been on the development of tools that will lead to the creation
of solutions addressing not only food distribution but also the development of jobs for the
disadvantaged populations on the periphery of Israel and in distressed neighborhoods of its cities
and towns.

The government has begun to understand that it can no longer shirk its duty. Social service
organizations have finally realized that just distributing food is not the best solution. There are
better ways to feed the hungry that can also preserve the needy person's self-respect -- in
particular, the distribution of special food cards.

Following an appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court Justice, the government published a special
report that set its level of responsibility for the first time. Actualizing the report's conclusions are
at the forefront of the present struggle between the government and a coalition of civil society
organizations headed by YEDID whose goal is to establish, once and for all, the government's
responsibility for the food security of its citizens.

The essence of the argument is not only about responsibility but also of money. Larger estimates
point to a budget of $160-$210 million a year. Lower estimates point to $13 million. YEDID has
calculated that at least $53 million is required to reasonably resolve the problem for most of the
needy population. A portion of this population will not be recognized by the government and will
have to continue to receive assistance from organizations in the private sector.

YEDID recently published a plan for dealing with food insecurity. The following are a few of the
principles outlined in the plan: establishing a package of solutions for the entire adult and
juvenile population; creating a National Council for Food Security to be the government policy
tool; finding solutions for children in the formal and informal education system; and prioritizing
the subject of food security as a means to expand employment among disadvantaged populations
and small businesses on the local and regional levels.

YEDID is the force behind the Welfare Ministry's National Council for Food Security, which
will act to create a policy for resolving the food problem in Israel. It will determine a package of
possible solutions, create a budget for them and then work to implement them.

YEDID is advancing a series of four laws in the Knesset that will widen the scope of the existing
school nutrition program. They call for:expanding the universal "hot meal program" to all
elementary schools in Israel, including recognized non-government schools; introducing the hot
meals project in middle schools; implementing the breakfast law, which will ensure that schools
not supplying hot lunches, primarily high schools, will provide breakfast; and facilitating the
"Meals on Vacation" bill, which will make certain that children from low-income families
receive hot meals during the long summer break as well as during Passover, Sukkot and Chanu-
kah vacations.

YEDID's strategic plan deals with more than direct food provision. In cooperation with other
nonprofit organizations such as Shatil, Agik and the Center for Nutritional Security at Ben-
Gurion University of the Negev, YEDID helped present a bill that will give preference to small
businesses, cooperatives, and local community organizations bidding in government and
municipal tenders for food provision services.

In the coming years, the government's involvement in food security will grow and budgets will
increase accordingly. Gradually, new solutions and services will be developed to replace the
massive distribution of food packages to needy people who, in the past, were forced to stand in
long lines.

Sari Revkin lobbies for social change in Israel at the helm of YEDID.






Pengangguran Di Israel Semakin Tinggi
Selasa 9 Jamadilakhir 1433 / 1 Mei 2012 22:21

islampos.com TINGKAT pengangguran di Israel dikabarkan telah mengalami peningkatan
sebesar 6,9% selama Maret 2012, dengan jumlah 246.000 orang menganggur pada angkatan
kerja tahun ini, Biro Pusat Statistik Israel melaporkan.
Tercatat tingkat pengangguran pada Maret 1,2% lebih tinggi dari tingkat rata-rata pengangguran
pada 2011, kemudian mengalami kenaikan sebesar 0,4% pada Februari 2012, yang mencatat
tingkat pengangguran sebesar 6,5%.
Meskipun angka-angka menunjukkan kekhawatiran, peningkatan tajam dalam tingkat
pengangguran di Israel ini bukan disebabkan oleh gelombang pemecatan massal, melainkan
akibat penerapan metode perhitungan baru yang lebih ketat, atas permintaan dari Organisasi
Kerjasama dan Pengembangan Ekonomi (OECD).
Dimulai pada Januari 2012, Biro Pusat Statistik Israel telah menerapkan metode perhitungan
baru, yang membawa tingkat pengangguran di Israel dari 5,4% pada akhir tahun 2011 menjadi
6,5% pada Maret 2012.
Metode perhitungan baru ini menganggap karir dan tentara reguler sebagai bagian dari angkatan
kerja yang dipekerjakan. Menurut standar OECD, seseorang dianggap penganggur jika berusia
lebih dari 15 tahun dan aktif mencari pekerjaan.
Perubahan signifikan lain adalah dari metode frekuensi pengukuran; di bawah sistem baru,
tingkat pengangguran dilaporkan setiap bulan bukan setiap tiga bulan, yang secara signifikan
telah meningkatkan jumlah penganggur yang ada. [sm/islampos/ynet]








31% Penduduk Israel Mendekati Garis Kemiskinan
Jumat, Oktober 18, 2013 MA'HAD ISLAMIC CENTER eLKISI No comments
Sebuah fakta mengejutkan terjadi di negara yang kini sedang menjajah bumi Palestina, Israel. Dalam
laporan yang telah dikeluarkan oleh badan Biro Pusat Statistik Israel, menyatakan bahwa sekitar 31%
dari penduduk Israel kini sedang mendekati garis kemiskinan, dan tingkat kemiskinan di Israel ini dua kali
lebih banyak di bandingkan negara-negara Eropa .

Data tersebut menunjukkan bahwa sekitar 40% dari anak-anak di Israel berada di bawah ancaman
kemiskinan sejak tahun 2011, dibandingkan dengan 20 % anak-anak di Uni Eropa .
Dalam keterangan yang dikeluarkan oleh Biro Sensus Israel, di Israel dan negara-negara Uni Eropa yang
paling rentan terhadap kemiskinan adalah golongan anak-anak dan orang tua, dibandingkan dengan
orang berusia antara 18 dan 64 tahun.

Dalam laporan tersebut menyatakan bahwa jumlah warga Israel yang mendekati garis kesmiskinan naik
dari 26 % pada tahun 2001 menjadi 31%, seperti dilansir oleh surat kabar The Jerusalem Post Israel.
Para pakar Israel dalam bidang ini menuduh pemerintah bertanggung jawab atas masalah kemiskinan
yang akan dihadapi sebagian besar warga Israel di masa mendatang. (almasryalyoum/zhd)