‘A society which does not care for its weak is not worthy of recognition

Rivlin said that it was important to keep bringing up this issue to the relevant authorities. He had been dealing with it for 30 years, he said.

By GREER FAY CASHMAN
PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN (standing right) meets on Monday with visitors to the annual Sukkot open house (photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN (standing right) meets on Monday with visitors to the annual Sukkot open house
(photo credit: Mark Neiman/GPO)
While Monday’s rain kept some people from the president’s sukka, many people with disabilities did show up and President Reuven Rivlin bid a specifically warm welcome to the group, later sitting with them.
He told them that the State of Israel, the government and the prime minister have a deep understanding of social issues, including theirs. He added that they would always be welcome at the President’s Residence, and reiterated his belief that a society which does not care for its weak is not worthy of recognition.
Rivlin said that it was important to keep bringing up this issue to the relevant authorities. He had been dealing with it for 30 years, he said.
Because of the generally smaller crowds, those who arrived early were able to take a leisurely look at the exhibits without being pushed aside or in other ways hampered.
The situation was somewhat complicated by the presence of many visitors in wheelchairs, whose demonstrations for higher pensions and grants for the disabled have blocked highways and main streets throughout the country. However, there were no protests or intentional blocking of traffic by disabled visitors to the president’s sukka.
One of them told The Jerusalem Post that they had not come to demonstrate but to state their case to the president.