[New York] Third of NY Jews live in poverty

from Y Net News

New poll shows one-third of New York Jews live under or near poverty line. Poorest: Ultra-Orthodox, elderly, Russian immigrants and illegal Israelis
Itamar Eichner

A new poll revealed that one third of New York Jews (329,000) live under or near the poverty line.

The surprising finding was revealed during a special session of the Jewish Council of Urban Affairs in New York. Among the participants were Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Israel's Consul General in NY Arye Mekel.

According to the poll, approximately one million Jews live throughout New York's five boroughs, 225,000 of them under the poverty line. New York defines a family of four with an annual income of less than USD 26,000 as being poor.

Additionally, the poll showed that 104,000 Jews live near the poverty line – meaning in families of four with an annual income of less than USD 38,000. Most of the poor Jews live in Brooklyn and include ultra-Orthodox, elderly, Russian immigrants, and illegal Israelis living in New York.

Mekel reported the findings to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Senator Clinton promised to fight poverty.

Mekel said at the council's session that just last week a poverty report in Israel classified 18 percent of Israeli families as poor, adding that “one could say that the number of poor Jews in America and in Israel is similar.”

He urged cooperation between Israel and City Hall in New York and an exchange of poverty experts between the countries in a bid to fight Jewish poverty; the council accepted Mekel’s suggestions.