Foreign Home Care Workers in Israel – The Role of Human Rights Organisations

This chapter outlines the legal and social status of foreign home care workers in Israel, a country that identifies itself as a Jewish state, yet increasingly relies on foreigners to provide the most intimate personal care to older adults and frail individuals. Currently, there are 52,000 documented foreign home care workers and at least 40,000 undocumented workers in Israel. Most of these workers are from the Philippines, but workers from other Asian and East European countries are also represented. Several human rights organisations have been working towards improving the status of foreign workers in the country. Their efforts as well as potential achievements and drawbacks are discussed in detail in the chapter.