Israels Wisconsin Plan News Images

Israel News Images Israel News Photos and Israel News Pictures of The Wisconsin Plan. In August 2005, steps were taken to implement the Wisconsin Plan in Israel – known here as Mehalev: “From the Heart.” Applied in the American state of Wisconsin in the 1990’s, it signals a new phase in the privatization of social services.During its two-year pilot stage, Mehalev includes 17,800 of the 160,000 who receive income maintenance. The plan is being tried in four centers: East and West Jerusalem; Nazareth and Nazareth Ilit; Hadera and the villages of Wadi Ara; Ashkelon and Sderot. The program is run by four companies, each combining an Israeli firm with a foreign one that has already “done Wisconsin” in its own land. The crux of the program is this: every participating welfare recipient will be required to remain in the Wisconsin center between 30 and 40 hours per week, receiving counseling, training and job referrals. If he does not succeed in finding salaried employment, the counselor may assign him to full-time non-paid work in a community institution such as a hospital or charity. Only by obeying will he continue to receive a welfare check (a maximum of NIS 2000 per family = $500 monthly). The people who have been referred to the Wisconsin centers include a high proportion of the sick and disabled, as well as many who have never worked outside the home. All Photos by Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye