Woe and Hunger Follow Economic Hardship

We spoke to several chareidi families who are having trouble putting food on the table.

“We have three sons in the house, plus a two-year-old daughter with a congenital disability,” Yisrael (full name withheld), an avreich, tells Mishpacha. “My wife doesn’t work because someone has to stay home to watch over our daughter, who is classified as 100% disabled, so we’re experiencing extreme difficulties with parnassah. Before the coronavirus burst into our lives, we managed to get by through temporary jobs. Now it’s all over.”

“I found myself calling people on Fridays to ask for loans of NIS 100,” another avreich tells Mishpacha. “I had to resort to that to buy basic necessities for Shabbos. Even after shuls reopened, I’ve been unable to daven in the shuls in my neighborhood because there’s no one there to whom I don’t owe money. I have no idea what will be tomorrow. The only thing I can do is ask that you make heard our cry, the cry of countless families that are dealing with an economic crisis from which they can’t extricate themselves.”

According to National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi) figures for 2016, 17.8% of households in Israel suffer from food insecurity. In addition, another 9% of households experienced hunger in different degrees that year. When you add the severe economic crisis, you get a recipe for disaster for many families.