Gay spouses urged to file benefit claims
Daniel Edelson 07.15.09, 13:18 / Israel News
National Insurance Institute of Israel (NII) Director General Esther Dominici urged all widowed gay spouses to act on the precedent set by Ella Bar-Ilan, who successfully claimed a dependents’ pension from the NII after her partner died, and assert their rights.
Ella Bar-Ilan’s story was published in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily on Wednesday. The 64-year-old had been living with her partner Roberta Saltonick for 22 years, and after her recent death, Bar-Ilan asked the National Insurance Institute to recognize her as Saltonick’s widow. The NII agreed, awarding her the monthly dependents’ pension guaranteed to widowed spouses by law.
"The National Insurance Institute is very much aware of the changes in society and the fact that today’s families have a different makeup than before: Same-sex couple, single parents, surrogacy and adoptions have created all sorts of family units," Dominici told Ynet.