As part of its effort to minimize damage to bnei Torah, Bayit Yehudi officials during the 18-hour marathon Knesset session to pass the state budget managed to save the funding for talmidei yeshivos from abroad. This means 50 million NIS (for two years) will still be available to assist 11,000 talmidim who come to Eretz Yisrael to learn.
According to official state numbers, 10,650 talmidim arrived from abroad in 2012. A single talmid from Eretz Yisrael receives 477 NIS monthly and a married man receives 858 NIS. Students from abroad receive 60% of this sum, 286 NIS and 515 NIS respectively. About 55% of the talmidim from abroad are not married.
It should be noted that while the state is assisting, the amount allocated is quite low when one compares it to other programs intended to bring people to Israel.
Take Taglit (Birthright) for example, which will bring 40,600 students for 10-day visits. Taglit received 120 million NIS in 2012. That sum was increased in 2013 to 142 million NIS.
If one takes the Massa program, which brings 9,600 students for 7-8 months, it received 95 million NIS in 2012 and in 2013; it will receive 100 million NIS.
Morasha, funded by the Ministry of Education, caters to 1,500 students for three weeks [as opposed to 11,000 talmidim for one year]. Its budget for 1,084 students is 23 million NIS.
The plan was to cut the budget for talmidim from abroad in half while the budgets for the other programs mentioned above, none having to do with limud Torah, remained intact. B”H, as a result of Bayit Yehudi pressure, the budget for talmidim from abroad was not cut.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
There is a group of Talmidim from America who also receive Massa funding when learning in seminaries and yeshivos BTW.
From a tsadakkah perspective, if someone is coming from a country that has yeshivos (e.g. the United States), should the Israelis be subsidizing them. For an American, going to yeshiva in Israel is a “luxury” item, and why should Israeli taxpayers be subsidzing Americans. Obviously this doesn’t apply to people coming from places that don’t have yeshivos.
From an economic (capitalist) perspective, such subsidies are warranted since most foreign students spend a large amount of money, which is pumped into the Israeli economy (even if it goes to pay salaries to “unemployed” kollel members who are also the teachers and administrators and workers in yeshivos). To the extent such subsidies encourage American yeshiva students to spend much larger amounts of money in Jerusalem rather than in Lakewood, it is good for the Israeli economy, especially when the multiplier effect in factored in.
B”H they’re doing something to keep the yeshivas open. Not sure were YWN gets their number from, but an Israel Avrech gets 720 shekel and a Bachur gets 400 shekel. Meaning that an Avrech from Chutz La’aretz gets 432 shekel and a Bochur gets 240 shekel.Not too much when foreign University students get much much more.
Most Yeshiva’s don’t get Massa because you need to go on trips around the country and learn certain subjects. Most Bochurim and Avrechim come to learn Torah not to do other things.
Akuperma if Israeli taxpayers can pay for the Bima theater and many other things ,the least they can do is give some pennys to support limud haTorah.
It’s a simple thing the yeshivos will get the students either way. The other programs the kids will not come unless it’s free
bklynmom is correct – when I first moved to Israel I spent my first year learning in Yeshiva and as I wasn’t yet a citizen part of my tuition was eligible to be covered by Massa which definitely was a help as I was fresh out of college and didn’t have a lot of money to pay my yeshiva at the time.
Additionally while Birthright is only a week long trip, it inspires many, maybe no the majority but many, to eventually move to Israel and even more to look into Judaism and eventually do teshuva. In my case it led me to both as well as multiple people I know personally.
It’s slightly misleading (and more than slightly political) to compare these programs to funds going to bnei Yeshiva as if they are the same type of thing and therefore deserving of being judged by the same standards.
Wow #2, a coherent thought.
Many people coming to learn for a year end up making Aliya. That certainly benefits the Country in the long run.
dooby who said “if Israeli taxpayers can pay for the Bima theater and many other things ,the least they can do is give some pennys to support limud haTorah.”
Actually the Israelis can NOT afford all these other things and if they don’t cut back they’ll eventually end up like Greece. Lapid’s big thing was saying that if they cut back on the hareidim, it would cover the deficit – which is laughable but did help him get elected.
And how much is Israel paying for university