BREAKING NEWS

Comptroller report: Bureaucracy prevents Holocaust survivors from realizing rights

A new report released by the Israeli state comptroller's office on Wednesday found that Holocaust survivors in the country are not receiving all their rights due to overwhelming bureaucracy by state bodies.
According to the special report, published ahead of Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be marked on Sunday, too many survivors are dependent on non-governmental organizations.  In addition, the report found that 60 million Shekels that were earmarked for aid to elderly survivors, were never utilized due to lack of oversight by the Ministry of Social Equality. 
State Comptroller Joseph Shapira's report cautioned that "The state's attitude toward survivors may affect the memory of the Holocaust for future generations."
Shapira warned that time is running out and the government must work together to make improvements. 
The Center Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel, an umbrella body tasked with caring for Israel's roughly 200,000 survivors said in response, that they hope this year's report's findings are taken seriously and its recommendations adopted.
"Even though improvements were made since the publication of the previous report, a high percentage of holocaust survivors still live in poverty because of inconceivable bureaucracy, patchwork legislation, deficiencies in health services and insufficient resources," the organization said in a statement.