A Journalist Investigation into Lishkat Hataasuka’s Dubious Practices
Within the maze of bureaucratic intricacies that characterize the procedures of Lishkat HaTaasuka, the promise of income support for eligible claimants stands as a distant and often unattainable goal. The system, marred by its default denial approach and obscured procedures, presents insurmountable hurdles for individuals seeking essential income support.
Sometimes I think that the slogan Arbeit macht frei would be a perfect match for the office of Employment Service. This is a German phrase meaning “Work sets you free”, is the infamous sign over the the entrance to Auschwitz. It would perfectly match the organizational culture of this place, intimidation, inhuman attitude, sadistic clerks, medical committee run by so-called “occupational physician”. The sheer number of security guards policing this grim institution adds to the sinister similarity.
Arbitrary Refusals: A Systemic Injustice
The challenges experienced by individuals seeking income support in Israel are not limited to isolated cases, but rather are widespread issues that affect a significant number of people on a daily basis. According to data from Lishkat Hataasuka, the situation is alarming: around 50,000 income support claimants struggle with the complex bureaucracy and arbitrary denials within the system each month throughout the country. What is particularly worrisome is that nearly half of these claimants are 55 years old or older, underscoring the difficulties faced by older individuals in obtaining the assistance they deserve.
The core problem stems from the opaque modus operandi employed by Lishkat Hataasuka, where transparency remains a foreign concept. In contrast to Bituah Leumi’s website, which provides a clear and comprehensive platform allowing claimants to monitor each document, requirement, or unresolved matter, Lishkat Hataasuka operates in a completely different manner. Within this system, everything remains hidden behind a curtain of personal, frequently demeaning, exchanges with Lishkat Hataasuka officials.
Personal Experience: The distressing part of my interaction with Mrs. Tagorov-Shpak was her highly abusive and manipulative behavior. She used intimidation tactics, threatening to issue job refusals if I didn’t accept positions that didn’t align with my medical limitations. Her approach felt predatory, pushing vulnerable individuals into abyss of despair and exploiting any misstep or lack of familiarity with bureaucratic procedures. I wonder where the loyalty of Mrs. Tagorov-Shpak lies, with the government office and the people she supposed to serve or with manpower companies (mostly cleaning and caregiver services) to which she sends desperate people. I find it disconcerting that Hefziva Belms, the manager of Lishkat Hataasuka Haifa, who made her career in Histadrut, Israel’s national trade union, supports and encourages abusive behavior of her subordinates and dispatches income support claimants to shady manpower companies operating as slave farms.
This lovely lady is Mrs. Tagorov-Shpak, the Nurse Ratched of Lishkat Hataasuka. Nurse Ratched is a character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a famous 1975 film directed by Miloš Forman, based on the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. Nurse Ratched is a sadistic, manipulative, and vindictive character intimidating the mental patients in her care.
The amount of negative feedback we got about this lady is staggering. Please share your experience.
Lack of Transparency
The lack of transparency isn’t merely an inconvenience for individual claimants; it’s a systemic tool used by Lishkat Hataasuka officials to assert power and make the lives of 50,000 income support claimants each month incredibly challenging. Why should individuals seeking support have to implore Lishkat Hataasuka officials for physical copies of critical documents like medical committee decisions or job offer refusals? The absence of online tracking for appeal statuses or access to submitted documents adds to the frustration and helplessness of claimants.
This isn’t a localized problem. It’s a national crisis affecting individuals from Eilat to Qiryat Shemona. The 50,000 income support claimants, with a significant portion being older individuals, confront these barriers daily. These issues are not limited to personal inconveniences; they are fundamental violations of rights, denying individuals the fair access and transparency they deserve in a system meant to support them during vulnerable periods.
The labyrinthine procedures mandated by Lishkat HaTaasuka place claimants at an immediate disadvantage. Clearing issues exclusively through physical coordinators provides ample opportunities for officials to obfuscate, delay, or outright deny access to crucial documents, such as refusal notices or decisions made by appeal committees. This deliberate lack of transparency leaves applicants in a state of helplessness, forced to plead for necessary paperwork or information, often to no avail.
