As international media geared up to cover the fifth election in Israel in three years, the cost of living in the Jewish country came under the spotlight.
A reporter from the French Associated press visited a branch of a discounted supermarket in Jerusalem.
“I have no choice but to come here,” a 32-year-old nurse who asked not to be named said, adding that although she and her husband both have full-time jobs and “work like crazy,” including nights and weekends, they are struggling to feed their two children.
“We can’t do it anymore,” she said.
Inflation has become a problem all over the world in the past year. In Israel, the cost of living has been rising for years. The recent spike in inflation – which this month marked a decade-high with a 4.6 percent year-on-year, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics – has made the problem more acute.
Rami Levy, the owner of the popular supermarket chain, said that in the past year, their sales went up by 15%. According to the entrepreneur, the increase is due to middle-class Israelis having started to shop at its stores.
“With prices rising, people who used to be able to afford to shop closer to home are coming to us because they know it’s cheaper,” he told AFP.
“I’m making more and more things at home, especially bread and cakes, to avoid buying them,” said another shopper Ayelet Benshoshan, a mother of five.
With prices reaching over NIS 20 for a package of crackers cornflakes and NIS 30 for 400 grams of tuna, many families cannot afford to eat healthy or worse.
“People start by changing what they eat, then the quality of what they eat, and then they start skipping meals or only feeding their children,” Aron Troen, an expert from Hebrew University, said.
Social organizations like Colel Chabad are also witnessing the effect of inflation.
Colel Chabad’s food delivery service has been working for decades to provide meals for those in need. It is at the forefront of assisting Israeli families suffering from food insecurity.
As inflation in Israel increases and wages remain stagnant, the organization, established over 220 years ago, is seeing an increase in demand for food among Israeli families.
Colel Chabad is working around the clock to meet their needs.
If you can, please consider donating to Colel Chabad today.
