The Aliyah and Integration Ministry on Tuesday announced the inception of a call center offering new immigrants emotional support. The hotline, which will operate in five languages, is part of a collaboration with the Community Stress Prevention Center (CSPC).
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The call center will have mental health professionals at callers' disposal and will operate five days a week. Its services will be available in English, French, Spanish, Amharic, and Russian
Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shete said, "Since the outbreak of the pandemic we have seen a sharp rise in the number of Israelis suffering from emotional distress, anxiety, loneliness, and difficulties in coping with the challenges posed by the [coronavirus] crisis.
"For new immigrants, emotional coping is even more difficult due to the many obstacles they face, including lacking language skills and the need to adapt to a new country and culture. I, therefore, directed the ministry to establish a hotline that will provide aid and emotional assistance to olim, in addition to the economic aid and accompaniment in various spheres that the Aliyah and Integration Ministry already offers."
The minister noted that when the crisis erupted, the ministry took steps to provide emergency assistance for new immigrants, which included special grants, an employment program that offers career training, digitization grants for businesses, vouchers for Hebrew studies, and an extension of eligibility for ulpan studies. Other steps included reforming the process hindering olim from obtaining licenses to practice medicine, improving digital access to the ministry's services, and more.
The decision to open the hotline at this time followed a survey that the ministry commissioned that reviewed existing emotional support hotlines operated by the government as a public service. The survey found that these hotlines do not meet immigrants' needs.
According to Tamano-Shete, the hotline's goal is to provide social welfare solutions and ensure ongoing contact with olim so that they don't fall through the cracks in the system.
"Launching the emotional support hotline in collaboration with CSPC is one of the most essential and significant steps taken by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry on my watch. This issue is close to my heart and is not always sufficiently addressed by the government. We will continue to care for the needs of new olim in all areas, first and foremost in the sphere of physical and mental health."
The ministry's hotline will be operated in collaboration with the Community Stress Prevention Center, a leader in promoting and developing emotional resilience in times of crisis, anxiety, and trauma. The CSPC has been providing practical assistance and performing research in this area, in Israel and worldwide, for the past 40 years.
Founder and President of the CSPC Prof. Mooli Lahad said, "We consider our collaboration with the Aliyah and Integration Ministry an essential part of our work in fostering and developing mental health and supporting the olim community in general, and specifically those who recently arrived in Israel.
"Together we will operate five hotlines for consultation, aid, and emotional support in five different languages. These will provide professional and personal assistance to new olim to develop the emotional resilience and coping mechanisms vital to their adjustment and integration in Israeli society."
To reach the hotline, dial: 972-4-7702648 (Russian), 972-4-7702649 (Spanish), 972-4-7702650 (French), 972-4-7702651 (English), or 972-4-8258081 (Amharic).
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