In less than two weeks, Israel will mark the anniversary of the greatest catastrophe in its history: A murderous terrorist attack that led to the deaths of more than 1,000 civilians and hundreds of security personnel. Hundreds more families have joined the circle of bereavement since that day, following the Iron Swords war that ensued.
Children who have lost a parent need a supportive framework to overcome the tragedy. Lack of appropriate support can lead to a series of psychological damages and long-term consequences on the life of the orphaned child.
The number of orphaned children who have lost one parent currently stands at 870, with an additional 23 orphans who have lost both parents. An inconceivably high number of families and children have been profoundly affected in all aspects of life. The events of Oct. 7 left Israel grappling with a national and social catastrophe, instantly exposing numerous failures in the ability to provide rapid response to such a large number of victims, as well as revealing many gaps in Israeli law that require urgent correction.
One of the failures exposed in the wake of the war concerns the situation of those who divorced or separated before the catastrophe, and then found themselves ineligible for the same rights as other bereaved families. This group of orphans, as of now, is not entitled to the same rights as those whose parents were married.
The law, in its current form, creates significant disparities between the two groups of orphans. These gaps are not only in the amount of funding but also in the basket of rights granted to families who have lost their most precious – such as rent assistance, car purchase aid, psychological treatment for the remaining parent, and more.
The existing legal arrangement also fails to acknowledge the impact on the earning capacity and employment continuity of the remaining parent, who is not considered a widow or widower, as a result of the dramatic change in the circumstances of the orphans and the entire family unit. This discrimination is certainly unjustified and lacks any reasonable explanation.
It is clear that the situation of a divorced woman left to care for her children alone is no different from that of a widow left to care for children. Both experience similar difficulties, face the same great economic and family burden of coping alone with children who have experienced a terrible trauma, and it doesn't matter what the nature of the relationship was between them and the parent who was killed.
Children who have lost a parent need a supportive framework to overcome the tragedy. Lack of appropriate support can lead to a series of psychological damages and long-term consequences on the life of the orphaned child, something we at Hamaniyot (Sunflowers – sanctuary for orphaned children) are familiar with from our encounters with the children we accompany in our activity centers.
Therefore, it is clear to us that there is crucial importance in providing an adequate response to children, with the basis being the investment of appropriate budgets and providing tools to those left to care for them.
When examining the situation of orphaned children, it certainly doesn't matter what the family status was on the eve of the catastrophe. All that matters is what needs to be done to assist the entire family in the task of rehabilitation. After all, how are these children at fault?
The other day, a private bill by MK Ofir Katz was brought up for discussion in the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee. The bill was born out of the initiative of the families of the Nova massacre victims and with the assistance of Hamaniyot, which accompanied the families in this context and seeks to bring about a correction and equalization of the rights of all war orphans. The current bill is not complete, and it recognizes only some of the rights that need to be equalized – but it is a first and important step towards correcting the existing injustice.
This is the need of the hour, and this correction cannot be postponed. The pain, the struggle, and the need to rehabilitate and succeed in building a worthy life are no less for these orphans, and they should not have to wait any longer.
