Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration on Tuesday announced the inception of a call center offering new immigrants emotional support. The hotline, which will operate in five languages, is part of a collaboration with the Community Stress Prevention Center (CSPC).
The call center will have mental-health professionals at callers’ disposal and will operate five days a week. Its services will be available in English, French, Spanish, Amharic and Russian.
Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata said “since the outbreak of the pandemic we have seen a sharp rise in the number of Israelis suffering from emotional distress, anxiety, loneliness and difficulties in coping with the challenges posed by the [coronavirus] crisis.
“For new immigrants, emotional coping is even more difficult due to the many obstacles they face, including lacking language skills and the need to adapt to a new country and culture. I, therefore, directed the ministry to establish a hotline that will provide aid and emotional assistance to olim [immigrants], in addition to the economic aid and accompaniment in various spheres that the Aliyah and Integration Ministry already offers,” she explained.
The decision to open the hotline at this time followed a survey that the ministry commissioned that reviewed existing emotional-support hotlines operated by the government as a public service. The survey found that these hotlines do not meet immigrants’ needs.
To reach the hotline, dial: 972-4-7702648 (Russian), 972-4-7702649 (Spanish), 972-4-7702650 (French), 972-4-7702651 (English), or 972-4-8258081 (Amharic).
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.