To:

Subject: Search for charities.

Dear MRS AND Mr.

In recent years, I have been involved in the struggle for the disabled in the State of Israel – the struggle that is widely known in the media as well.

However, even after many years of struggle, it became clear that there is still no reasonable solution in the housing sector for the disabled and other disadvantaged populations in the State of Israel.

Of course, the Corona epidemic, which has been hurting in recent months (I write these words on Sunday, July 12, 2020), has led to a considerable worsening of the situation – and not just the disabled population: many people who have lost the ability to earn a living have literally become hungry for bread.

I ask you this: Do you know charities, or business people who can help in order to alleviate the plight of these population groups — and given that no one knows how long the situation will last?

Later in my letter I describe about the difficulties of the public to which I belong – the disabled public.

1) My I.D. no.: 02947403

2)My emails: 02947403@walla.co.il or abs783a@gmail.com or assaf197254@yahoo.co.il or ass.benyamini@yandex.com or a32assaf@outlook.com or: assaf002@mail2world.com 

3)   My caregiving organization:

Reuth – Avivit Hostel 6 Ha’avivit St.

Kiryat Menachem, Jerusalem 9650816.

Hostel office telephone no.: +972-2-6432551 or +972-2-5428351 Hostel email: avivit6@barak.net.il

4)   At a meeting with the Avivit Hostel social worker at 13:30 on 12 December 2017, I was explicitly forbidden to disclose any of her particulars and/or other employees of Avivit Hostel or of Reuth.

5)   My family doctor:

Dr. Michael Halav

Clalit Healthcare Services, Ir Ganim branch 63 Borochov St.

Kiryat Yovel, Jerusalem 9678150.

Clinic telephone no.: +972-2-6440777, fax: +972-2-6438217.

6)Below is my correspondent with a social worker from Reuth in late January 2020:

25.1.2020

Dear Ms. Tal Lotan,

re: Apartment at 115 Costa Rica St.

I wish to notify you that the blinds in the living room are stuck and cannot be moved. Is it possible for a member of the hostel staff to fix it? (I do not know how to

fix this or if I have to call the apartment owner to do so). What do you think? Sincerely,

Assaf Benyamini, resident at the Avivit assisted living hostel PS

I recently sent you the attached letter by regular mail via Israel Postal Company. I would appreciate it if you could respond to the question I raised in it.

12.1.2020.

Dear Ms. Tal Lotan, re: Lease period

The lease to my apartment expires on 14 July 2020. I believe that there is room to consider asking the apartment owner to clarify whether she agrees to extend the lease. I note that I wish to continuing living in the apartment, but if the apartment owner does not want to extend the lease, I must prepare accordingly and start looking for another apartment.

Sincerely,

Assaf Benyamini, resident at the Avivit assisted living hostel PS    My I.D. no.: 029547403

My letter to the social worker Tal Lotan 10 Yahoo/incoming mail

Assaf Benyamini 15 January at 15:50

by + 6 Tal

Assaf Benyamini

I do not understand. When do you intend to ask the apartment owner the question? WHEN? It is not possible understand from the answer “Three months in advance is the common practice” when you intend to ask her this question. (I prefer as soon as possible, because, in contrast to previous occasions when I moved, this time my health is worse and I cannot personally pack my belongings. If I have to move apartments, this time, it will be much harder for me physically, and the whole process will therefore take much longer. However, it would be much easier emotionally. I therefore ask again, if my remarks were not understood: when do you intend to ask the apartment owner on this matter?

Sincerely,

Assaf Benyamini, resident at the Avivit assisted living hostel

Sunday, 26 January 2020, GMT+2 10:46:27 TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com wrote 26 January 12:28

·         TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com

To: Assaf Benyamini 26 January at 14:09

We will contact you next month. Just take into account that, under the contract, you or she may give three months advance notice.

On Sunday, 26 January 2020, at 12:29 from Assaf Benyamini

Show the original message

Assaf Benyamini

To: Tal Lotan

26 January 2020, at 14:13 Okay. Thank you.

On Sunday, 26 January 2020, at 14:09:58 GMT+2

TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com wrote

Hide original message

We will contact you next month. Just take into account that, under the contract, you or she may give three months advance notice.

