Refund For Seminaries Due To COVID-19

The Yeshivos and seminaries in Eretz Yisroel would be following the same general policies on this matter as the Yeshivos and seminaries in America and the UK.

There’s no reason it would be any different based on where they’re located.

In simple terms, they have no money to pay refunds, even if logically the are not providing the services parents have paid for. Does the previously paid money at that point in time, change from being “Tuition” to being “Charity” & then become eligible for being part of מעשר? and for being tax-deductible?

The Jewish school administrators and staff have to understand that it’s not just their institutions that are suffering – many of the parents and benefactors who used to pay them tuition and donations have also lost their jobs or huge percentages of their finances. It’s sad that this has happened, but private schools are not entitled to money for services not granted just like the parents are not entitled to salaries from the employers that furloughed them. Why shouldn’t teachers and administrators file for unemployment just like everyone else? They should offer refunds to families who request them, as those families also have to put food on the table.

The Yeshivos and Beis Yaakov’s are NOT CLOSED. They are still teaching remotely. The teachers are working and being paid for that. The parents still must pay tuition.

Look at the Yechaveh Daas (3,76) from Rav Ovadyah Josef.

People might not have the above sefer so I am stating his conclusion as follows:

שו”ת יחוה דעת חלק ג סימן עו
בסיכום: הנוהג להפריש מעות מעשר ממשכורתו, ומכל רווחיו, רשאי לנכות מדמי המעשר, דמי פרנסת וכלכלת בניו ובנותיו הגדולים היתרים על גיל שש שנים, ואפילו הם סמוכים על שלחנו. וכן רשאי לסייע ממעות מעשר בהוצאות נישואי בניו ובנותיו, כגון לצורך דירה ורהיטים וכיוצא בזה, כדי שיוכלו לבנות את ביתם. וכל שכן כשבניו ממשיכים לעסוק בתורה בכוללים הרבים אשר נתברכנו בהם, וכן כשבנותיו נישאות לתלמידי חכמים השוקדים באהלה של תורה, שמצוה גדולה היא לפרנסם בכבוד, וצדקה גדולה היא, והקרוב קרוב קודם. (וראה באור זרוע הלכות צדקה סימן כ”ב, כ”ג, כ”ו). ומה טוב ומה נעים שהרוצה להפריש מעשר מכל רווחיו, וממשכורתו, יתנה מראש במפורש לפני שיבוא לו הריוח או המשכורת, שיוכל לעשות במעות המעשר כל מצוה שירצה כפי ראות עיניו. ואם לא התנה כן בפירוש, יעשה התרה בפני שלשה על שלא אמר שהוא מפריש המעשר בלי נדר, ואחר שיתירו לו, יתנה התנאי הנ”ל. ואם שעתו דחוקה מבחינה כלכלית, ואין ידו משגת לנהוג מעשר כספים מכל משכורתו או רווחיו, יתנה מראש שיתן המעשר רק לאחר ניכוי הוצאות ביתו. אבל מי שחננו ה’ בעושר, וידו משגת, יאחז צדיק דרכו לתת כל המעשר לעניים ולאביונים ולעמלי תורה ולישיבות הקדושות. ועץ חיים היא למחזיקים
.בה ותומכיה מאושר

As to whether you could write off the tuition paid to a now closed seminary as a charitable tax deduction.

If you are American and the seminary is in Israel.
#1 you paid the seminary directly…NOT deductible under any circumstances
#2 you paid “the American Friends of Seminary XXXX” would be deductible if the American group is a registered 501c3 charity

Donations to foreign charities are deductible on US income tax returns, which is why all these American Friends of 5013cs were created.

Israel is different than the US because the kids who went to Israel for a year were basically sent home and told not to expect to come back. There is no remote learning with these kids and I hate to say it, but many of these places cater to Americans as sort of a Jobs program

CT,

Deductions to charities in certain foreign nations are deductible up to a certain percentage of income. It’s based on various agreements between the companies.

“ American Friends of “ charities are not foreign charities. They are US charities. That is the whole purpose of setting them up.

The question may be if the seminary is considered a charity. That it is in Israel is not really the issue.

Joseph,
Since when are non Jewish institutions our role model?

Besides, there have been a number of class action and individual lawsuits already or waiting to be filed against American universities. I personally don’t understand why institutional endowments ( Harvard $40 Billion , Princeton $26 Billion ) are tax exempt.if they can charge $70,000 tuition , then they should pay taxes

Re colleges. Because the governor in NJ required colleges to clear out the dorms the college I’m in offered students a prorated refund for dorm, dining, and parking charges so they did give somewhat of a refund.

This subject is quite complex. The yeshiva or seminary continues to have expenses. It would be nice if they could meet them and avoid potentially serious consequences. Yet, the services they sell to bring in money to cover those expenses are no longer being sold. I am excluding those that continue to conduct classes via phone, zoom, etc. It is of questionable morality to be able to charge for services not being provided.

This pandemic has caught us all by surprise, and no one had a mechanism in place to cope with it. It is not just the schools that are being hit, but the parents are also, to some degree, affected by loss of job or income. Now with these families grappling to find a way to make their day to day bills, we have no hesitation to insist they fund yeshivos that are not teaching their children? It is similarly painful to see the flood of fundraisers in the news pages of this site and others. They are among the disruptive popups, and are also emails and similar requests. It is sad to note that there appears to be a contest who can make their fundraising ad more pitiful to direct tzedokoh funds there. Even sadder is that there are so many families thrust into poverty, with jobs lost, parents niftarim, with yesomim all over. This is a troubling time for Klal Yisroel. And no one will jump in to help address the financial part besides Acheinu Bais Yisroel. But I wish those doing this fund raising would realize that the people they are addressing and begging no longer have the resources to help much. Yes, the desperation increases, but applying pressure on those who also don’t have is not the answer.

We all want our mosdos to remain open, and to return to their holy tafkid of harbotzas Torah. Our aniyei amcho share that desire, without the means. The pressure needs to be directed elsewhere.