Amid recent reports of which countries are the safest, and least safe to be in vis a vis the coronavirus outbreak, Israel ranked first among the safest countries. This is partly due to strict measures and a high level of testing that came into effect relatively early. Today, Israel “only” has several thousand infected, and just crossed the threshold of 30 deaths. Tens of thousands of Israelis are under quarantine having been exposed to, or nearby, someone who has tested positive. While medically, Israelis find themselves in relatively good shape, there are other grave needs that impact Israeli society uniquely.
The ability to track this has been aided by Israel’s secret service using a technology meant mostly to combat terror, and a new app released by the Health Ministry that uses a similar technology to check if someone has been in proximity with someone who is infected. (I have downloaded the app and, thankfully, since the beginning of February, have not been near anyone with the coronavirus.)
Nevertheless, as a small country of 9 million, the economic havoc has been great and will have a negative trickledown for some time. Among other sectors of the economy, the tourism industry has all but been shut down following record years of increased tourism. Before the current crisis, Israel had a remarkably low level of unemployment, around 4%. Since then, more than 1 million Israelis have filed for unemployment, just shy of 25% of the workforce. This is unprecedented in Israeli history, even during periods that Israel suffered from record inflation, economic stringencies and rationing in the early years of independence.
As a result, today, the weakest sectors of the population have been among the hardest hit. In response, to help the most needy with immediate needs, the Genesis 123 Foundation has launched an emergency appeal for needy, poor families in Jerusalem in advance of the upcoming Festival of Passover and Easter, and has called upon Christians and Jews, and anyone who loves and supports Israel, to join in this season.
In response to an urgent request from the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, the Genesis 123 Foundation responded instantly. She appealed to the Genesis 123 Foundation as an organization with a wide reach, building bridges among Jews and Christians, noting how immediate help was needed due to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
Most know of Jerusalem as the sacred ancient and modern capital of Israel, and Israel’s largest city. However, most are unaware that it is also Israel’s poorest city per capita, with large Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities each having relatively high rates of poverty in normal times. The Genesis 123 Foundation campaign will help people from all sectors of Jerusalem’s diverse population.
Deputy Mayor Hassan-Nahoum explained, “Israel took the correct but unprecedented measure of closing down schools and classes including those for at-risk and special needs children. This is causing incredible hardship for some 6,000 families in Jerusalem who have children in these schools, and whose families normally have the respite of a structured educational framework. Adding to the challenges of taking care of special needs children all day with no outside support, about a third of these families, 2,000 households, suffer from severe economic hardship.”
SOURCE: Charisma News
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