Supreme Court justices on Wednesday informed the government that it has 14 days to respond to the question of why the implementation of the “daycare decree” wasn’t delayed until the beginning of next year.

The decision was made during the first hearing on an appeal against the daycare law advanced by Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, which excludes kollel families from receiving daycare subsidies. The decision was made during the school year without allowing any time for families or daycare owners to prepare for the changes or make alternative arrangements.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the judges decided to issue a conditional order and requested the State’s response within two weeks.

Shas MK Moshe Arbel, who participated in the hearing, said: “The decision testifies like a thousand witnesses to the lack of professionalism of Avigdor Lieberman and his friends in the decision-making process that stemmed from the hatred of Chareidim and lomdei Torah.”

UTJ MK Yaakov Asher said: “As we said from the beginning, Lieberman’s decree against Chareidi daycare centers was made with haste and a desire for revenge without any professional consideration, with a government ministry taking an unprecedented draconian step in the middle of the year without examining all the consequences and contrary to all administrative regulations. Even the Supreme Court judges couldn’t disregard that.”

Attorney Zalman Black, who represented the Emes L’Yaakov organization in the appeal, said: “The Supreme Court itself understood that the decision was made in a hasty manner that disproportionately harms mothers, children, and daycare owners.”

On Sunday night, the government submitted a response to an inquiry by the Supreme Court on a petition against the revocation of daycare subsidies regarding the inclusion of kollel students learning Rabbanus and Dayanus.

The response said that following many discussions it was decided that “legal considerations have led to the conclusion that there is room to include students learning Rabbanus and Dayanus in those eligible for support, subject to the determination of certain conditions to ensure that [studies are for] employment purposes. The final wording of those conditions has not yet been approved and the state will submit the final wording at the time of the hearing.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)