It's cold in Israel - indoors, too - and families are suffering.
They can't afford the cost of heat. And electricity rates are rising 3.8% this year!
According to recent surveys, about one million Israeli households are in crisis - an increase of 7.5% compared to
figures of just 2-3 years ago. Many are new to the poverty threshold and are just one bill away from crossing it.
With the costs of basic necessities continuing to rise, it's becoming harder than ever for families to get by just with daily needs, including utilities. Parents & children sleep in layers of clothing and wear coats inside frigid homes, foregoing heat so they don't have to forego food.
Forty percent of polled citizens who rely on charity and social services have reported having their electricity shut off after being unable to pay their bill, causing them to live in unbearable & unimaginable conditions.
"It's extremely scary, trying to take care of my family while not being able to use the electricity as much as we genuinely need. The costs are so high; we try to only leave one light on at a time. I limit myself to doing laundry once a week, squeezing in as much as possible and only doing the most urgent clothes or towels. I don't know how to keep going...the cold is already setting in to the apartment, I don't know how we will manage when the temperatures really drop-I won't be able to turn a heater on! I just wish my children didn't have to suffer..." says S., a Jerusalem mother of three young children.
American Friends of Yad Eliezer | B'ezri's Electricity Support program provides emergency relief to alleviate this suffering for families, many of whom are single mothers, providing assistance to pay electric bills so parents and children can live in functional, normal environments. As one of the major Jewish charities that help the poor in Israel, bringing a sense of normalcy to homes-in-crisis is our priority.
Your help will ensure that clothes can be washed, children can be bathed, food and medications will last in the refrigerator, lights - and heat - can be turned on and all the other benefits that electricity provides, will be available to poor families.
The cost of electricity is rising again! It's making the lives of struggling families even more difficult.
The need for help is urgent and rapidly growing.
Please contribute to the Electricity Support program - your tzedaka will empowerfamilies
to live with dignity and warmth this winter.
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