Furthermore, the digital infrastructure of Lishkat HaTaasuka’s website is woefully inadequate. The absence of tools for document tracking or accessing vital information online, coupled with a meager 2MB upload limit for documents, places an undue burden on claimants. Many struggle to compress files to meet this limit, exacerbating an already complex process.
Power Abuse and Unnecessary Bureaucratic Burdens
Lishkat HaTaasuka officials wield unchecked power in denying income support, often disregarding medical restrictions set by the medical commission. The arbitrary nature of refusals and the inundation of claimants with numerous, often irrelevant job offers only add to the plight of individuals seeking support. The system creates unnecessary hurdles, such as superfluous and confusing appointment invitations via various communication channels, forcing claimants into time-consuming and fruitless meetups.
A Call for Urgent Reforms and Accountability
The plight of income support claimants demands immediate attention and reform. Transparency should not be a luxury but a cornerstone of any system purporting to offer support. Lishkat Hataasuka must undergo a significant overhaul, introducing comprehensive online platforms akin to Bituah Leumi’s, empowering claimants with access to their documents and the ability to track their appeals.
Additionally, accountability mechanisms need implementation. Claimants should have the means to rate their experiences and interactions with Lishkat Hataasuka officials. This will not only ensure fair treatment but also hold officials accountable for their actions, reducing instances of arbitrary refusals and power abuses.
The situation facing income support claimants in Israel transcends personal grievances; it’s a nationwide crisis of systemic flaws and injustices. With urgent reforms and a commitment to transparency and fairness, we can begin to alleviate the burdens placed on 50,000 individuals each month, providing them with the dignity and support they deserve.
Discrimination and Limited Job Opportunities
The plight of income support claimants is compounded by discriminatory practices. These individuals, pressured by the threat of income support denial, find themselves at the mercy of employers who exploit their vulnerability. Jobs offered through Lishkat HaTaasuka often come from unscrupulous manpower companies with poor records of workers’ rights violations and a history of flouting labor laws. The absence of employment contracts, unchecked working conditions, and a lack of verification mechanisms for employers foster an environment akin to a modern-day slave market.
Age discrimination further exacerbates the challenges faced by older applicants. The risks associated with offered jobs, especially for elderly individuals, pose severe threats to their health and safety. Yet, qualified job opportunities for income support claimants, especially in the older age bracket, are conspicuously absent, highlighting a systematic failure to address the unique needs and risks faced by older individuals in the workforce.
Urgent Need for Reform and Empowerment
The systemic flaws within Lishkat HaTaasuka demand urgent reforms. Transparency, accountability, and an overhaul of the digital infrastructure are critical to provide equitable access to income support. Mechanisms for rating coordinators and employers, as well as legal assistance for claimants facing labor rights violations, are imperative.
Moreover, discriminatory practices, especially against older applicants, must be addressed, ensuring that job opportunities are not only available but also consider the health and capabilities of individuals.
In the absence of these crucial changes, Lishkat HaTaasuka perpetuates a cycle of vulnerability, exploitation, and powerlessness for income support claimants. The system designed to offer support instead becomes a quagmire of bureaucratic entanglements and institutionalized discrimination, robbing individuals of their dignity and basic rights.
Call to Share Your Experience
Are you an individual who has navigated the intricate process of facilitating income support through Lishkat Hataasuka? Your voice and experiences are essential in highlighting the systemic challenges and inefficiencies present within this system. We invite you to share your journey to help shed light on the realities faced by thousands of individuals seeking support across Israel.
Your firsthand experiences can offer invaluable insights into the hurdles, frustrations, and injustices encountered while interacting with Lishkat Hataasuka. Whether you faced arbitrary refusals, struggled with lack of transparency, encountered difficulties accessing critical documents, or experienced challenges due to age discrimination or questionable job offers, your story matters.
By sharing your experiences, you contribute to a collective narrative that amplifies the need for urgent reforms within Lishkat Hataasuka. Your insights can pave the way for change, advocating for greater transparency, fairness, and dignity for those seeking income support.
