MK (Bayit Yehudi) Zevulun Kalfa and MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern announced on Tuesday, 4 Cheshvan 5774 during a Knesset Finance Committee session that they refuse to approve Finance Ministry matters presented to the committee for approval until such time the committee reverses the 12.5 million NIS cut in funding for talmidei yeshivos from abroad studying in Eretz Yisrael.

Committee Chairman (Bayit Yehudi) Nissim Slomiansky suggested that the committee hold budgetary requests from the Ministry of Education until the ministry cancels the funding for students from abroad.

Last week a letter was sent to yeshivos by ministry official Amos Tzeida informing them funding was foreign students was being cut. As was reported, this will deliver a fatal blow to many yeshivos in the chareidi and dati leumi sectors alike.

The lawmakers explain the decision to cut the funding is a poor one, pointing out the talmidim’s presence in Eretz Yisrael results in a major financial gain by the fact they spend money along with their families that visit, not to mention their plane flights and much more. Kalfa added that many other programs geared to persons from abroad enjoy far more funding while the presence of those youths does not come close to yielding the financial gain achieved by the yeshiva students from abroad.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)