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Israeli Pay Rises 10%, Number of Salaried Jobs Drops 13%
THE AVERAGE MONTHLY SALARY in Israel rose 9.9% to
the equivalent of $3,526 between November 2019 and November
2020, but the number of Israelis in salaried jobs in that period fell
13%, from 3.74 million to 3.252 million, Globes reported, citing
Central Bureau of Statistics data.

The rise in pay was attributed to the likelihood that most
of the employees placed on unpaid leave in that period earn
low salaries in sectors hit hard by the pandemic. Those include
the accommodation and catering fields (average monthly pay
of $1,756), where the number of jobs dropped 63.4%, and the
arts, entertainment and leisure sector (average monthly pay of
$2,678), where jobs were down 53.2%.

But in the well-paid high-tech sector — where the average
monthly salary increased 2.7% to $7,202 — the number of
salaried jobs dropped only 1.2%, from 326,500 jobs to 322,500.

Vaccine Drive Slows, ‘Fake News’ Cited for
Promoting Skepticism
The pace of COVID-19 inoculations in Israel has slowed by
roughly 50%, and officials believe the slowdown is because of
online “fake news” that promotes skepticism about the vaccine,
The Times of Israel reported.

“At the beginning of the [vaccination] campaign we got used
to inoculating between 100,000 and 120,000 people per day, and
in the last few days we are barely reaching half of those figures,”
Kalanit Kaye, the manager of Clalit’s vaccination drive, told the
Ynet news site.

As of Feb. 7, 3.43 million Israelis had received the first dose
of the vaccine, with 2.02 million also having received the second
dose. Vaccines are now being offered all Israelis over 16.

The death toll from COVID-19 reached 5,096, as of Feb. 7.

There were 2,625 new infections recorded the previous day, and
1,144 patients were listed in serious condition, including 312 who
are on ventilators.

Western Wall Plaza Reopens
The Western Wall reopened to visitors from across the country
on Feb. 7 as Israel lifted lockdown restrictions that prevented
people from traveling outside a 1-kilometer radius from their
homes, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The restriction was in place for 40 days as part of the nation’s
third lockdown in response to COVID-19.

The Western Wall is now divided into separate sections,
allowing people to pray in “capsules,” with ushers providing
directions at the site, the Post reported.

Pandemic Prompts Half of Israeli Families to Reduce Savings
About half of all Israeli families have reduced their savings
because of the pandemic — and one in six had to borrow money
— The Jerusalem Post reported, citing a report by the Myers-JDC
Brookdale Institute.

Fifty-one percent of the 1,501 survey participants said they
used extra financial resources to deal with the crisis. That
included reducing current savings, withdrawing money from
savings, taking loans from banks or non-bank lenders or a
combination of those actions.

In addition, 76% of those surveyed said they received some
government assistance at some point, with 21% receiving multiple
types of assistance. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM March 6 & 7
S a t u r d ay, M a r c h 6
Connect With Community
Havdalah service with Joey Weisenberg of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute
followed by Schmooze Rooms to catch up with friends old and new.

S u n d ay, M a r c h 7
Do A Mitzvah
Drop off a bag of food to one of six
locations from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

to ensure that those who are hungry
have access to food.

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Eve n t Co - Ch a i r s
B oard Co -Cha i r s
Ca m p a i g n C h a i r
Danielle Weiss and
Mitch Sterling
Gail Norry and
David Adelman
Sherrie Savett
JEWISH EXPONENT
FEBRUARY 11, 2021
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