Your voice can spark awareness, inspire reforms, and empower others who are currently navigating similar challenges within the system. It’s time to elevate your experiences to a platform that can bring about meaningful change.
Whether your journey was marked by success or obstacles, your perspective is invaluable. Your story matters, and your courage in sharing it can pave the way for a more just and supportive system for income support claimants across Israel.
Join us in sharing your experience with Lishkat Hataasuka and let your voice be heard. Together, let’s work towards a more transparent, fair, and equitable system that ensures dignity and support for all those seeking income assistance. Your story can make a difference.
IsraelNews.org requests claimants of income support and unemployed job seekers to provide information on situations when officials of Lishkat HaTaasuka:
– issued unjustified refusals or made arbitrary decisions creating difficulties in obtaining income support or unemployment benefits;
– created artificial difficulties in obtaining income support or unemployment benefits;
– used your lack of knowledge of bureaucratic procedures to artificially create difficulties in obtaining income support or unemployment benefits;
– used lack of transparency in document workflow to artificially create difficulties in obtaining income support or unemployment benefits;
– used intimidation to force you to give up your rights on income support or unemployment benefits;
– used intimidation to force you to accept job offers incompatible with your health or professional profile;
– used intimidation to force you to accept job offers from companies abusing worker rights and labor laws.
קריאה לחלוק את החוויה שלך: סיוע כלכלי דרך לשכת התעסוקה
האם עברת בעצמך את המבוך הבירוקרטי של קבלת הבטחת הכנסה בלשכת התעסוקה? הקול והחוויות שלך חיוניים כדי להאיר את האתגרים המערכתיים וחוסר היעילות הקיימים במערכת זו. אנו מזמינים אותך לשתף את המסע שלך, ולסייע בהשלכת אור על המציאות שאלפי מבקשי סיוע בכל רחבי ישראל מתמודדים איתה.
הניסיון שלך ממקור ראשון יכול לספק תובנות יקרות ערך לגבי המכשולים, התסכול והעוולות שנפגשים בהתמודדות עם לשכת התעסוקה. בין אם נתקלת בסירובים שרירותיים, התמודדת עם חוסר שקיפות, נתקלת בקשיים בגישה למסמכים חיוניים, או חווית אתגרים הנובעים מאפליה גילנית או הצעות עבודה מפוקפקות, הסיפור שלך חשוב.
על ידי שיתוף החוויות שלך, אתה/את תורם/ת לנרטיב משותף המגביר את הצורך ברפורמות דחופות בלשכת התעסוקה. התובנות שלך יכולות לסלול את הדרך לשינוי, ולדרוש שקיפות, הוגנות וכבוד גדולים יותר עבור מבקשי הבטחת הכנסה.
הקול שלך יכול לעורר מודעות, להוביל לרפורמות ולהעצים אחרים שנמצאים כעת במסלולים דומים במערכת. הגיע הזמן להעלות את החוויות שלך לפלטפורמה שיכולה להוביל לשינוי משמעותי.
בין אם המסע שלך היה רצוף הצלחות או מכשולים, נקודת המבט שלך יקרת ערך. הסיפור שלך חשוב, והאומץ שלך לשתף אותו יכול לסלול את הדרך למערכת תומכת וצודקת יותר עבור דורשי הבטחת הכנסה בכל רחבי ישראל.
הצטרף/י אלינו ושתף/י את החוויה שלך עם לשכת התעסוקה ותן/ת לקול שלך להישמע. יחד, ניפעל למערכת שקופה, הוגנת ושוויונית יותר המבטיחה כבוד ותמיכה לכל מחפשי הבטחת הכנסה. הסיפור שלך יכול לעשות את ההבדל.
Являетесь ли вы человеком, прошедшим сложный процесс получения поддержки доходов через Лишкат Хатаасука? Ваш голос и опыт необходимы для того, чтобы пролить свет на системные проблемы и недостатки этой системы. Мы приглашаем вас поделиться своей историей, чтобы помочь осветить реальность, с которой сталкиваются тысячи людей, ищущих поддержки по всему Израилю.