On Sunday, 26 January 2020, at 12:29 from Assaf Benyamini

I do not understand. When do you intend to ask the apartment owner the question? WHEN? It is not possible understand from the answer “Three months in advance is the common practice” when you intend to ask her this question. (I prefer as soon as possible, because, in contrast to previous occasions when I moved, this time my health is worse and I cannot personally pack my belongings. If I have to move apartments, this time, it will be much harder for me physically, and the whole process will therefore take much longer. However, it would be much easier emotionally. I therefore ask again, if my remarks were not understood: when do you intend to ask the apartment owner on this matter?

Sincerely,

Assaf Benyamini, resident at the Avivit assisted living hostel

On Sunday, 26 January 2020, at 14:09:58 GMT+2

TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com wrote

 Hi, it is customary to give three months prior notice, but it is also possible sooner.       

Saturday, 25 January 2020 at 20:00 from Assaf Benyamini

I understand, but when do you intend to ask this question? Saturday, 25 January 2020, at 19:46:52 GMT+2

TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com wrote

It is too soon, even if you say that, hypothetically, you want to extend, but she is obliged.

In short, it’s too soon.

Saturday, 25 January 2020 at 19:07 from Assaf Benyamini

— Message sent —-

From: Assaf Benyamini

To: TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com

Sent on: Saturday, Saturday, 25 January 2020, at 16:31:35 GMT+2 Re: My letter to the social worker, Tal Lotan

Fine. What is your opinion about the second question I asked (asking the apartment owner if she intends to renew the lease or not)? Naturally, if the apartment owners does not agree to renew the lease after 14 July 2020, I will have to find another residential solution (and this time, packing my personal belongings will take much longer because of my worsening health, which will not allow to pack by myself).

Assaf Benyamini

Saturday, 25 January 2020, at 16:22:17 GMT+2

TAL LOTAN talotan39@gmail.com wrote

Hi Assaf. With respect to the blinds, I’ll ask Baruch to take a look, and if it’s a bigger malfunction, I’ll contact Sigalit.

Assaf as goals that must be achieved. 

7)This Following is a 17-page Social Report, which was written about me on 6/28/2011.

* I would like to point out that I arrived for rehabilitation at the Kfar Shaul Psychiatric Hospital in Jerusalem on 8 March 1994 and not during 2004, as was mistakenly written in this report.

 REUT Community Mental Health Registered Society   “Avivit” Hostel

Avivit Hostel, 6 Avivit St., Jerusalem 96508, Telefax: 02-6432551

Email: avivit6@barak.net.il

June 28, 2011

To,

The M.G.A.R. Company

Re: Assaf Binyamini, Id. No. 29547403 – Psychosocial Report

General background: Assaf was born in 1972, bachelor, lives alone in an apartment on HaRakefet St. under the status of protected accommodation (sheltered housing) on behalf of a rehabilitation basket, he subsists by means of a disability allowance on the background of a mental disability.

Assaf is the eldest son in a family comprising four people. His parents divorced when he was eight years old, the relationships between his parents during their marriage are described as harsh. The father remarried and Assaf had three half-siblings from this marriage. After the divorce, Assaf remained with his mother and his sister.

Since his childhood, Assaf suffered from emotional and motor difficulties. Following a change of residence at the age of 4, he stopped talking. He was referred to psychotherapy in a therapeutic kindergarten. Assaf was a quiet child who used to seclude himself, he spent the afternoon hours reading history books, working on computers, his only social activity was within the framework of chess games.

During his adolescence, his mental health condition deteriorated severely, he developed persecutory delusions (Illegible), among others against his father´s wife. A suicide attempt was exhibited and he was hospitalized several times at the Geha Mental Health Center. An attempt to rehabilitate him was carried out at a hostel in Petah Tikva, yet it failed. From this age, he was no longer integrated within any framework, he was a socially-rejected child, his strange behavior also caused great aggression from his surroundings towards him, and this worsened his condition even more.

In his early 20’s, Assaf suffered from diverse symptoms, the main ones being obsessive-compulsive, which included self-harm as well – such manifestations of physical self-harm never returned in this manner, but currently, Assaf hurts himself, by means of the manner he utilizes in order to cope with society, and the reality that surrounds him (and regarding this issue – further information will be provided in the sequel).

