If Shas leader Eli Yishai has his way, he will be able to introduce legislation that will circumvent the High Court of Justice ruling of Monday, declaring monthly stipends for avreichim illegal since it results in discrimination against secular students. Yishai plans to find the funds to include university students in the funding package, a reality that will assist in obtaining the support of the Labor and Yisrael Beitenu parties in a Knesset vote.

Party officials are leaning towards expanding the monthly allocations to eliminate any hint of discrimination, to create a situation in which the High Court and secularists are unable to point an accusing finger at the chareidi community.

The court’s decision from Monday (June 14th) instructed the Knesset to find a solution to end the discrimination of remove the funding package from the 2011 state budget. This would impact an estimated 10,000 avreichim, the poorest among the close to 50,000 learning, those who live at the bottom of the social income ladder even with the state assistance.

Following the court’s ruling, chareidi lawmakers decried the decision, explaining the approximately 1,000 shekels a month for these avreichim amount to the money they require to buy milk and bread for their children and families, not money used for luxury items.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)