Study shows survivors suffer from more cardiac problems than peers

The number of needy Holocaust survivors in Israel will rise until 2015, even as the number of survivors living in the country shrinks from 233,700 to 143,900, according to a study by the Foundation for the Benefit of Holocaust Victims in Israel. Some two-thirds of the survivors by that time will be at least 80.

The foundation distributes funds to some 17,000 particularly needy survivors in Israel, expected to increase to 18,000 by 2015, by which point the needy survivors will comprise 14 percent of all survivors in the country.

"The data show that due to aging, the needs of needy survivors will increase until 2015," said foundation chairman Zeev Factor. "Awareness of the needs of the survivors has increased significantly in the last two years, and the foundation has managed to increase the scope of assistance to survivors by more than 100 percent, but it is our job to make sure the awareness translates into means that will enable the distribution of assistance to all needy survivors."

The number of Holocaust survivors will fall to 46,900 by 2025, the study found. The report is based on research conducted by the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute, a center for applied research on human services in Israel. The study also found that, as a group, survivors suffer more from cardiovascular problems than others their age. They have a 40-percent higher incidence of heart conditions than others aged 60 and above who were born in Europe but did not go through the Holocaust, and a 44-percent higher incidence of sleep difficulties.

Among study participants, 57 percent suffer from high blood pressure, 40 percent from chronic back and neck pain, 39 percent from heart conditions and 26 percent from arthritis. Another 40 percent of survivors who receive aid from the foundation often feel lonely, and about the same percentage has difficulty getting out of the house to conduct basic errands. Some 20 percent of aid recipients are cold in the winter, and about 5 percent reported a lack of food.