The political chaos Israel is facing presses the need for a political entity that focuses on meeting the needs of elderly Israelis across the board.
The understanding that only an organized political power with an orderly platform can mark actual achievements for senior citizens is at the heart of any effort to form such a political entity.
The latter should avoid dealing with anything other than sectorial policy issues, such as raising pension benefits to match minimum wage, equating men's and women's dependents' pensions, eliminating the disgraceful assessment tests the elderly have to go through to qualify for long-term care benefits, increasing the number of foreign nursing workers, or passing laws fighting abuse against the elderly.
Elderly Israelis wield considerable electoral power and the proper political entity could make the most of this electorate, which numbers some 3 million Israelis.
It is unthinkable that in current-day Israel the police find the remains of senior citizens who passed away without anyone noticing; that Holocaust survivors would be dependent on charities; or that decrees such as "rise before the elderly," and "do not cast me away when I am old," would be anything but obeyed.
We are in need of a political entity that would be solely focused on reinstating, sustaining, and preserving senior citizens' dignity.
Ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, as well as the Islamist Ra'am party, have proven that focusing your energy on specific political objectives gets the job done.
This can be the case for elderly Israelis as well: a pensioners' party must make it clear that is would be willing to consider partnering with any coalition that ensures our elderly receive their rightful place in the society of which they are the founding fathers; that they are afforded nutritional security, proper long-term medical care, and even recreational activities.
Let us pay out debt to our elderly – as we will be them ourselves one day. Let us come together and rise to the challenge of forming a political party that looks out for the elderly's interests and let's do that sooner rather than later.
Dr. Avi Bitzur is the former director-general of the Senior Citizens Affairs Ministry. He currently heads the Gerontology Studies Program at Beit Berl Academic College in Kfar Saba.