In 2004, Assaf was hospitalized in the Rehabilitation Department in Kfar Shaul and from there he moved to a protected accommodation (sheltered housing) with the escort of the Enosh Mental Health Association. Over the years in which he was treated at the Rehabilitation Department, his condition improved, the obsessive-compulsive symptoms weakened significantly, and no psychotic content such as delusions or hallucinations were observed. Assaf was escorted by the rehabilitation team of the Kfar Shaul Psychiatric Hospital, he continued receiving escort at his residence through the Enosh Mental Health Association, he received psychiatric treatment, his mental health condition has stabilized and he lives independently within the community.

Assaf worked voluntarily for several years at the National Library of Israel yet he left due to a deterioration in his physical condition. Afterwards, Assaf worked for about a year and a half at the Ha’Meshakem Sheltered Company (2005 – 2006). He left due to difficulties with the staff, according to him. Subsequently, he worked in a sheltered production plant on HaOman St., and he left due to transportation difficulties while trying to arrive to this workplace. During 2006 – 2007, a gradual decline in his physical and mental condition has taken place, and since then he suffers from an accumulation of mental and physical problems – back problems, digestive problems, deterioration of his psoriatic condition, joint problems, more severe and more frequent anxiety attacks. Assaf has lost faith in the public services, he claims that there is a deterioration in the quality of service and the professionalism of the employees. He has terminated his connection and relationships with the   Enosh   Mental   Health   Association, attempted   an   accommodation   escort  by  means  of  the  Kidum

REUT Community Mental Health Registered Society  “Avivit” Hostel

Avivit Hostel, 6 Avivit St., Jerusalem 96508, Telefax: 02-6432551

Email: avivit6@barak.net.il

Association, which has not succeeded. In April 2007, he approached the Tzohar Association, a private association that engages in rehabilitation and recuperation.

In November 2007, he was referred to the Reut Community Mental Health Registered Society and was admitted under the status of protected accommodation (sheltered housing) at the Avivit Hostel, and he is escorted by the Hostel’s staff.

During our escort, provided during the last three years, a deterioration in Assaf’s mental health condition can be observed, and following are several indices regarding this deterioration:

A.     Assaf’s level of suspicion is increasing, a suspicion that intensifies by a pessimistic world-view, an absolute lack of trust and faith in any therapeutic factor, whether medical, psychiatric or professional. The relationship that he maintains with the Hostel’s staff is very partial, he refuses to accept guides (instructors) from the Hostel and he is willing to maintain contact solely with the social worker, whom he also regards as a representative of a system that does not seek his well-being.

B.     A tendency to seclusion which worsens. Assaf is not connected to any social framework. He does not maintain any friendly human relationship, not with the Hostel’s residents, and as stated-above, neither with guides (instructors) from the Hostel, not with his family, whom he also distances himself from, almost up to a complete detachment (the word “almost” is utilized since his mother insists on maintaining the connection despite his resistance). He does not partake in any community life, finds himself secluded in complete solitude on Saturdays and Holidays, he does not respond to any offer to join a certain framework, an event, Holiday eves and the like.

C.   Entanglements and encounters with therapeutic factors: over the three years, during which we have been escorting Assaf, he managed to swap between several Family Physicians at the HMO, some of them clearly sought his well-being, yet he did not know how to identify this. He quarreled and argued with the staff at the Mental Health Community Clinic in Kiryat Yovel and outright refused to continue his psychiatric surveillance there. There too, the staff tried to come towards him, yet he did not notice it. Despite the fact that he is the main sufferer from this story, he appealed to every entity related to mental health in order to obtain an alternate psychiatric surveillance. Finally, following our appeal to the Ir Ganim HMO, a certain arrangement was achieved, beyond the letter of the law, allowing the required surveillance at the HMO. His encounters are always accompanied by writing dozens of complaint letters, including appeals to the media, with regard to all the factors that treat him: the rehabilitation basket, the Reut Community Mental Health Registered Society, the National Insurance Institute, the HMO’s and more.

D.     Boycott of the Hostel and the escorting Association: although he keeps receiving an escort on behalf of the Reut Community Mental Health Registered Society, he refuses to arrive by himself to the Hostel, and the encounters are carried out solely as house calls. His suspicion and hostility are directed towards the Hostel’s staff and residents and he even writes complaints and greatly complains about the escort itself. Nonetheless, a certain level of normal reality judgement does exist, and despite the anger and the complaints, he has refrained so far from disconnecting the relation with us as well.

