Israel's Population Authority Appeals to Supreme Court to Deport Caregiver of 97-Year-Old Israel Prize Laureate
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority is appealing to the Supreme Court to deport Rudy Lafat, the Filipino caregiver for 97-year-old Israel Prize laureate Professor Avitar Nevo. Professor Nevo, who suffers from dementia, is entirely dependent on Lafat for his 24/7 care. Despite a court ruling allowing Lafat to stay temporarily, the authority seeks to expedite his removal, which the family fears will lead to the professor's death. Lafat has been caring for Nevo for five years, and a replacement has not yet been found.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's Population Authority seeks Supreme Court intervention to deport caregiver of 97-year-old laureate.
- Professor Avitar Nevo, a dementia patient, is fully dependent on his caregiver, Rudy Lafat.
- The family fears Nevo's immediate decline and potential death if Lafat is deported.
- A lower court had allowed Lafat to remain temporarily while a replacement was sought.
- The caregiver has been working in Israel since 2005 and with Nevo for five years.
Israel's Population and Immigration Authority has filed an unusual request with the Supreme Court to appeal a decision allowing the caregiver of 97-year-old Israel Prize laureate Professor Avitar Nevo to remain in the country. Professor Nevo, a founder of the University of Haifa, has relied on Rudy Lafat, a Filipino national, for care over the past five years. Since the war, Nevo's cognitive and physical condition has deteriorated significantly, making him dependent on Lafat for all daily activities.
Nevo's daughter, Orit, stated that Lafat is a lifesaver and that her father's mental and physical state would immediately decline, potentially leading to his death, if Lafat were forced to leave. The family has been engaged in a legal battle to keep Lafat in Israel since 2023. Professor Nevo, who suffers from dementia, is unaware of the legal proceedings but relies on Lafat for 24/7 care, including bathing and daily outings.
The Population Authority had previously rejected Lafat's work permit application in 2020. In 2024, the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court allowed Lafat to stay for an additional year or until a replacement caregiver could be found, a decision that has been extended twice. However, the Population Authority has now appealed this decision to the Supreme Court, seeking to revoke it immediately, despite Lafat not yet being replaced and having only about eight months left before he would be required to return to the Philippines.
Lawyer Assaf Weitzman, representing the Nevo family, called the Population Authority's appeal highly unusual, emphasizing that the lower court recognized the special circumstances. He argued that replacing Professor Nevo's caregiver would be akin to killing him as he approaches 100, describing it as "heartless cruelty and abuse" towards someone who dedicated his life to the country.
The Population and Immigration Authority stated that Lafat entered Israel in 2005 on a nursing visa. After leaving his employer in 2020, his requests to regularize his status through exceptional committees and various other channels were denied, as were his legal challenges. The 2024 court ruling granted him an organizational period but ultimately rejected his request for status regularization. The matter is currently pending before the Supreme Court.
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