# Malben

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Malben
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Malben.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malben
> Source revision: 1334863916
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Israeli agency for the care of aged, weak, and disabled immigrants}}
thumb|100px|A UJA stamp with Malben logo in the lower right corner
'''Malben''' ({{langx|he|מלב"ן}},  a Hebrew-language acronym for {{langx|he|מוֹסְדוֹת לְטִפּוּל בְּעוֹלִים נֶחֱשָׁלִים|translit=Mosdot le-ṭipul be-ʻolim neḥshalim|translation=Institutions for the Care of Handicapped Immigrants}}) was an agency for the care of aged, weak, and disabled immigrants in [Israel](/source/Israel). Created in 1949 by the efforts of the [American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee](/source/American_Jewish_Joint_Distribution_Committee) (JDC) and the [United Jewish Appeal](/source/United_Jewish_Appeal) (UJA), it operated until 1975, when all its facilities and programs were transferred to the Israeli government and local authorities.<ref name=jvl>https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/malben "MALBEN", ''Jewish Virtual Library'', referring to ''[Encyclopedia Judaica](/source/Encyclopedia_Judaica)''</ref><ref name=jdca>[https://archives.jdc.org/project/malben-programs-in-israel-1950s-1960s/ "Malben Programs in Israel, 1950s-1960s"], JDC archives</ref><ref name=jdchi>[https://archives.jdc.org/our-stories/history-of-jdc/1960s/ 1960s: Helping the New State of Israel Care for its Most Vulnerable Citizens], History of JDC; JDC Archives</ref>

==Background==
[[File:Dan Hadani collection (990044450490205171).jpg|thumb|[Golda Meir](/source/Golda_Meir) at a Malben event in [Netanya](/source/Netanya), 1969]]
Following the establishment of the State of [Israel](/source/Israel), the [1948 Arab–Israeli War](/source/1948_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_War) had led to the sharp increase of [antisemitism](/source/antisemitism) in the region, expressed, e.g., in anti-Jewish riots in [Aden](/source/Aden), [Morocco](/source/Morocco), and [Tripoli](/source/Tripoli%2C_Libya). Nearly the entire Jewish population of [Libya](/source/Libya), 31,000 persons, immigrated to Israel within a few years. The JDC and Israel organized [Operation Magic Carpet](/source/Operation_Magic_Carpet_(Yemen)), the June 1948 airlift of 50,000 [Yemen](/source/Yemen)ite Jews to Israel. In all, more than 300,000 Jews left North Africa for Israel. Thousands more [Iraq](/source/Iraq)i and [Kurd](/source/Kurd)ish Jews were transported through [Operation Ezra](/source/Operation_Ezra), also funded by JDC.

This massive ''[aliyah](/source/aliyah)'' included large numbers of incapacitated people, adding to the numbers of the [Holocaust survivor](/source/Holocaust_survivor) families and [those arriving from the displacement camps](/source/Sh'erit_ha-Pletah). These included huge  numbers of people sick with [tuberculosis](/source/tuberculosis) acquired in Nazi ghettos and concentration camps, as well as in Middle East ghettos.<ref name=jvl/> All these overwhelmed the capacities of the newborn state, and the Israeli government asked JDC for assistance.<ref name=jdca/>

==Activities==
[[File:JDC-Israel-1960.jpg|thumb|Children at Kfar Salma (Kfar HaShvedi, "the Swedish Village"),<ref>[https://israelelwyn.org.il/association-profile/milestones/ "Milestones"], [Israel Elwyn](/source/Israel_Elwyn)</ref> a Malben institution for special needs children in Jerusalem]]
Malben established about a hundred  of institutions for elderly and disabled new immigrants, including homes for the aged (''moshav z'kenim''), hospitals, tuberculosis [sanatorium](/source/sanatorium)s, sheltered workshops, and rehabilitation centers. Many of these were based on converted army barracks and other available buildings.<ref name=jdca/><ref name=jvl/>

After the direct emergency needs were handled, Malben started to cooperate with municipal and regional authorities to expand the direct services. In addition indirect measures to help aged and disabled people to live a normal life, such as cash relief, loans, etc.<ref name=jvl/>

In 1964 a [Harvard University](/source/Harvard_University) consultant surveyed the needs of children with disabilities by the request of JDC, and as a result a number of Children Development Centers were created.<ref name=jdchi/>

During 1949-1968 Malben helped some 250,000 or nearly 20% of 1.3 million new immigrants spending $164 million.<ref name=jvl/><ref name=jdchi/>

==References==
{{commons category|MALBEN}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*''Doors to Life'', American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 1968.

{{authority control}}

Category:Jewish refugee aid organizations
Category:Elderly care
Category:Disability organizations based in Israel
Category:1949 establishments in Israel
Category:1975 disestablishments in Israel
Category:Organizations established in 1949
Category:Organizations disestablished in 1975

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Malben](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malben) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malben?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.