Ваш непосредственный опыт может дать бесценную информацию о препятствиях, разочарованиях и несправедливости, с которыми вы столкнулись, взаимодействуя с Лишкат Хатаасука. Независимо от того, столкнулись ли вы с необоснованными отказами, боролись с отсутствием прозрачности, испытывали трудности с доступом к важным документам или столкнулись с проблемами из-за возрастной дискриминации или сомнительных предложений о работе, ваша история имеет значение.
Делясь своим опытом, вы вносите свой вклад в коллективное повествование, которое усиливает необходимость безотлагательных реформ в Лишкат Хатаасука. Ваши идеи могут проложить путь к изменениям, выступая за большую прозрачность, справедливость и уважение к тем, кто нуждается в поддержке доходов.
Ваш голос может привлечь внимание, вдохновить на реформы и поддержать других, которые в настоящее время сталкиваются с аналогичными проблемами в системе. Пришло время вывести ваш опыт на платформу, которая может привести к значительным изменениям.
Независимо от того, был ли ваш путь отмечен успехом или препятствиями, ваша точка зрения бесценна. Ваша история имеет значение, и ваша смелость в ее рассказе может проложить путь к более справедливой и поддерживающей системе для заявителей на получение помощи по доходам по всему Израилю.
Присоединяйтесь к нам, поделитесь своим опытом с Лишкат Хатаасука и позвольте своему голосу быть услышанным. Вместе мы будем работать над созданием более прозрачной, справедливой и равноправной системы, которая гарантирует уважение и поддержку всем тем, кто нуждается в помощи по доходам. Ваша история может иметь значение.
دعوة لمشاركة تجربتك: المساعدة المالية من خلال مكتب العمل
هل مررت بنفسك بالمتاهة البيروقراطية للحصول على الضمان الاجتماعي في مكتب العمل؟ صوتك وتجاربك ضرورية لإلقاء الضوء على التحديات النظامية وعدم الكفاءة الموجودة في هذه المنظومة. نحن ندعوك لمشاركة رحلتك، والمساعدة في تسليط الضوء على الواقع الذي يواجهه آلاف طالبي المساعدة في جميع أنحاء إسرائيل.
خبرتك المباشرة يمكن أن توفر رؤى ثمينة حول العقبات والإحباط والظلمات التي تواجه عند التعامل مع مكتب العمل. سواء واجهت رفضًا تعسفيًا، أو تصارعت مع عدم الشفافية، أو واجهت صعوبة في الوصول إلى وثائق مهمة، أو واجهت تحديات بسبب التمييز العمري أو عروض العمل المشبوهة، فإن قصتك مهمة.
من خلال مشاركة تجاربك، فإنك تساهم في سرد مشترك يعزز الحاجة إلى إصلاحات عاجلة في مكتب العمل. يمكن أن تؤدي رؤيتك إلى تمهيد الطريق للتغيير، والدعوة إلى شفافية أكبر وعدالة واحترام أكبر لطالبي الضمان الاجتماعي.
يمكن لصوتك أن يثير الوعي، ويؤدي إلى الإصلاحات، ويعزز الآخرين الذين يواجهون حاليًا مسارات مماثلة في النظام. حان الوقت لرفع تجاربك إلى منصة يمكن أن تؤدي إلى تغيير ذي مغزى.
سواء كان رحلتك مليئة بالنجاحات أو العقبات، فإن وجهة نظرك ثمينة. قصتك مهمة، والشجاعة التي تشاركها يمكن أن تمهد الطريق لنظام أكثر دعمًا وعدلًا لطالبي الضمان الاجتماعي في جميع أنحاء إسرائيل.
انضم إلينا وشارك تجربتك مع مكتب العمل واسمح لصوتك بالسماع. معًا، سنعمل من أجل نظام أكثر شفافية وعدلًا ومساواة يضمن الاحترام والدعم لجميع الباحثين عن الضمان الاجتماعي. يمكن أن تصنع قصتك الفارق.
