Welfare Minister (Yesh Atid) Meir Cohen has his work cut out for him, with 1,838,600 Israelis listed as living under the poverty level. In addition, he must continue the major Bituach Leumi (National Insurance Institute) reform while improving services for the growing number of Israelis in need of assistance.

Today, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, every fifth family is under the watchful eye of social services as they cannot make it on their own.

In the previous administration, the ministry was also addressing a need for additional aid for residents diagnosed with autism as health experts’ report one out of every hundred babies born in Israel is diagnosed as being autistic.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)