Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors, youth groups and social organizations to stage mass protest in Jerusalem demanding adequate allowances for Holocaust survivors
Ynet reporters

After Holocaust survivor organizations rejected the government's allowance plan proposal last week as "an insulting offer", thousands are expected to demonstrate Sunday morning for the fair treatment of Holocaust survivors and will demand more adequate aid packages.
 
The "March of the Living" will start opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem and will reach the Prime Minister's Office.
 
'Insulting Offer'
 
Holocaust survivors reject government allowance plan  / Yael Branovsky
 
Heads of Israel’s Holocaust survivor organizations hold emergency meeting following Olmert’s proposal to allocate NIS 130 million in financial assistance in 2008; ‘it seems as though the government considers us a burden and is waiting for the biological solution,’ survivor says  
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Survivor organizations are demanding that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meet with them for direct negotiations, in order to find a suitable solution for those elderly Holocaust survivors who cannot live respectably on the minimal allowances they currently receive.
 
Last Thursday representatives of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors met with Prime Minister's Office Director General Ra'anan Dinur for over two hours in attempt to reach a solution. At the end of the meeting, Noah Flug, chairman of the Center of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors, said: "As far as we are concerned, the fight is still on.”
 
The Prime Minister's Office told Ynet Saturday night that by Sunday morning, they expected to announce the date of Olmert's slated meeting with the survivor representatives. In addition, a special committee, made up of members of the Welfare, Finance and Health Ministries, would meet Sunday to draft another offer replacing the previous one, which was rejected.  
Aside from the Holocaust survivors organizations, who daily battle for the stipends, many other social organizations have joined the cause and will attend Sunday's demonstrations.  
Youth groups, university student organizations, the Yadid foundation and the Pensioners' Union, among many others, plan to show their support at the march.   
The National Council of Pupils and Youths, which represents all of Israel's youth, announced that it stood behind the Holocaust survivors and their justified struggle.  
"We have no intention of sitting on the sidelines," said council chairman Nir Katraro. "Their struggle is our struggle." 
A number of Knesset members will also take part in the demonstration. 
Yael Branovsky, Moran Zelikovich and Amnon Meranda contributed to the report    
Holocaust survivors reject government allowance plan
Heads of Israel’s Holocaust survivor organizations hold emergency meeting following Olmert’s proposal to allocate NIS 130 million in financial assistance in 2008; ‘it seems as though the government considers us a burden and is waiting for the biological solution,’ survivor says
The heads of Israel’s Holocaust survivor organizations rejected on Wednesday the government’s proposal to allocate NIS 130 million ($30 million) in financial assistance to survivors in 2008.  
According to the plan, the figure will be almost doubled to NIS 205 million ($47 million) in 2009 and NIS 300 million ($69 million) a year later.  
“The government has no interest in you; it acted out of pity, and all we got was NIS 83 ($19) a month,” said Alex Orly, deputy chairman of the Center of Holocaust Survivors in Israel during an emergency meeting of 45 heads of Holocaust survivor groups.  
The representatives decided to work toward scheduling a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in order to reach a “reasonable agreement”. The Prime Minister’s Office said Olmert had already agreed to hold a meeting.  
'I want to live without hunger'
Survivor Ruth Tatarko told those on hand that she was insulted upon hearing of the proposed allowance.  
“We are the last of the survivors, but it seems as though the government considers us a burden and is waiting for a biological solution,” she said. “The prime minister offered a NIS 80 tip – the shame is painful.” 
Tatarko later told Ynet that should she receive the allowance she would “wipe it on the prime minister’s face”, adding that the proposal “deeply offended and enraged” her.  
Natan Dor, chairman of Amcha (the code word that helped survivors identify fellow Jews in war ravaged Europe), said during the meeting “we are being humiliated once again in our own country.  
“I am not looking for respect, I just want to live without hunger, shame or the need to ask for charity,” he said.  
“Mr prime minister, don’t humiliate us – that (the Holocaust) was there, but it should not happen here.”
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