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Y says
Nival Benoyan (ניבאל בנויאן), a job coordinator of Employment Bureau, Haifa, had been listed as my account manager at the personal zone of Lishkat Taasuka website. I sent her email with request to provide copies of refusals issued against me. She called me back only to say in repeating the same meaningless phrases about necessity of physical visit to get a printout without providing any information about refusals. All information about refusals is opaque. You can easily miss one before you have chance to appeal. No information in personal zone. No access to refusals and appeals and decisions of appeal committee. No confirmation that your appeal is accepted. The same goes about medical documents and decisions of medical committee. All copies are handed out only in printed out, not digital, form and only through physical meeting with job coordinator. The Employment Bureau is still not aware that we are in 21st century.
Leah says
Actually Lishkat Taasuka has a lot of similarities with mafia-type organization:
– they make offer you can’t refuse;
– intimidation is part of a daily routing of Lishkat Hataasuka workers;
– they specialize in human trafficking, the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour in shady manpower companies;
– they have protection in high places;
– they kill, albeit indirectly, by denying assistance for helpless, those on the brink of financial precipice, below poverty line; by sending aged and sick into harm’s way, forcing forcing people into jobs beyond their physical capacity; by pushing people to suicide.
Alex says
Kafkaesque. You are entitled for income support by all criteria of Bituah Leumi but Employment Service has unlimited power to deny it and the use it and abuse it to the hilt. You will be insulted, humiliated and denigrated by these creatures inhabiting office of Employment Service for the very fact that you dare to apply for income support. You will be offered hellish jobs for measly pay faraway from your home address. And if you dare to fight for your rights you will be drown in a swamp of opaque convoluted bureaucratic procedures.
Rivka says
This place is hell. The clerks yell at visitors. No concept of dignity at all. I have serious medical issues that severely restrict my physical capability. The medical commission is a sham yet even its restrictions are totally ignored. I have no income, how I’m supposed to get to interviews for cleaning job 40 km from Haifa. All job offers are from manpower contractors disregarding any labor legislation, worker rights and medical restrictions. Tried to complain to Hefziva Belms, manager of Haifa office, She just cut me short in the middle of sentence and said with low mechanical voice that all companies are vetted by Employment Service.
Saul says
The service I received was deeply disappointing and far below any acceptable standard. My interaction with a coordinator named Marina Tagorov was particularly disheartening. She exhibited extreme impatience and disdain, seemingly disregarding almost everything I communicated. Her approach was repetitive and mechanical, solely focused on pushing me into any minimum wage job without any consideration for my state of health and age. The level of opacity in this process was unparalleled in my experience.
J. says
I underwent surgery and had to submit a form granting me 30 days without the need to physically visit the office, which I promptly sent in. To ensure its receipt, I called the employment service line, only to encounter unhelpful staff who provided me with the wrong email address for my case worker. After finally reaching my case worker, I explained my inability to walk due to the surgery. Instead of being understanding and accommodating, she was impatient and uncooperative, insisting that I come to the office in person. Despite my explanation, she refused to assist me and didn’t bother checking for the email I had sent. Despite assurances that they would contact me after reviewing my email, she declined to search for it on her end. Consequently, I never received any follow-up and have now been cut off from receiving unemployment benefits. This experience with employment service official was exceptionally appalling, surpassing any prior negative encounters.
Roni says
Huge waste of taxpayers’ money, about NIS 300 Mln down the drain annually. That amount would be better spent as income support payments to those who need it badly to survive and being intimidated and denied much needed help by a bunch of corrupt and sadistic clerks. Computerized job matching system would do a better job and would be more humane than this army of nasty parasites.
Michael says
I’m sure my job co-ordinator at Lishkat Hataasuka has framed me for job refuse by colluding with employer, a manager of a shitty cleaning manpower company. I contacted the employer. She asked if I had any cleaning experience which was compulsory. I did not which ended the job interview. Yet my job co-ordinator at Lishkat Hataasuka still filed the job refuse claiming I did not contact the employer.
