A functioning welfare system is no less important than a strong army

Shiri Solomon, a mother of two children on the autism spectrum, describes her experience with her social worker in Tel Aviv. She finds a caring figure but a system that is underfunded and lacking tools. She calls for strengthening social services, noting that the Social Workers Union has declared a labor dispute due to a shortage of positions. She urges voting on October 27 for a party that supports strengthening social services.

In a personal op-ed, Shiri Solomon, a mother of two children on the autism spectrum, describes her meetings with her social worker in Tel Aviv. She discovers a caring and devoted figure, but also a public system that is underfunded and lacking tools. Solomon recounts that the social worker responds to emails, does not carry piles of files, and looks her in the eyes, but she is overloaded and lacks real tools to help. She notes that just this week, the Social Workers Union declared a labor dispute due to the shortage of positions. As a mother of two students in the education system, she knows how hard it is to fill these positions. She describes a home visit by the social worker, who came with an introductory video and spoke to the children at eye level. Solomon calls on the state to pay a respectable salary to social workers and to fill all positions, arguing that a functioning welfare system is no less important than a strong army. She concludes by urging readers to vote on October 27 for a party that supports strengthening social services.