According to a report appearing in The Marker, Bayit Yehudi has appointed party Deputy Minister Avi Wortzman and MK Ayelet Shaked to act as go-betweens between the treasury and chareidi parties in an apparent attempt to minimize damage to yeshivos. The dati leumi officials are in contact with Yahadut Hatorah MKs Rav Moshe Gafne and Rav Yaakov Asher as well as Shas’ MKs Aryeh Deri and Eli Yishai.
The Marker reports the two-person team has been successful in minimizing the reduction in arnona property tax reductions as well as assistance in daycare tuition, two areas that will hit the chareidi tzibur hard. The treasury is planning to cut 340 million NIS from yeshiva budgets, which could have a profound negative financial blow to chareidi mosdos and families.
Wortzman is quoted telling The Marker he remains opposed to a 340 million NIS cut in yeshiva funding. He adds that he feels cut must be more subtle; adding now is not the time. Wortzman added that while there is the issue of the natural growth among talmidei yeshivos serving the chareidi tzibur, their annual budget does not reflect the natural growth.
Finance Minister Yair Lapid is quoted as saying the yeshiva world is not an exclusively chareidi issue, spelling out hesder and other Zionist mosdos will be hit equally hard by the cuts. Likud appears to be moving in the direction of Bayit Yehudi to minimize the cuts in the budgeting for yeshivos as much as possible, realizing the ramifications of supporting broad sweeping cuts while trying to maintain a working relationship with chareidi parties.
Last week, YWN-ISRAEL reported Bayit Yehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett spoke out in defense of the chareidi tzibur, addressing the ongoing chareidi bashing heard from Yesh Atid in a negative light. Bennett’s criticism was heard after his rabbonim, led by HaGaon HaRav Dov Lior Shlita, spoke out warning him not to play a role in cutting funds from yeshivos refusing to introduce core subjects into their curriculum.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
They are failing to realize that two separate issues are involved.
Israel moving away from socialist (welfare state) policies will negatively impact on the Haredi community, and many others, but that isn’t an issue of survival. We’ve learned Torah under much harsher economic conditions than anything that occurs in Israel today, or is likely to occur. Jews don’t learn Torah in order to get child allowances. Money is nice, but it isn’t critical to our survival.
The issue of conscription, eventually leading to a plan to conscript all bnei yeshiva for three years at age 18 (even though in2013 a more moderate interim plan will be implemented, but clearly labeled as being a first step) is a life or death issue. The current plan will force most of the Bnei Yeshiva to ally themselves with radical positions heretofore advocated only by the more radical elements of the Satmar/Eidah hareidis communities. Offering more child allowances is irrelevant.
Money is nice, but it isn’t critical to our survival.
THAT IS AN OPINION,,,of course.
#2- Jews learned Torah when all they had to eat was a potato (there’s a folk saying about it). When the Americans liberated the camps in 1945, the first thing the frum Yidden wanted were sefarim (that’s where the famous American army gemaras came from). Given the tremendous difference in income between a yeshiva “graduate” and a college graduate, I seriously doubt you could find a yeshiva student whose desire to learn Torah is based on economics.