Significant Cut in Israeli Budget for Yeshivos

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davening-learningDespite promises and coalition agreements, and despite chareidi representation in the coalition government, the Israeli Finance Ministry submitted a proposal to the government today, calling for across the board budget cuts. The planned cuts include over 300 million shekels to be gleaned from the yeshiva budget over the course of two years.

Under the title, “A Change in Priorities for the 2009-2010 Budget – Funding for Defense and Health”, the Finance Ministry intends to make a 2% cut of the government budget – a cut that will affect every government ministry. But as always seems to be the case, the yeshivot are the hardest hit in this newest budget cut. Both the chareidim and the datim leumim will suffer, as 15% (!) of their budgets are being taken away, at a total of 314,400 million shekels.

According to the Finance Ministry’s proposal, that astronomical sum will be cut over a period of two years, according to the following plan: 157,200 shekels will be cut during the coming two years, and another 157,200 will be cut in 2011. This terrible decree will be in effect, as the parable goes, until either the dog or his owner dies – one or the other.

The blanket budget cut disregards coalition agreements made with United Torah Judaism, that the yeshiva budgets would not be touched. But those agreements were never sealed in writing, as the leaders of the party “didn’t want to wake a sleeping bear.” Now, it seems, the bear is awake and in a ferocious mood.

The Chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, Knesset Member Moshe Gafni, refused to make a comment about the proposed cut. His aides only said that tomorrow he is scheduled to meet with the Finance Minister, and intends to voice his strong opposition to the proposal.

Is this the Netanyahu government that is so “good” for the chareidim? Is this the same Yuval Steinitz who was so friendly with the yeshivot? In any case, there is no doubt that somebody on top, among the chareidi representatives, fell asleep on guard duty.

 {Etrog News/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}


6 COMMENTS

  1. Hashem is in charge of everything. We Chareidim must become better Jews. It’s as simple as that (although that isn’t so simple).

  2. better the yeshivas should take no money from the koifers. Let Israel see who actually has the money (American Yidden) and who needs it (the koifer govt.)

  3. number 4; klal yisroel is following the mesorah of the majority of its gedolim that it is muttar to take money from kofrim(i.e, the medina) for yeshivos. The Brisker Rov held differently obviously, but you cannot negate the majority of gedolims’ psak. Since it’s muttar, it’s a very harsh gezera that will, r”l make yeshivos suffer more than they already do – unless there’s an increase in tzedaka that matches the money given by the government, we have a disaster on our hands.

    ‘Better’ is only if it’s possible – right now it’s not possible and we need to take money from the govt.

  4. Although Knox felt the memos reflected the truth about Bush’s alleged service failures, she also stated she did not type the memos, they were not written by Killian, and that she had no firsthand knowledge of Bush’s time in the Guard. ,

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