A growing number of Anglos in the affluent city of Ra'anana are seeking emergency welfare assistance, local volunteers admitted yesterday.
Activists blame the economic downturn and particularly the high-tech collapse for the problem, which they say has left has several formerly middle-income families with no income and yet numerous financial commitments.
"People think that everyone is comfortable in Ra'anana, but that's not so," said one volunteer for a local welfare assistance group, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Anglo File.
She said the organization had given out 900 welfare packages in the city before Passover last month, as opposed to 450 last year and estimated that while in 2002 between five to 10 packages went to families from native English-speaking countries, this year the figure jumped to 25.
"It's very difficult to get real facts and figures, especially when it comes to middle and upper income families," she said. "People are very sensitive to confidentiality. It's very hush-hush."
"The situation is getting worse," said Barry Kornel, who chairs the Ra'anana regional committee of Telfed (the South African Zionist Federation) that is involved with a food delivery project in which food is transferred on a daily basis from Ra'anana restaurants to local residents in need, including several Anglo families.
Kornel said he did not know who the recipients of the food are due to confidentiality reasons. As a result, only one volunteer from the committee meets the recipients face-to-face.
Dutch-born Ra'anana resident Max Grunberg, who sits on the Ra'anana Chesed [Welfare] Committee, also agreed the number of Anglos in dire need in Ra'anana is on the rise. He said an additional problem faced by native English-speakers in need, is their reluctance to contact social welfare agencies.
"Anglos [tend to be] educated and live in middle class environments and it is very difficult emotionally" to seek help, he said.
Though their financial circumstances may be worsening, Grunberg said it is common for Anglos "to hide or try to hide" their problems, leading to pockets of hidden poverty.
"It may be your neighbor, but you don't know these people are in that situation," he said, adding that because Ra'anana's Anglo community is such a close-knit network, it was very difficult to "come out of the closet" and declare the need for help.
Grunberg emphasized that when people do seek help, there is an extensive support system in place and families are given food packages, food vouchers, information about free loans and more.
"There's only a certain amount of time you can hide," he said. "Eventually the bills get too high. People can only hold on so long before the banks start knocking at the door."
Grunberg spoke of cases where both parents had lost jobs at the same time and "with the family's financial obligations" the situation had become very difficult, leading to great tension within the family.
He added that relocating to a cheaper part of the country was not always an option as apartments can be difficult to sell and rental leases hard to break.
Other residents of Ra'anana spoke to Anglo File on condition of anonymity.
One spoke about the strain on children living in a neighborhood with so much affluence, where some children regularly give NIS 100 birthday presents and others have to select which birthday parties in order to limit outlay on presents.
Another said he was pleased to hear of plans to stop using the city's absorption center as a first home for new immigrants because of the pressure many felt to stay in the area "especially once children were already settled into school" whether or not they could afford it.
One long-term Ra'anana resident emphasized that it was not just new immigrant families in financial dire straits, but also those who have lived here many years, who were bilingual and had much work experience in the country.
A former South African spoke of the intense shame experienced by fellow countrymen who were struggling financially, "especially when you think of how we grew up on the fat of the land and then to come here and be in that situation."
One woman said there had been several collections at her synagogue for unidentified local families who have fallen on hard times.
"Social services would never hear about something like this, nor would any of the welfare organizations. It would only come from a neighbor, friend or a family member."
A spokeswomen from the Municipality of Ra'anana said officials were "aware of the financial difficulties experienced by some residents, in the light of the economic depression and the redundancies in the hi-tech industry [which affects] new and veteran immigrants alike, as well as native Israelis.
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