Last week the Supreme Court ruled that the state may no longer fund chareidi yeshivos whose students should have been inducted into the IDF, but their service was postponed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. While the treasury budget for February 2014 had already been allocated to the yeshivos, Finance Minister Yair Lapid made certain to have the money returned by the Ministry of Education.

Ironically perhaps, it appears the hardest hit were not the chareidi yeshivos but the dati leumi yeshivos serving those talmidim who serve in the IDF.

Chareidi yeshivos comprise 90% of the talmidim in Israel but it appears the court’s decision hit the dati leumi yeshivos hardest nonetheless. Most chareidi yeshivos were not impacted by the decision, only a few, those home to the avreichim who had induction orders for the summer and fall, but their service was delayed by the defense minister’s decision. The dati leumi yeshivos hit by the cut include Merkaz HaRav, Har HaMor, and Shavei Chevron. Hesder yeshivos were also hit, as were other yeshivos gevohos in the dati leumi system. Moshe Gutman, who heads the organization representing dati leumi Vaad Yeshivos, told the dati leumi Srugim agency that the Supreme Court decision hit the Zionist yeshivos hard, including the hesder network. He explained while the court tried to surgically strike the yeshivos of the avreichim, it struck uncontrollably and hit those very yeshivos that encourage IDF service. The vaad has turned to the Supreme Court together with the vaad representing hesder yeshivot, calling on the court to release the funding.

The vaad adds the members of Bayit Yehudi stand firmly behind its decision to act.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)