As the world marks 80 years since the surrender of Nazi Germany: 120,507 Holocaust survivors, Holocaust refugees, and victims of anti-Semitism live in Israel, who are among the "sheltered souls" of the Jewish people.
The surprising statistic: In the past year, they were joined by three new survivors who immigrated to Israel from the countries of the former Soviet Union – and settled in Ashkelon, Bat Yam and Rishon LeZion, despite the Iron Sword War in the country.
The data was published by the Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority, and includes a broad breakdown of the situation of survivors currently living in the country: most of them are in their 80s and 90s, many of them are widowed, some live in poverty, and many suffer from severe loneliness. No fewer than 61,000 of them are widowers and widowers.
Deputy Minister Uri Maklev, head of the Holocaust Survivors Authority, said: "We are blessed to have over 120,000 Holocaust survivors living among us these days - each of them is a whole world, with a life story full of spiritual strength, of rebirth, of rebuilding a life. Every survivor has a past that is living testimony to the horrors of the past, and an unimaginable inner strength to start a family. Our commitment to them is deep and moral - to do everything, in a personal and tailored way, to ensure their quality of life.".
""The Holocaust Survivors' Rights Authority works throughout the year to provide personal care to each survivor - with medical accompaniment, financial support, psychological and social assistance - while continuously monitoring and adapting to the changing needs of each individual.""
Time is running out: Who are the survivors of the 1945 Holocaust?
About 41,000 of them were recognized as direct Holocaust survivors who survived the camps and ghettos, about 43,000 were defined as refugees who fled during the war, mainly from the Soviet Union, and another 36,000 are recognized as victims of anti-Semitic harassment – mainly from the Jews of Morocco, Algeria, and Iraq.
The smallest and most moving group is that of the disabled from the war against the Nazis - only 125 survivors, all nearly a hundred years old, who actually fought as part of the partisans or the fighting armies, and experienced the battles while still boys.
Over the years, the number of survivors has dwindled. While 25 years ago there were about 320,000 survivors, today there are less than half. The average age is 87, and 740 of them are 79 years old - the youngest currently recognized Holocaust survivors.
Among the prominent figures in the published report is a 113-year-old survivor, born in the Soviet Union, who is considered the oldest survivor in the country.
Most of the survivors currently live in Haifa, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ashdod and Netanya – but all over the country, from the edge of the Negev to Safed, you can find modest homes where the heroes of the past reside, sometimes in silence.
Last year, a huge sum of approximately 5.3 billion shekels was allocated for support grants, rewards, and various benefits for survivors. Among the benefits: funding for medical treatments, psychological assistance, additional nursing hours, funding for medications, payment of convalescence fees, and more.
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