Some participants of the Wisconsin program are working part time and do not earn minimum wages, therefore they receive welfare payment. People who work less then 30 hours a week, and live in the Wisconsin program area, are forced to participate in a personal program in the center that often includes, like for the other participants, training or community service. Part of participants are even pressured to quit their jobs and get jobs which seem to us full time temporary jobs as cleaning jobs far from home for a single mothers who have little children

Before Wisconsin program people who received welfare payments used to report to the employment office, and when they decided to go on vacation, as entitled by law, the Social Security office used to give them permission.

In the last months we received complaints from women who work part time and asked the center for vacation permission, the center’s answer was that they can have a vacation from work, but they still have to come to the center for their personal program, if they want to receive their allowance. What a vacation can it be.

Lawyer Limor Ben Dror started to deal with the subject and turned to the Wisconsin program administration to answer why the women are not entitled to the vacation that are granted to them by the law. Following letters and telephone calls the center’s lawyer acknowledged the participants’ right to a vacation and the center started slowly and under the supervision of the lawyer Ben Dror, to deal with the participants’ vacation.

We did not receive an official reply, and yesterday we were surprised to see in the Wisconsin program administration’s website new instructions to enable the participants who receive welfare payments the vacation they are entitled by law.

The new order can be read in:

http://www.moital.gov.il/NR/rdonlyres/94935A50-AB7A-4D5B-8483-729B3BA8A7B2/0/20060127529.pdf

We did not receive an official reply yet, and I do not know how long and how much effort it will take to receive one. Nevertheless we felt yesterday that we have a reason to smile. The Wisconsin participants regained another right that was denied them. Through the dedication and the hard work of the center’s workers and lawyer Ben Dror we succeeded in getting a formal recognition. I know that not everybody will get the vacation, but at least it will be easier for us to request it from the centers. Yesterday, despite of the difficult events, we felt that we have a reason to smile.

Rabbi Idit Lev

Recent Articles by Rabbi Idit Lev

• Rabbis for Human Rights protests against the expansion of the Wisconsin plan - September 26th, 2008
• Rabbis for Human Rights calls on Government not to expand the Wisconsin Plan - September 19th, 2008
• RHR protests against procedural irregularities of Wisconsin Plan - August 28th, 2008
• Volunteers Needed for Wisconsin Plan - August 28th, 2008
• RHR supports Empowerment Group for Women - August 21st, 2008
• RHR fights budget cuts that increases social inequalities - August 14th, 2008
• RHR promotes user friendly forms for Wisconsin Plan participants - August 14th, 2008
• RHR and the iniquities of the welfare to work program - July 18th, 2008
• From Welfare to Nowhere: Promoting Human Dignity for victims of the Wisconsin Plan - July 3rd, 2008
• Demonstration against the Economic Arrangements Law - December 13th, 2007
• Victory in the Regional Labor Court - November 4th, 2006
• Conference of local mayors opposed to the Wisconsin Plan - November 4th, 2006
• Ensure Economic Justice: Help the victims of the Wisconsin Plan - September 29th, 2006
• Re'e: Human Rights and ignorance and abandonment by the government - August 17th, 2006
• The Wisconsin Program: What really happens - August 11th, 2006
• Rabbis for Human Rights activists succeed in influencing changes to the Israeli Wisconsin Program - August 4th, 2006
• Rabbis for Human Rights seeks to secure Social security allowances for all Wisconsin Program Participants - July 21st, 2006
• Rabbis For Human Rights protects the rights of the unemployed - July 13th, 2006
• RHR succeeds in modifying the the Omnibus Law of Arrangements (Economic Arrangements Bill) - June 29th, 2006
• RHR demonstrates for Social Justice - June 23rd, 2006
• Rabbis For Human Rights Opposes the Omnibus Law of Arrangements (Economic Arrangements Bill) - May 22nd, 2006
• Omnibus Law of Arrangements: Background Information - May 22nd, 2006
• Rabbi Idit Lev - May 22nd, 2006
• Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson's Speech to the Knesset Plenum – State Budget and Arrangements Law for 2006 - May 8th, 2006
• Vaethannan: Acceptance of the land, and forgetting God - August 19th, 2005

Categories: Economic Justice, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Tags: Bo, human rights, order, palestinians, settlers