Yael says
The Employment Service officials abuse the requirement of mandatory monthly visits to issue refusals, You get multiple and conflicting messages inviting you to visit Lishkat Hataasuka several times a month. via personal area of Lishkat Hataasuka website, email, SMS and whatsapp, leading to unnecessary visits. However, if you got confused and missed a visit, they issue refusal. You may never miss a visit and still get a “failed attendance” refusal status at Bituah Leumi cause Lishkat Hatatasuka provided false report. There is no attendance log at the personal area of Lischkat Hataasuka website. Arguing with Bituah Leumi and Lishkat HaTaasuka about failed attendance status is lengthy bureaucratic process. The system is rigged against income support claimants, they drop on you totally arbitrary refusals faster than you can process and react. It’s a full power of government machine against vulnerable individuals, a pure power abuse.
David says
I had an appointment with Mital Ashuri at Haifa Branch of Employment Service. It’s amazing how they all start from intimidation. It’s like all Employment Service coordinators went through some some course of intimidation technique. I met this Mital for the first time in my life and she immediately attempted to put me on defensive.
“What about job? Why you are not working? Everyone has to work. I don’t like your attitude…”
When I asked her about bureaucratic procedures of refuse appeal Mital either knows nothing or delivers long sentences devoid of any sense or information in highly authoritative manner.
Don’t let them intimidate you. Don’t agree to accept jobs that do not match your fitness/health state. No amount of your collaboration will get your income support cleared through Employment Service, they will always find an excuse to issue a job refuse.
Виктор says
Нет никакого смысла соглашатся на работы которые они предлагают. На свободном рынке все условия лучше чем через лишкатку. Они там все в лишкатке на взятках от кабланов сидят, вот и гонят кабланам бессловесных рабов. Лучше бутылки из мусорных ящиков собирать чем на их работы соглашатся. Кабланы, работающие через лишкатку, все жулики, денег все равно не заплатят.
Борис says
Марина еще та сука. Выписывает отказы вообще без причины. Посмотрел не так, сказал не так, отказ. Жаловаться бесполезно, Хацива (Начальница Хайфского отделения) ее всегда прикрывает.
טטיאנה says
אני מוכרחה לצאת עכשיו מהחדר הזה, מהבניין הזה, מחיפה כולה. האוויר פה סמיך לאיום, רווי בלחץ כמו רגע לפני סערה. הפקידה, אותה אישה חיוורת מאחורי דלפק הפורמייקה, עקבה אחרי כל תנועה שלי כמו נץ רעב. היא
.לא צעקה, לא הרימה קול, אבל המילים שלה, קצרות וחדות כמו סכינים, חתכו בי עמוק יותר מכל צעקה
.”את בטוחה שאתם מחפשים עבודה?” היא חקרה, הקול שלה משחק בין ספקנות ארסית לאדישות מזויפת. “שלחתי עשרות קורות חיים,” נאנחתי, תוך שאני מנסה לשמור על קול יציב. “שום תגובה”
.”אולי כדאי לחפש טוב יותר,” היא מלמלה לעצמה, אבל המילים ננעצו בי כמו סיכות. “אולי את לא מחפשת מספיק קשה.”
הרגשתי את החום עולה בלחיי. הייתי מובטלת חצי שנה, כל יום חיפוש היה מלחמה, מלחמה נגד יוקר המחיה, נגד הדאגה שמכרסמת בי, נגד השיפוטיות הזאת, החצופה, כאילו אני נהנית מהמצב, כאילו העוני הוא בחירה ולא
.גזירה
.”יש עבודה בשבילך,” הצהירה בקול צורמני, כאילו הכריזה מלחמה, לא הציעה הזדמנות. “ניקיון במשרדים. 12 שעות ביום, 6 ימים בשבוע, שכר מינימום. בלי חוזה , בלי שטויות”
.דממה נוקשה ירדה. היא ציפתה כנראה להכרת תודה, להשתטחות על הרצפה. במקום זה, הרגשתי את הדם עולה לראשי. הילדים שלי רעבים, החשבונות נערמים, אבל אני לא נואשת. אני לא ארקוד לפי החליל הרקוב שלה
.”ואם אני לא רוצה?” הקול יצא נמוך ויציב, הפתיע אפילו אותי
.עיניה הצרות התמצמצו בחשד. “לא רוצה?” היא רטנה, הקול עולה בדרגה. “תראי, גברת, הרבה כמוך פה יורקות על ההזדמנויות האלה. חושבות שהן נסיכות. רוצות משרה במשרד עורכי דין, מזכירה בכירה. אין כאן כזה דבר
.פה צריך לשפשף רצפות, להזיע”
…הרגשתי איך הלחי שלי בוערת, אבל לא הייתי מוכנה לוותר. “ואם העבודה הזאת מפרה את חוקי העבודה? שעות נוספות לא חוקיות, שכר שלא לפי התקן, אפילו חוזה אין”
.היא צחקה צחוק צורמני, קר וציני. “חוקים?” היא לעגה. “את רוצה חוקים? פה בעולם האמיתי, החוקים זה אני. את רוצה סירוב? בבקשה, תחתמי
YK says
As an individual navigating the complexities of seeking income support from Lishkat Hataasuka, my experience has been one fraught with frustration, confusion, and a sense of powerlessness within a system shrouded in opacity.
