We just have to help our sister-democracy

The economic news coming from Israel is gloomy and we must do our best to help out.

Arutz 7 reports on poverty in Israel:

Another 81,000 people were added to Israel's poverty rolls in the year 2001. The total number of people living under the poverty level at the end of 2001 stood at 1,169,000 - including over a half-million children. Labor and Welfare Minister Eli Yeshai forecasts that the cuts in the budget soon to be passed in the Knesset will only increase the numbers.

Ha’Aretz elaborates further:

Nearly one in five Israelis is living below the poverty line, according to official statistics released Monday, which also revealed that more than half a million children - 27 percent of all children in the country -are among those living below the poverty line.
...
Departing from official custom, the report discussed the expected consequences of current plans to slash NIS 6 billion in NII benefits in the 2003 State Budget. NII researchers estimated that even after receiving social security supplements, the percentage of all Israeli families living under the poverty line will climb from 17.7 percent in 2001 to 19.1 percent in the period 2002-2003.

During the same period, the estimated number of Israeli individuals living under the poverty line is expected to climb to 1.29 million in 2002-2003 from 1.17 million, representing 21.7 percent of all Israelis. The percentage of poverty-stricken children is estimated to reach 605,000 in this period, or 30.6 percent of all children. This would mean one in every three children would be living below the poverty line.

And from the Jerusalem Post, these gloomy economic data:

The Bank of Israel expects the gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink by as much as 1 percent in 2003, according to an official forecast it released Sunday. If the gloomy worst-case-scenario prediction becomes a reality it will mean a third year of economic contraction and drop in living standards.
...
As the recession continues, Bank of Israel economists expect unemployment to worsen, increasing to 12%. But even in a more optimistic projection, the jobless rate is seen to reach 11.7% of the civilian population, meaning that over 300,000 Israelis would be out of work.

Currently, unemployment is at 10.3%, based on the latest Central Bureau of Statistics figures.
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Other projections call for a 2% contraction in the business GDP. Private spending is seen to fall by 1.6%, while exports are expected to decrease 1% and imports by 0.5%.

The least we can do to help is to seek out Israeli products. Arutz 7 lists these relevant web sites:

In response to a recent report by Arutz-7 about a campaign to promote Israeli products in light of the country's financial troubles, many readers asked for a list of such products and where they can be purchased. The following websites are a partial list of sources for such products; more will be added in the future.
* www.jewishuniverse.net/israel/real_estate/realestate.htm
* WWW.FINEFOODSISRAEL.COM - a list of supermarkets and grocery stores that carry Israeli food and beverage products, sorted by U.S. zip code.
* www.judaicawebstore.com

IMRA reports on a Chicago initiative to help Israel’s economy:

Israel's loss of income from tourism and related industries is acute. In an effort to help small business owners, a group of north suburban temples, synagogues, and the JCC are co-sponsoring more than 35 merchants from all over Israel, who will travel to Chicago and bring their Israeli-produced
merchandise for sale.

This merchant fair will be held at North Shore Congregation Israel, 1185 Sheridan Road, Glencoe, on Sunday November 17 and Monday November 18, 2002.

Merchandise includes textiles, tapestries, jewelry, t-shirts, giftware, Judaica, ritual items, art and souvenirs in all price ranges. All proceeds from the event will directly help Israel.

As individuals, we’ll have a tough time matching our financial support for Israel's economy with the funds the PA receives from the EU-niks, from the oil sheiks and even from the US, but we just have to try our best.

Contributed by Joseph Alexander Norland