"The State of Israel builds community centers and basketball
courts but doesn't give a penny for the building of yeshivos
and synagogues. The State saves millions of shekels through
the help of the yeshiva students," said Deputy Religious
Affairs Minister Yigal Bibi (Mafdal) at last week's
discussion in the Knesset Interior Affairs Committee. The
topic of the discussion was the activity of the Religious
Affairs Ministry.
The deputy minister also said, "Yeshiva students cost the
state NIS 3 million a year, while unemployment remuneration
amounts to NIS 2.5 million. While there are 230 thousand
unemployed in the State, yeshiva students study and teach and
are Israel's most important asset." He added, "The budget of
the religious councils should be changed. 70 percent should
be subsidized by the Government and 30 percent by the local
councils, as is the case in all governmental bureaus. Such an
arrangement will prevent the burden from falling on the local
councils, which are on the verge of collapse."
Religious Affairs Minister Yitzchok Cohen said that the
income increments yeshiva students receive from the Religious
Affairs Ministry should be comparable to those of the
National Security.
He noted that over 7 million people visit the country's
sacred sites every year, while the number of visitors to
nature reserves and public parks is far less. Nonetheless,
the budget of the Nature Reserves Authority is much higher
than that of the Sacred Sites Authority.
Committee Chairman David Azoulai asked "Why does the Israel
Museum receive a huge budget while the grave of Rabbi Shimon
bar Yochai, which is visited by many more people than the
museum, receives no budget?"
He also complained that whenever there is a problem in the
Treasury, the first to pay the price are the yeshivos. He
then demanded that the NIS 70 million which have already been
approved by the inter-ministerial committee for the
development of religious structures and sacred sites be
immediately transferred to their objectives.
