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With nearly one quarter of population now poor, food pantries scramble to fill the gap.
Jerusalem -- The city's largest mall was such a madhouse on Saturday night, it was impossible to walk down certain corridors. Tens of thousands of shoppers dug their way through piles of discounted clothes and other items placed on long tables outside most of the stores.
Last year, when the unemployment rate hit 11 percent and the country's recession-ridden economy was shaken by one terror attack after another, a Chanukah shopping fest of such proportions was unimaginable.
This year, in contrast, the economy grew an estimated 4 percent and unemployment inched its way downward almost a full percentage point. Tourists started to stream back into the country, as did foreign investors. The result: Middle-and upper-middle-class Israelis are starting to feel more confident, at least in front of the cash register.
But the fact that some people have a bit more money to spend on gifts this holiday season is of no comfort to the estimated 1.4 million Israelis -- a whopping 22.4 percent of the population -- living below the poverty level, according to a new report by the National Insurance Institute.
The report, which was released last week and covers the year 2003, has caused an outcry from advocates for the poor, who accuse the government of trying to jumpstart the economy at the expense of the neediest segment of society. The 2005 budget, which was slated for a Knesset vote this week, will make the poor even poorer, critics assert.
"The budget cuts have been devastating," said Yair Harosh, who helps run the Carmei Ha'ir restaurant-food kitchen near the Mahane Yehuda open-air...