Covid-19: in Israel, youth cut off by the pandemic

2021-02-09T08:58:09.231Z

Israel may be the world champion when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination. But the Hebrew state has not escaped, like the rest of the world, the economic and social crisis caused by the ...

Covid-19: in Israel, youth cut off by the pandemic

Audio 01:20

Ouraïb Bader, a young Palestinian craftsman in his jewelry workshop in Jerusalem.

Text by: RFI Follow

5 mins

Israel may be the world champion when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination.

But the Hebrew state has not escaped, like the rest of the world, the economic and social crisis caused by the pandemic.

The youngest, and often the most precarious, have suffered greatly from this multifaceted crisis.

Publicity

With our correspondent in Jerusalem,

Sami Boukhelifa

Ouraïb Bader is a young Palestinian with a promising career.

He was enrolled in a school of jewelers in Turkey.

But overnight, there was the Covid-19, confinements and border closures.

No choice, Ouraïb had to return to Jerusalem, where he lives again with his parents.

A file in hand, Ouraïb Bader finalizes a silver medallion.

The 20-year-old has transformed the ground floor of the family home into a jewelry workshop.

I would have liked so much to continue my training in Turkey, in order to become a real craftsman," he

says.

Last year my life was turned upside down.
We had a week's vacation, during which the pandemic started.
My school has closed.
We were first told it was temporary.
But since then, this closure has been renewed again and again and again.

Ouraïb has all the necessary equipment in his workshop.

This young jeweler, son of a jeweler, also planned to take over his father's shop in the old city of Jerusalem in the long term.

But the family business has been overdue for a year.

“

Only 1% of our clients were Palestinians,”

explains Ouraïb.

The remaining 99% were all foreign tourists.
But there is no more tourism because of the coronavirus.
Everything is closed now.

Despite this unprecedented situation, the young man does not let himself be defeated.

The only positive point of the pandemic, according to him, is the development of online commerce.

His specialty: pendants representing the map of Palestine before 1948 and the creation of the State of Israel, which he now sells by mail order.

No wins, no losses, but at least he's perfecting his technique while he waits for better days.

Lack of confidence in the state

Orian, young Israeli musician.

For his part, Orian, a young Israeli artist and music teacher, had to leave his guitar in its case.

For a year, he has been doing odd jobs.

He deplores the lack of state aid: “

My feeling is that the epidemic has been very poorly managed in Israel.
Instead of facing the many crises, economic, social, cultural, caused by this epidemic, our leaders have only acted in their own interests.

Israel's exemplary role in vaccination against Covid-19?

“This is

n't going to solve our other problems,”

Orian warns.

We pay taxes and yet during these difficult times we received no help.
All of this creates a lack of hope and a lack of confidence in the state and in our government.
We feel abandoned.

Covid-19: in Israel, youth cut off by the pandemic

Covid-19: in Israel, youth cut off by the pandemic

Lack of confidence in the state

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