According to a report appearing in the weekly Mishpacha Magazine, the realities of the new Israeli administration will deliver a significant financial blow to chareidi families in Eretz Yisrael. The report states the average chareidi family will lose a minimum of 6,000 NIS monthly, which at the exchange rate of $1/3.9 NIS amounts to $18,461 annually.
The report estimates the loss to the general chareidi community annually will amount to 2.3 billion NIS annually.
One of the areas cited pertains to redefining eligibility for government subsidized housing. In the past, the number of years one is married and the size of one’s family weighed in favor of an applicant, clearly benefiting chareidim, but the new criteria will eliminate this clause and replace it with the family’s earning power, which will work against chareidim. In many cases only a wife works as the husband learns in a kollel.
Among secular couples however, it is more commonplace for both the husband and wife to work. The new eligibility factor which calculates a couple’s earning power based on both working will clearly work against chareidim.
This national government subsidy according to Mishpacha can amount to 25% of an apartment’s worth, 150,000 NIS – 200,000 NIS. Therefore, if both husband and wife in a chareidi family are unwilling to work and they lose the housing subsidy, this will amount to the significant annual loss in government assistance.
As Finance Minister Yair Lapid begins announcing his policies, there will most likely be additional areas in which chareidim will feel the negative impact of the new administration, which is void of chareidi representation.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I had no idea that the subsidies were this large!
So much for the theory that Medinat Yisrael is a medinah of hesed. Israel is the only country whose welfare policies target the poor (well, Sdom did that, but it was a long time ago, and they got in trouble for it – and in any event, non-hareidim hold that part of Taanach is a myth).
Remember, most zionists see hareidim as the principle enemy and threat to their existence. Once you realize that, there is nothing shocking about the story.
akuperma has a very blinkered & hate filled view of “Zionists” – the hate seems to run in both directions my friend! In any case, tachlis: Providing ongoing,and unending mass subsidization of the Charedi community at the levels of the past is simply unsustainable. It has been for some time now but governments have been unable to tackle the issue without the threat of haredi parties leaving coalitions. The opportunity for Haredi parties to be part of a gradual change in social & economic policy & ensuring safeguards would be put in place for the Haredi community, has existed for years, but the Haredi world was never interested in the bigger picture. Now they have no say, and Israel, like many states, fears a growing budget deficit, is tackling the issue head on & it will hurt. The Haredim should stop blaming Lapid & start asking their own political leaders why they failed them so badly, for so long.