Despite numerous promises and pledges by Bayit Yehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett and other members of the coalition, the funds promised for yeshivos which have foreign students will not be forthcoming. At least this is the way the situation appears today. The decision to cut funding for yeshiva students from abroad was made by Minister of Education (Yesh Atid) Rabbi Shai Piron.
A meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee was held on Tuesday, 27 Tishrei 5774, chaired by MK (Bayit Yehudi) Nissim Slomiansky. After a harsh exchange of words between MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Rav Moshe Gafne and committee members, followed by another verbal assault from party colleague Rav Yaakov Litzman, the committee decided to remove the issue of yeshiva funding from the agenda.
However, it is important to point out that the letter from the ministry informing yeshivos with chutznik talmidim of the decision before the meeting. That letter, from the Ministry of Education, was dated Monday, 26 Tishrei 5774, a day before the Knesset Finance Committee meeting. The protests aired by the chareidi MKs were used as an excuse to remove the matter from the agenda. The decision to cut funds was already made and roshei yeshivos were informed, as one can see by the date on the letter.
Gafne told Slomiansky that when he was chairman of the committee is approved funding for all walks of life, including chareidim, dati leumi, yishuvim and kibbutzim, and the committee’s decision today is “unprecedented”.
Litzman added that the decision to cut the funding is the “final blow” adding “you have used a sharp axe to cut the connection between the chareidim and the religious Zionists, forever”.
The two turned to Slomiansky, who is a rav, appelling to him as a frum Jew to understand the consequences of this decision and to reverse it before it is too late. They explained that students from abroad, such and American learning in the Mir bring considerable funds to the country by their presence, which includes parental and family visits to Israel. In addition, the students rent apartments and spend money during their time in Israel, amounting to a win for the state from a financial perspective.
Back in June 2013 MK Menachem Eliezer Moses explained the issue of talmidim from abroad, seeking to place the matter in perspective. He emphasized that unlike Birthright and other Jewish Agency programs which receive extravagant funding, the students do not receive funding for comparable programs. In addition, the funding is immeasurable when weighed against the sums generated as a result of the students spending their year or two in Eretz Yisrael. Moses explains the money spent during the talmidim’s stay in addition to the visits by their parents and families far outweighs any government cost.
In July 2013, Naftali Bennett announced the cut to yeshivos for foreign students would be eliminated, referring to 50 million NIS for two years to assist the approximately 11,000 talmidim from abroad.
However, the letter released on Monday, 26 Tishrei 5774 reveals the true government agenda, which states that starting from 2014, foreign yeshiva students will receive… ZERO. Until the end of 2013, they will receive 30% of what Israeli students receive.
It should be noted that foreign students in Israeli universities are funded exactly the same as their Israeli counterparts. Furthermore, the benefit of foreign yeshiva students to Israel’s economy is valued at ten to twenty thousand shekels a year, far more than any government has ever given them.
This new decree will deliver a mortal blow to all yeshivas which have sizable foreign student representation. The Mir Yeshiva, for instance, stands to lose millions of NIS annually. Other, smaller yeshivas which cater solely to foreign students are in danger of closing. Alternatively, they may pass on the new costs to parents, in the form of vastly increased tuition.
The decision will deliver a serious blow to dati leumi yeshivos such as Keren B’Yavneh, HaKotel and Har Etzion as well for they count many foreign students among their talmidim. These yeshivot add that more than a small number of their chutznik talmidim decide to remain, making aliyah and living here. This too is at risk if the students from abroad stop coming to Israel.
Rabbi Amnon Bazak of Yeshivat Har Etzion responded on his Facebook page. He feels “these latest cuts give one the feeling the reasons for the cuts are not relevant to financial considerations. It is hard to think of a more significant resource for encouraging aliyah in the last generation than talmidim studying here from abroad.”
Rabbi Bazak adds that from his yeshiva alone, 500 talmidim have made aliyah and served in the IDF as a result of their limudim here. “They established their homes and families and thereby make a significant contribution to the nation in all areas of life. The decision to cut the funding is not justified from a Torah perspective as well as from the national interest perspective.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
I never dreamt that the Israeli taxpayer used to pay for our kids to study in E”Y.
I always thought, Wow it’s so nice that the Yeshivos are not charging us tuition; I didn’t know that they’re getting money from the Govt for our kids.
