On May 2, 2019 Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day was commemorated in Israel.
This year, we are exposed to an innovative discourse unknown till now - "Eva Stories" is an educational and social project designed to teach the young generation about the Holocaust through the "Instagram" social network.
The State Comptroller examined the teaching of the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from it in the educational system in state audit report (in Hebrew) "Teaching of the Holocaust and the lessons to be learned from it in the educational system". The findings of the audit disclosed that the Ministry of Education had failed to teach the subject systematically to all age groups; a comprehensive study program for teaching the Holocaust had not been prepared and a significant part of Holocaust education had been transferred from the schools to private institutes.
In addition to the audit work of the Office of the State Comptroller, the Office of the Ombudsman provides assistance all year round to Holocaust survivors. The Ombudsman helps survivors by handling their issues with bodies subject to the authority of the Ombudsman by law, such as the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority and the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in the Ministry of Finance.
The Ombudsman also frequently acts as a bridge between the survivors and private bodies or bodies that are not subject by law to his authority and initiates cooperation in order to assist in the realization of the rights of the survivors and attain improvement in the care provided to them.
The following are a few examples of complaints handled by the Office of the Ombudsman:
Assistance in receiving retroactive reimbursement of monies for Holocaust survivor suffering from dementia
A 96 year-old Holocaust survivor suffering from dementia discovered in 2017 that since 2010, the year in which her dementia was recognized, she had been eligible for assistance from the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority in covering the cost of hiring a foreign care worker. However, the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority refused her request for retroactive reimbursement from the time her illness was recognized. Following the intervention of the Office of the Ombudsman, the Authority reviewed the request and decided, in light of the difficult circumstances of the Holocaust survivor, to approve assistance in the funding of the foreign worker retroactively from July 2010.
Assistance for Holocaust survivor couple in receiving mortgage repayment reimbursement
An elderly Holocaust survivor couple, living on Old-Age Pension and income supplement, applied to the Ministry of Housing for a refund of mortgage repayments. The claimed that they had previously been unaware of their right to assistance from the Ministry of Housing. The Ministry rejected their application. Following the inquiry of the Ombudsman, the Ministry of Housing reviewed the matter and responded that the failure to provide assistance was exceptional and that the Ministry acts on a frequent basis to locate eligible persons and ensure the fulfillment of their rights. The Ministry of Housing reimbursed the complainants with the sum of 12,700 NIS for the years 2011-2017.
Assistance in receiving grant from Claims Conference
A Holocaust survivor filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman after encountering difficulties in receiving a grant from the Claims Conference. The Office of the Ombudsman inquired of the Claims Conference and the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority as to the status of the complainant. The investigation revealed that a copy of the complainant's identity card was required prior to a discussion of the application. The Office of the Ombudsman initiated cooperation between the various bodies involved, which resulted in the verification of the complainant's signature at the day center that he visits. The signature was sent to the Claims Conference - at the end of the procedure, the complainant's application was approved and he received the grant.
In addition, the Ombudsman's inquiry with the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority disclosed that the complainant was unknown to the Authority, and he was thus sent an application form for an annual grant in order to examine his eligibility for a grant and other benefits from the Authority.