E.     An increasing level of anxiety: Assaf is very anxious about his upcoming future, both in terms of his psychiatric health and his accommodation options as well as financially and existentially. This level of anxiety makes him live in unbearable scarcity and austerity.

F.     Abstinence and austerity during his daily life: Assaf is convinced that in the not-so-distant future he will become homeless, and out of his own considerations, he saves electric power and saves on any other expense, and therefore, he does not heat his apartment during the winter, does not heat his food and he does not allow himself to experience any pleasure or contentment. He also economizes when it comes to his health matters, such as dental treatments or medications that might alleviate the physical suffering and pains he suffers from.

REUT Community Mental Health Registered Society                                                

“Avivit” Hostel

Avivit Hostel, 6 Avivit St., Jerusalem 96508, Telefax: 02-6432551

Email: avivit6@barak.net.il

G.     An obsessive engagement in correspondence and writing to every possible factor that he thinks that his story may touch his heart, thus making him provide assistance within extensive correspondence has become his life-practice, he writes, photographs and sometimes distributes in dozens of copies, to Government Offices, Knesset Members, periodicals and magazines, associations, law firms, private bodies and entities, places of business and more. In most cases, he does not receive any replies, in certain cases he receives some attention – this practice awarded meaning and content to his life. According to him, as long as he is alive, he will continue and this is his way of fighting for the rights that he deserves.

H.     Difficulties in adjusting to places of employment: along the entire time period, Assaf exchanged several places of employment, each time on the basis of difficulties or accessibility or complaints regarding his terms of employment. However, it should be noted that recently he found by himself a place of business that employs him three times a week, and so far, they are pleased with him. Assaf himself does not have a lot of faith in this place, yet as of today, and for the past two months, he has managed to persevere. 

In summary: there is no doubt that his psychiatric image is not common, there are several capabilities that are relatively preserved, such as: the cognitive capability, his oral and writing expression capabilities, and on the other hand, a severe mental injury. He is situated within an enclosed circle of loneliness and despair. The nature of his symptoms does not allow him to receive any assistance or support, he is convinced that the entire world is against him, that there is no way out, and that the situation will only get worse. There are no psychotic outbursts in the customary sense, yet there exist tantrums and severe aggression, which currently, are mainly directed towards his mother when she dares to visit him (this was much worse when he lived with a partner who suffered from his severe tantrums, and as a result we were forced to discontinue their apartment partnership). With regard to Assaf, the sensation is that the entire structure is a hermetic paranoid structure, his reality judgement is very defective and inadequate and this is particularly obvious when he does not identify the people who want to assist him and he pushes everyone away. It is possible to notice the decline of the effect, up to the absence of any human emotion, even with regard to close people or caregivers/therapists, with whom he is in daily contact. The dominant emotion that controls him is despair, which keeps worsening. This influences his life quality, not to mention the extremely low level of life in which he subsists.

As the person who has been escorting him for the past two years, and from the conversations he held with the Psychiatrist who treated him, there is no doubt that his behavioral difficulties, his mental problems, the tantrums and the like, pertain and emanate from his mental disorder, and therefore, his blunt, insulting and outrageous behavior should also be regarded as a symptom of his problems and not as a separate part of them.

Naomi Harpaz

Social Worker

The Avivit Hostel

Ir  Ganim.

8)Below are some explanations/details about the housing condition of the handicapped.

a.       Problem of financing/paying rent – many years ago, (and it is not clear by whom, but apparently some government official) it was decided that handicapped persons living in the community were eligible for NIS 770 per month to pay rent. As is known, home prices have soared in Israel in recent years, naturally pulling up rent as well. But the figure of NIS 770, completely arbitrarily set many years ago without any explanation or logic, has not been updated.

Regrettably, even after extensive correspondence (thousands or even tens of thousands of letters, and to the regret of this author, these figures are no exaggeration), sent to every possible party – various desks at the Ministry of Housing and Construction, other ministries, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office, numerous journalists, many of whom this author has spoken with personally, numerous attorneys, and even investigation firms and the embassies of foreign countries – nothing has helped. The result is that the amount of aid has not been updated and many handicapped are ejected to the streets to die there of hunger, thirst, or cold in winter or heat

stroke and dehydration in summer.