From a macroecnomic perspective, the sport of foreign students makes sense since they bring in huge amounts of foreign money. The small amount of subsidy attracts tends of thousands spent on airfare (usually El Al), tuition, housing, touristing, even bar hopping (which we don’t approve of, but is good for the local economy if not for the neshamas of the students). Without the subsidies, many students might learn elsewhere (is Bennett really trying to help the economies of Lakewood and Gateshead?).
However one should remember that the typical Israeli, especially the typical frum Israeli, is a lot worse off than the typical foreign (usually American) student, so in effect the poor are subsidizing the rich. While this makes sense economically, it does suffer from a moral perspective.
It is not clear from this article how much money yeshivas receive per student. Is it roughly 100? 1000? 10,000? From this sentence: “Furthermore, the benefit of foreign yeshiva students to Israel’s economy is valued at ten to twenty thousand shekels a year, far more than any government has ever given them.”, it sounds like they get at most 5000 shekels per foreign student, or maybe $1000~$1500 per student.
If so, instead of closing down, can’t some of these yeshiva charge $1500 extra per student, to offset this loss? I know it’s large amount of money, but to have the zechus of learning in a yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel I imagine that most students traveling from abroad will be able to find this money. It’s less than what they pay for airfare.
Yira:
I don’t know which school you are sending to, but most Yeshivas are charging tuition. Even the ones that DON’T-still are getting major “contributions” from parents. In addition, this doesn’t offset the huge investment of plane ticket, spending money(it’s plenty)and all the landlords making a killing on rent. What about families coming to visit? Hotels and other industry that trickles down? This is a great move for all those that are advocating in US to stop sending boys (and girls) to Israel
akuperma:
The poor Israeli isn’t subsidizing the “rich” foreign student-who is bringing in MUCH MORE than they receive. I am talking from personal knowledge.
M Says:
You aren’t a parent who has paid and is paying 20k+ for Tuition to schools in Israel. All it means is that people will stay abroad if it the costs(which are ever climbing)increase. This guy is cutting off his foot to spite his face!
#1 And they were getting money for Female Students that we were paying over $18,000 for tuition ALSO!!!
D”L yeshivas charge significant tuition (typically around $20,000 per year) from their chutznikim. This may cause these yeshivas to cut back on certain expenses, but they face no ‘financial crisis’.
Charedi yeshivas with large chutznik populations which do not currently charge them realistic (or any) tuition face a different situation. In some cases, such as the Mir, a true financial crisis does loom. The solution, however, is evident – they must begin to charge tuition from their chutznikim to make up for the lost subsidies.
Every year, thousands of Jews come from the diaspora for a year of study in Israeli institutions of higher education and for other courses of study and pay significant tuition, as do the chutznikim at D”L yeshivas. Why should charedi chutznikim not do the same?
Foreign students (meaning Americans going to yeshiva in Israel, not American immigrants) bring in a huge amount of money. Tuition is typically $10K to $25K (though it goes down if they stay a long time). And the standard of living of those Americans is much higher than most Israelis (meaning that Israeli taxpayers are in effect subsidizing Americans who are wealthier than their Israeli cousins). Most American Jews are a lot richer than most Israelis (if you doubt that, note how many American Jews move to Israel since they think the Israeli streets are paved with gold).
As I said, from a macroeconomic perspect this is in Israel’s interest (since otherwise some of those Americans would take the money they spend in Israel and spend it elsewhere, such as in America), but it does amount to “welfare for the rich”.
A significant question is why fund FOREIGN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS and not Judaic students?
#8- Does the Israeli government subsidize foreign university students? The Israeli university programs that I have heard of charge their foreign students sums that are much higher than what Israeli students (who are subsidized) pay. Case in point, Bar Ilan has several English language programs for foreign students that cost annually: Premed ($20,000), Social Sciences ($7,000-$10,000), One year program ($21,000). I am not claiming that you are wrong – ‘lo shamaati eina reaya’ – but I am interested to know what you have based your question on.
#8 and #9 –
1. The Israelis, in the past, subsidized both. It makes sense as long as the subsidies bring in foreign students.
2. Foreign students are good for the economy no matter what they are studying. They pay much higher tuition than Israelis, and tend to spend liberally. Remember that an American student whose parents are used to paying $40K at Columbia or John Hopkins will be very liberal with money since tuition in Israel is much less. And foreign students, especially away from home for the first time, tend to be irresponsible with their parents money (which if supporting the Israeli economy is a good thing, you want them to me).
3. It still doesn’t look right to subsidize Americans who can afford the luxury of studying in Israel.