Foreign Seniors Need not Apply

October 25, 2007 - 2:58 PM by Liza

Elderly relatives coming for a visit? Planning to take them out to see the sights and sounds of Israel? Don’t expect any discounts. When my pensioner parents came to Israel during the summer, we were surprised, no, wait, make that downright shocked, to discover that they weren’t eligible for senior citizen discounts at the sites we chose to visit. Apparently, only senior citizens residing in Israel and in possession of valid senior citizen cards are eligible for these discounts, and when I demanded to know why, I was told at each site that “it was the law”.

Not being too keen on that answer, I decided to dig deeper. Following extensive correspondence (and one telephone call) with various, helpful individuals working in Israel’s Tourism Ministry, not to mention a perusal of legislation regarding senior citizens (sent to me by one of the lawyers working at the ministry), I’ve come to the conclusion that only seniors with Israeli citizenship are eligible for a veritable plethora of mandated senior discounts.

Frankly, I wasn’t impressed. One individual with whom I corresponded drew my attention to the fact that the same laws apply in other countries as well (though certainly not in all, as I discovered). And, call me biased, but I’d like to think that Israel isn’t just like any other country. I think of the committed supporters of Israel who not only send their money, but also visit with great frequency, proud of their connections to the Holy Land. Mostly, I think of the elderly relatives of those who moved to Israel from abroad, the ones who come to visit not as tourists but simply as parents coming to see their children and grandchildren. These are not your run-of-the-mill visitors, tourists on vacation, having picked a random location to explore. These are people who come to visit their loved ones, loved ones who have chosen to make Israel their home, loved ones who serve in the army and serve their country.

Hell, my parents don’t even particularly enjoy coming here anymore, but they do, because we are here. And, because they come for several weeks at a time and we’d probably kill each other if we stayed home and did nothing for the duration of their visit, we go sightseeing. While I’m sure we’ll continue to use this plan in the future, it will not be without some modicum of bitterness and frustration, because even though my parents have given the state of Israel one of their most precious possessions (not to imply that I am merely a possession, of course), the state can’t even be bothered to thank them for the gift.

Senior discount

Tags: • Category: Business, General, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness, Politics, Travel 

Comments

5 Comments on Foreign Seniors Need not Apply

  1. Safranit on Thu, Oct 25th 2007 5:24 PM

    2. For the record..at Kiftzuba (which should have been on your itinerary) has a 50% off discount for grandparents…and free for women in the advanced stages of preganncy. :)

  2. Nicole on Thu, Oct 25th 2007 5:39 PM

    3. Same laws in NZ and Australia too

  3. RR on Thu, Oct 25th 2007 11:04 PM

    4. Ooh, great last line! I’ll drink to that!

    And you’re right, it’s not fair. A senior is a senior is a senior, nachon?

  4. nrg on Fri, Oct 26th 2007 11:21 AM

    5. my parents get all senior discounts in Norway. It is age based, not nationality. I think that’s how it should be. But, student discounts applied to foreigners in NZ…why wouldn’t foreign seniors have the same benefits??

  5. Tamar on Wed, Nov 7th 2007 12:03 PM

    6. Interesting. I have never failed to receive a seniors discount for my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law, including on public transportation.

    But you do seem to have had the opposite experience. We have a monthly e-zine, Israel Senior Life, featuring news and issues concerning Israel’s seniors. Would you be interested in letting us publish your piece?

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