"He will die": The unusual demand from an Israel Prize laureate

The Population and Immigration Authority has appealed to the Supreme Court against a decision allowing the caregiver of Israel Prize laureate Prof. Eviatar Nevo, 97, to remain in the country. His daughter Orit said his condition would deteriorate without him. The family has been waging a legal battle since 2023.

The Population and Immigration Authority has made an unusual appeal to the Supreme Court, challenging a decision that allows the caregiver of Israel Prize laureate Prof. Eviatar Nevo to stay in Israel. Prof. Nevo, 97, a founder of the University of Haifa, has been assisted by Rudy Pata, a Filipino citizen, for the past five years. Since the war, his cognitive condition has deteriorated, and he suffers from dementia, requiring 24/7 care. His daughter Orit says that without Rudy, his condition would worsen and he would simply die. The family has been fighting legally for Rudy since 2023. In 2024, the Jerusalem Administrative Court ruled that Rudy could stay for another year or until a replacement is found. No replacement has been found, and the decision was extended twice. Despite this, the Authority filed a request for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. Family attorney Asaf Weitzen said this is cruelty and abuse. The Population Authority stated that this is a citizen who entered in 2005 and whose requests for status regularization were denied.