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1 Av 5759 - July 14, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Spokesmen Respond to Complaint Against Chareidi Camp Subsidies

by Betzalel Kahn

The Federation for Citizens' Rights filed a complaint with the Supreme Court, claiming that most of the Jerusalem Municipality's budget for summer camps has been allocated to the chareidi community. As such, it discriminates against low income families in other sectors of the population.

The Jerusalem City Council subsidizes camps of the various institutions under its aegis. Two weeks ago, the Council decided to transfer 413 thousand shekel to subsidize the day camps. Out of this sum, 305 thousand shekels were allocated to chareidi camps, and 108 thousand to the remaining sectors of the city.

The Federation for Citizens' Rights claims, "All of the city's children have the right for equal support from the city budget. Only a third of Jerusalem's students study in chareidi schools, while a third study in either State Religious schools or State schools, and the remaining third in the Arab sector."

The Municipal spokesman said: "The Municipality subsidizes camps according to the needs of the population and its consumption trends, without distinguishing between sectors. In the past, the Social Department of the Municipality pinpointed various characteristics of the city's different communities, and from this study, we were able to ascertain various patterns. According to the study, the chareidi and the Arab sectors are interested in a basic camp program which meets their main needs for social activities in the summer."

In response to the claim, Deputy Mayor Rabbi Uri Maklev said: "Envy is at play here. We even think that it might be a good idea to support the petition, in order to demonstrate, once and for all, just how much support the chareidi community receives and how much the secular one receives. These allocations stem from the importance our sector places on the need for camps, alongside the inability of large families to afford such programs. As a result, the subsidy they receive from the Municipality is larger. But I ask that all of the resources and all of the amounts that a chareidi child as opposed to a secular child is allotted, be examined."


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