Deputy Welfare Minister MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz, who serves
as commissioner of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority, was
recently hosted by the Authority. Chairman Shlomo Bakish
presented Rabbi Ravitz with a survey of the activities run by
the Authority, which handled 2,344 prisoners and their
families last year.
Statistics show the longer discharged prisoners were under
intensive Prisoner Authority supervision, the more effective
the rehabilitation and the greater the change.
The programs presented included programs for community
rehabilitation consisting primarily of a referral for
rehabilitation and employment under the supervision of the
local rehabilitation coordinator. Among the other programs
were hostels, including one for women.
Bakish thanked Rabbi Ravitz for the recent budget increase he
arranged. Rabbi Ravitz promised he would try to increase the
budget further in upcoming budget talks.
Rabbi Avinoam Cohen, coordinator of Torah-based
rehabilitation, said since the Prisoner Rehabilitation
Authority began involvement in this approach three years ago
very high rehabilitation rates have been achieved. "Dozens of
prisoners are asking us for help in rehabilitating
themselves, but the meager budget does not allow us to take
care of everyone," said Rabbi Cohen.
During a visit to the Keren Hatshuvah apartment, one of the
organizations the Prisoner Authority has commissioned to run
rehabilitation programs, Welfare Ministry officials saw
former prisoners learning mussar, middos tovos and
derech eretz along with their Torah studies.
Today the former prisoners taking part in this program keep
Torah and mitzvos in every way. Rabbi Yoel Chazon, chairman
of the Keren Hatshuvah organization founded by his late
father, who served as rov of the Prisons Service, said great
care is taken to shape the conduct of the program
participants.
Graduates say the program saved their lives. "Today, thanks
to the treatment, I have a family I raise based on Torah,"
said M. "I see how empty my life was previously and I'm happy
I was given the opportunity to meet fabulous people who
spared no effort to bring me back to life."
Rabbi Ravitz told the people on hand he was glad to have a
chance to meet with them and happy to see they have made a
commitment to rehabilitate themselves and are meeting their
commitment. Regarding the lack of funds to open a second
apartment Rabbi Ravitz said, "It cannot be that an individual
wants to be a man and is not given the opportunity. We must
find the funding to allow the opening of another apartment
like this apartment and yeshiva."
