closeicon

Survivor squalor

May 07, 2015 17:28

Whatever our politics, whatever our religious outlook, whatever our income, there is surely one thing on which we can all agree: it cannot be right for Holocaust survivors to live in poverty. Many will be shocked to discover that, according to the Six Point Foundation, there are at least one hundred survivors living below the breadline in squalor. That is a figure that shames our community. When Thea Rudzinski, a Kindertransport refugee from Austria, says, "When you have been through what we have, we are very used to getting by on the bare minimum and you manage", no heart can remain unmoved. It is precisely because of what they have been through that no survivor should ever have to think such a thought. All survivors deserve to live in comfort - and with dignity. We are lucky to be blessed with many generous philanthropists. Quite rightly - and proudly - many British Jews support the network of Café Brittanias in Israel championed by the outgoing British Ambassador, Matthew Gould. But it is simply wrong that so many survivors here are unable to make ends meet. We must act now.

May 07, 2015 17:28

Want more from the JC?

To continue reading, we just need a few details...

Want more from
the JC?

To continue reading, we just
need a few details...

Get the best news and views from across the Jewish world Get subscriber-only offers from our partners Subscribe to get access to our e-paper and archive