The Israeli National Insurance Institute report of January 2007 told the country what we at Yad Eliezer had already seen for ourselves: One in four Israelis – over 1.6 million people – lives below the poverty line, defined as $14,000 annual income for a family of four, even though food and cost of living in Israel are comparable to the U.S.  Even more alarming is the rise in the number of poor children. Poverty now afflicts one in three of Israel's children, an increase of 20% in the last five years. Shockingly, Israel now leads all other Western countries in terms of child poverty. Unfortunately, not enough is being done to help. The Israeli government is saddled with a huge defense budget, and while some social services are provided by the government (e.g., medical care), Israel has no national food bank network like that which exists in the United States. On top of this, an economic downturn, terror, and government cuts of social subsidies have thrown the traditional safety net into disarray. Guaranteed income for retirees is down 20%, and child subsidy payments are down 40%. All of these statistics boils down to a single word: Hunger. According to a study commissioned by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, 14% of Israelis aged 20 and over – an estimated 550,000 people – have refrained from food purchases in the past year due to financial difficulties. Nearly 19% of Jewish children in Israel go to bed with an empty stomach at least one night a week. Some 13% of Jewish children in Israel suffer from malnutrition. Indeed, the slogan at a recent demonstration against Israeli government cutbacks was "Don't starve the children." Private organizations like Yad Eliezer have inherited the task of alleviating this hunger. With a $20 million budget and tiny overhead costs, Yad Eliezer is bringing relief to tens of thousands throughout Israel. Unfortunately, the overall situation is getting worse. In 2004, out of the 30 countries belonging to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, Israel ranked 24th on the scale of social expenditure. This was down from 20th place just two years earlier. Unemployment benefits have fallen by a staggering 43% since 2002 ― without any significant decrease in unemployment, which currently stands at almost 10%. Even among working people, hunger is a frequent reality. In 1989, 10% of all working people lived in poverty; by 2003, this had risen to 32%. Furthermore, the gap between the rich and the poor in Israel has grown 23% in the past two decades. Israel now suffers from the second-worst level of inequality – in terms of income, property, capital, education and spending – in the Western world. The wealthiest 10% of Israelis hold more than 70% of the country's private capital, and earn more than 12 times as much as the poorest 10%. Clearly, Yad Eliezer’s relief programs are needed now more than ever.