The Elderly Couple Waited for Eight Months for an Answer
Mr. R.V. and Mrs. S.T. arrived to Israel as tourists and wished to change their status here. Mr. R.V. was born in 1937 and Mrs. S.T. in 1943. Their childhood was marred by the atrocities of war and now they were forced to relive them again in Ukraine. They were acquainted for many years and met on several events organized by the Jewish organization “Chesed”. After some time they decided to get married and they registered their marriage in June 2014. After arriving in Israel in April 2015 they applied for the change of status in the Ministry of Interior. They were interviewed by a consul in Nativ (the consular department that checks the documents) after which their case was transferred to the Ministry of Interior of Nazareth Ilit branch. The Nazareth Ilit branch decided that their marriage of 6 months was too fresh and forwarded the case to the Ministry of Interior main office in Jerusalem.
Stress leads to a heart attack
This elderly couple had been waiting for eight months for an answer and they grew more and more worried. The stress was too much for Mrs. S.T. and she had a heart attack. On November 2, 2015 she had the heart stent, but since she wasn’t Israeli citizen and didn’t have any health insurance, the hospital sent them an exorbitant bill that they will never be able to pay. But this wasn’t the end of the story: on December 8, 2015 Mrs. S.T. is admitted to the hospital with another heart attack. She is operated again and another stent was placed. The hospital sent another exorbitant bill that they would never be able to pay - altogether more than $20,000 USD. In addition she needs medication on the daily basis.