Page 25 - Rehavia advanced 130918

Advanced level – ‫רמה מתקדמת‬

The Austerity Period

After the War of Independence, the economic situation in Israel was very bad.
Many people were unemployed and there was a great shortage of food. In addition,
every month there were more new immigrants from Europe. These immigrants
were poor, hungry, and ill. Israel sought a way to deal with the difficult situation
and to help its citizens and the new immigrants. So, the country decided on an
austerity policy. Every citizen received basic foodstuffs in fixed amounts in
exchange for points which each received in his or her personal accounts book. The
austerity created a society in which everyone ate the same food, wore the same
clothes, and bought the same furniture. People even learned to bake "apple cake
without apples"!

The government minister who was given the responsibility to oversee the "austerity
plan" was Dov Yosef. Dov Yosef or, as he was known in Canada, Bernard Joseph,
had been a successful lawyer in Canada. He immigrated to Palestine and became
one of the more successful lawyers during the British Mandate. During the War of
Independence, he was the Governor of Jerusalem. He was able to maintain civil
order and equality in the distribution of what little food was available at that time.
Many people in Israel felt that if he was able to take care of the people of Jerusalem
during their difficult period, he could also take care of them.

At first, people accepted the program well and Dov Yosef was nicknamed "Yosef
the Distributor" after the Biblical Joseph in Egypt; but as opposition to the program
increased he acquired the pejorative nickname "Minister of Austerity".

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