Rivlin speaks to Israeli citizens caught in web of bureaucracy
During the present health and economic crisis, the number of requests for assistance has intensified.
By GREER FAY CASHMANIsrael President Reuven Rivlin(photo credit: JERUSALEM POST)
Approximately a month ago, the President's Office put out a bulletin stating that anyone caught in the web of bureaucracy during the coronavirus crisis and in need of help in overcoming bureaucratic obstacles should apply to the president for help.Response to the offer was fast and furious.President Reuven Rivlin did not leave the matter solely to his staff, but became involved himself, and on Sunday spoke by phone to several citizens whose requests had reached his desk.One of the people that he spoke to was a former soldier suffering from shell shock who wanted help in renewing his permit for medical cannabis.A young boy who called wanted assurance that youth activities would be maintained. A man who had run an independent business asked to receive the grant to which he was entitled, but which had not yet found its way to his bank account.The President's Residence, which Rivlin often refers to as the home of the nation, receives appeals, requests and complaints all year round, and the president's staff attends to them – and in many cases, problems are solved. But during the present health and economic crisis, the number of requests for assistance has intensified. It was this escalation that prompted Rivlin to invite the public to turn to him if faced with bureaucratic constraints.Most of the problems involve difficulties with various ministries, which react somewhat differently to a call from the President's Office than to one from an ordinary citizen. One person who thanked Rivlin said: "You have instantly accomplished what I was unable to achieve in a period of four months."In at least one case, Rivlin, who had been approached by a boy scout who wanted his group to continue meeting, recalled that as a youth, he had been a member of the scouts himself, and had many pleasant memories of that experience.He was pleased that the government had already delivered part of the grant intended for the scouts.