It should be noted that rights organizations, such as Yedid: The Association for Community Empowerment and universities and colleges’ legal aid clinics with which this author corresponds, are never able to help, for a simple reason: the amount of aid of NIS 770 is prescribed by law, and rights organizations can help pursuant to current law. The only address where there is a need for legislative amendments is the Knesset.

But matters only get more complicated: as is known, for a long time (these lines were written on Friday, 17 January 2020) Israel has been in one election campaign after another, and even the third elections, scheduled for six weeks hence, will not necessarily herald the establishment of a functioning government. It should be noted that even when the Knesset and government responded to the inquiries of this author and the handicapped organizations and many others in the matter of the aid, Members of Knesset automatically directed the inquiries to the rights organizations, even though the Members of Knesset are fully aware that, in this case, the organizations are not the address; they themselves are.

b.       Communications with apartment owners: there are many cases in which the handicapped struggle to negotiate with apartment owners, because of their disability or illness. Under these circumstances, social workers must serve as mediators, and most social workers cannot really assume this role in every case. Moreover, deep cuts in recent years in the number of social worker positions, together with difficult work conditions, low pay, frequent improper treatment on the part of the patients’ families – who often unjustifiably consider the social workers as responsible for the faulty care their relatives receive – combined with the impossible workload that sometimes forces them to neglect urgent or hazardous cases, add to the difficulties of the handicapped in finding a suitable apartment and for the social worker to help him.

c.       Patients’ means of payment – there are cases in which a person moves to live in the community after a long period in hospital and lacks the normal habits of life, such as going to work or taking responsibility for managing his life. Frequently, the conditions for signing a lease, such as a guarantee check, are unattainable for people in this stage of their lives. Previous treatment and rehabilitation structures (one of which this author used 25 years ago when he was discharged from hospital to an assisted living facility) have been closed or have slashed their operations in recent years, thereby preventing rehabilitation by people in this stage of their lives, who cannot make progress without these critical treatment and rehabilitation structures.

d.       Regulatory problems – currently, there is a complete imbalance with respect to rights and duties of apartment owners on the one hand and lessees on the other hand. Many laws protect apartment owners against possible abuse of the lease period on the part of the lessees; conversely, there are no laws to protect tenants against abuse by the apartment owners. Consequently, leases include many scandalous, draconian, and sometimes even illegal clauses, and there are no laws to protect the lessees, who are compelled to sign the leases. In many

cases, lessees have no legal right to object to the harmful clauses that they must sign as a condition for renting the property, and they are utterly exposed to the capriciousness of the apartment owners, sometimes even during the lease period. This is obviously a problem for the general population, but thought should be given it is naturally more difficulty for disadvantaged groups, such as the handicapped or sick to deal with apartment owners under these circumstances.

e.       Difficulties in explanations – there are substantial difficulties with respect to the difficulties raised and their disclosure in the public arena for the purpose of making the necessary amendments. The current priorities of the various media, which are not interested in the subject, division between the handicapped organizations, disinterest of a great many parties in the society in which we live to take an active role in efforts to correct and improve the situation weigh and greatly hinder the efforts to raise public awareness about these problems in a way that will force Members of Knesset to amend the laws rather than to continue ignoring them and do nothing. There is another difficulty with respect to launching an advertising campaign: handicapped people living on a disability pension cannot pay the huge sums advertising agencies demand for managing a campaign to deal with this issue, and the great many efforts by  this author to bypass this obstacle by joining a student advertising project have not helped, because the students have shown no interest and considered the issue to be important.

9) Link to the channelyoutube I opened on 28 April 2020:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX17EMVKfwYLVJNQN9Qlzrg

10) On August 10, 2018, I joined a social movement called “We Shall Overcome” – a movement that seeks to represent the interests of the transparent disabled, namely: people who suffer from serious health problems that are not conspicuously external to invisibility that deny civil and social rights on a very wide scale.

Its director  and founder of the movement is Tatiana Kadochkin, whom it is possible to reach in phone number 972-52-3708001 Sunday to Thursday from 11 am to 8 pm – except for Jewish and Israeli holidays.

I hereby attach a link to our movement’s website: https://www.nitgaber.com/

11)my phone numbers:

at home-972-2-6427757.

cellular-972-52-4575172.

fax-972-77-2700076.

12) More personal details:

Birthdate: Nov 11, 1972

Marital status: Single.