Minister okays construction of public housing units for Holocaust survivors in J'lem neighborhood beyond Green Line.
By DANIELLE ZIRI, DANIEL K. EISENBUDTalpiot 521(photo credit: Courtesy)
On Tuesday, Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel approved the construction of an additional 50 public-housing units for Holocaust survivors in the east Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem, which lies beyond the pre-1967 Green Line.This is the first such public-housing plan approved for east Talpiot in over 10 years.The Bayit Yehudi MK made the announcement as he visited Holocaust survivors in a public-housing building for the elderly in Jerusalem and expressed his satisfaction with the building, which in his words “gives the feeling of a permanent home and not just a temporary apartment.”“These 50 homes, which will be added to those existing homes for the elderly in east Talpiot, will be earmarked for Holocaust survivors,” Ariel said in an Israel Radio broadcast, adding that “building will continue in accordance with what the government’s policy has been thus far.”In Jerusalem there are 701 publichousing units in seven buildings that are designated for seniors, and another 207 such units in the settlements of Ariel and Ma’ale Adumim.In an interview with Channel 10, Ariel stated that the majority of planned housing construction is in the Negev and Galilee regions.“[The government] will build in Judea and Samaria more or less as it has done previously,” he added. “I see no reason to change it.”At his meeting in Jerusalem with survivors, the minister shared the personal story of his mother, the only one in her family to survive Auschwitz, and stated that as the number of survivors dwindles, there is great need to ensure that those who are still alive enjoy the best living conditions possible.“Along with our moral and Jewish obligation to care for them, we will also firmly treat violence against the elderly,” he stated. “We will have no future if we do not remember our past and those who worked hard for our right to exist in this country. The Holocaust proved that there is only one place for Jews, here in Israel.”The housing ministry operates some 100 public-housing complexes for seniors, which include close to 11,500 units inhabited by about 16,000 people over the age of 65, many of whom are Holocaust survivors.These senior complexes provide residents with a range of services, including medical care, housekeeping, food and leisure.Residents of such units pay a subsidized rent of eight percent of the income they receive from social security, which amounts to NIS 340 each month for a couple and NIS 230 a month for a senior citizen living alone.
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