My journey into seeking income support began with a mixture of hope and trepidation. As someone in need of financial assistance due to circumstances beyond my control, I approached Lishkat Hataasuka Haifa with the expectation of a streamlined process that would offer job opportunities and the support I desperately required. However, what I encountered was a labyrinthine system that seemed designed to impede rather than aid.
The initial step involved engaging with Lishkat Hataasuka officials, a process conducted solely through personal interactions with coordinators. While I anticipated some level of bureaucracy, the extent to which this reliance on physical contact influenced every facet of my application was staggering. Access to critical documents such as refusal notices or decisions from appeal committees became a constant battle, necessitating repeated appeals and pleas to officials for basic information.
I found myself in a bewildering situation when dealing with Mrs. Shpak-Tagorov, an official at Lishkat Hataasuka Haifa, regarding my income support claim. It was perplexing to receive job offers that were entirely unsuitable for my health condition and qualifications. Despite my attempts to explain that these positions didn’t match my profile, Mrs. Shpak-Tagorov persisted, insisting I should consider them.
What was more alarming was her attitude toward my age, bluntly stating that being 63 disqualified me from being considered for professional roles. This was a direct violation of the Employment (Equal Opportunities) Law of 1988, which prohibits discrimination based on age. Mrs. Shpak-Tagorov’s support of companies’ discriminatory policies based on age was deeply concerning and unjust.
Moreover, she advised me against disclosing my valid medical limitations during job interviews, claiming that the conclusions from the medical commission were no longer relevant. Disregarding these restrictions not only violated the law but also undermined my dignity and well-being, infringing upon the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.
The distressing part of my interaction with Mrs. Shpak-Tagorov was her highly abusive and manipulative behavior. She used intimidation tactics, threatening to issue job refusals if I didn’t accept positions that didn’t align with my medical limitations. Her approach felt predatory, pushing vulnerable individuals into compromising situations and exploiting any misstep or lack of familiarity with bureaucratic procedures.
I find it disconcerting that Hefzi Belms, the manager of Lishkat Hataasuka Haifa, who made her career in Histadrut, Israel’s national trade union, supports and encourages abusive behavior of her subordinates and dispatches income support claimants to shady manpower companies operating as slave farms.
Moreover, the challenges exacerbated for individuals like myself who fall within the older age bracket. The system seemed to disregard or downplay the unique risks and limitations faced by older applicants when considering job offers. Despite explicit medical restrictions set by the medical commission, these limitations were routinely ignored or arbitrarily treated by Lishkat Hataasuka officials.
The jobs offered through Lishkat Hataasuka often came from questionable manpower companies with dubious labor records, offering jobs devoid of employment contracts and basic worker rights. The absence of any verification mechanism for employers and the collusion between Lishkat Hataasuka and these companies only deepened the sense of exploitation and powerlessness.
Navigating this system was a taxing endeavor, marked by arbitrary refusals, overwhelming bureaucracy, and a lack of recourse for addressing systemic injustices. The feeling of helplessness in the face of a system that seemed designed to thwart rather than assist was disheartening.