Elderly woman gifts $1 million to neighbors after feeling threatened by family

Netanya family’s claim to a $1 million check gifted by a late elderly neighbor faces fierce opposition from the woman’s heir, who alleges fraud, manipulation and a decades-long scheme

by Tomer Ganon/Calcalist 

A nearly unbelievable story first revealed by Ynet's sister outlet Calcalist over three years ago has taken a new turn — one that appears to hinge on whether the case involves a generous gift or an elaborate fraud.

The saga began in November 2021, when a family from Netanya filed a lawsuit claiming they had cared for and supported their neighbor, G., a widowed and childless woman who lived across the hall from them for about 40 years. 

 

According to the case, during a Rosh Hashanah dinner in 2010, G. handed them an envelope. Inside, to their astonishment, was a check for NIS 4 million ($1 million), allegedly given as a gesture of gratitude for their support.

The father of the family said he hesitated after opening the envelope and soon spoke with G., who allegedly told him it was her final wish for them to have the money and instructed him only to fill in a date and cash it when the time was right. “You are my family,” she reportedly told him. Still, he waited.

Years passed, and G.’s health and mental capacity declined. In March 2017, a court appointed a legal guardian for her after she was deemed unfit to manage her affairs. In June 2021, the neighbor filled in the date and deposited the check. The bank rejected it.

He then approached G.'s guardian, claiming the check was valid and had been held legally. The guardian disagreed, responding in a letter — attached to the lawsuit — that the circumstances suggested “the exploitation of a helpless, lonely elderly woman.”

G. died in March 2022, four months after the lawsuit was filed. Recently, during the ongoing legal proceedings, a man identified as A., the primary heir to G.’s estate under her will, submitted a sworn affidavit. According to official documents, G.’s assets included a rental apartment building in a European country and a pension tied to her dual citizenship.

 

In his statement, A. said he met G. in 2007 while renovating her home. Over time, he claimed, their relationship grew close, with G. eventually becoming a regular guest in his household. He disputed the neighbors’ narrative, asserting they had never cared for her and that G. had in fact spent that Rosh Hashanah holiday with his family, not theirs.

 

According to documents submitted to the court, A. managed G.’s needs after her health deteriorated and did so with her request and the guardian’s later approval. Her will included bequests to others as well — such as her housekeeper and her late husband’s grandchildren from a previous marriage, who each received NIS 100,000 ($25,000).

 

In the will, G. wrote that she had no children and chose not to leave anything to other relatives, saying they had already received “significant property and money over the years” but had shown “no interest in me, other than in a clearly ugly and transparent manner.” 

 

She left the remainder of her estate to A., “who cared for me, looked after my needs and made my final years more pleasant.”

 

A. also pointed to a clause in the will in which G. wrote: “As I’ve recently been harassed by potential heirs and neighbors trying to inherit from me while I’m still alive, I request that a copy of this will be sent to the Israel Police.”

In his affidavit, A. claimed that “in hindsight, she was likely referring to the plaintiff — the neighbor — who tried to extract money from her during her lifetime. This clause, in my view, nullifies any promise or gift, if such a gift was ever even given.”    

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Elderly woman gifts $1 million to neighbors after feeling threatened by family

Reports of family, caregivers abusing elderly up by 17 percent

An elderly woman was tied in her wheelchair to a fence outside a Ramat Gan shopping mall

Reports of neglect and abuse of the elderly by family and caregivers went up by 17 percent last year, the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services reported Tuesday, including a 20% rise in reports of sexual abuse.

“The figures are worrying,” Labor and Welfare Minister Haim Katz said.

“My office is taking action, but only by joining forces can we eradicate the abuse and neglect of the senior citizens. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us,” he said.

Fanny Hughes, the national inspector for treatment of elderly people at risk, said the rise in reports could be explained by the Welfare Ministry’s efforts to raise awareness about the phenomenon through an increase in the number of teams established to identify and educate about abuse.

The report comes following several high-profile reports of abuse in the last year, including at a home for the elderly.

In August last year, when temperatures were high, police arrested a foreign caregiver who had tied her elderly wheelchair-bound charge to a fence outside a mall in Bnei Brak while she shopped inside.

In December, Israel Radio reported on a Health Ministry study which found that more than 20 old age homes in the country were routinely tying down residents in violation of established procedures.

Employees of a nursing home in Haifa

In March, four employees of a nursing home in the northern city of Haifa were indicted for assault, a month after the broadcast of footage that appeared to show them subjecting elderly residents to extreme mistreatment.

Of all reports of abuse analyzed by the ministry for 2016, 33% related to psychological abuse, 21% to physical abuse and 18% to economic exploitation.

Of the 5,876 reports received in total, 102 related to sexual abuse, a rise of 20% compared with 2015, the report said.

The complaints came via caregivers, hospitals, old age homes and from victims themselves.

During 2016, in the wake of complaints about abuse, the welfare services heard 2,645 cases aimed at protecting the rights of those under care.

The welfare services made 580 complaints to police and 174 court orders were issued ordering the removal of elderly people from their families to external facilities.

Last year, the ministry opened an additional 15 local authority-run units for the elderly bringing the total to 78 units countrywide.

The units house teams which identify and advise on situations of elderly neglect and abuse.

An elderly man crosses the street in Tel Aviv

Part of the teams’ work is to raise awareness about abuse among professionals and members of the public and to show them how to identify abuse. They also provide psycho-social counseling to victims to enable them to report abuse, and to overcome fears of the consequences of reporting, as well as group counseling for those who have harmed elderly individuals.

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Reports of family, caregivers abusing elderly up by 17 percent