MAZON Statements

This week, Israelis turned out in record numbers for the fifth election in three years, and today Benjamin Netanyahu was confirmed as winning the most votes, positioning him to form the next government and become prime minister. During the campaign, the Shas Party, which will likely be part of the ruling coalition, committed to providing 1 billion shekels to address rising hunger in Israel.

“Hunger and food insecurity took center stage in this year’s elections, and for good reason: more than two million people — a shocking 22 percent of Israel’s population — cannot reliably put food on the table,” said Abby J. Leibman, President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger. “But the shameful persistence of widespread hunger and food insecurity in Israel must not become just political fodder. No matter which party leads the next government, we at MAZON will hold those in power to account for their promises to address this crisis.”

Since its founding in 1985, MAZON has been working to address hunger in Israel. With staff on the ground working with 17 Israeli partner organizations, MAZON is building the infrastructure to position food security — and long-term, government-led solutions to end hunger for all Israelis — as a prominent, priority issue for both the Israeli government and civil society. Its Hebrew-language website (mazon-israel.org) provides a clearinghouse of data and research about the scope of hunger in Israel.

“In the lead-up to this week’s election, MAZON and our partners brought hunger from the shadows to the forefront of Israel’s public conversation,” said Ishai Menuchin, MAZON’s Israel Director. “We hosted over 40 public education events, participated in conferences, shared videos, and held a multi-channel social media campaign to send a clear and resonant message: ‘before everything, food for all.’ And this was just the beginning — now we will hold the new government accountable for the election promise to help all people in Israel struggling with hunger.”