The government's harsh decrees against Torah institutions and
the chareidi education system is causing increasing strain
that has led to the possibility of large-scale layoffs at
institutions that lack the means to maintain operations as
needed. Both yeshivas and talmudei Torah, whose
budgets were cut drastically last year, are facing severe
difficulties.
For months the current government has been casting out Torah
institutions in Eretz Yisroel, from the dismantling of the
Religious Affairs Ministry to budget slashing to imposing
strict criteria as a condition for support funding.
With the recent announcements of a new set of criteria at
institutions for students under the age of 18 and at
dormitory facilities, many principals said they cannot hold
up under such decrees nor can they handle the enormous debts
they assumed during the course of last year.
Torah institution heads claim that every element of the
budget addressing Torah institutions contains a mortal blow
that has led many institutions to stop paying suppliers, and
avreichim and ramim at many institutions have
not received their salaries for months.
Additional budget cuts anticipated in the coming months will
cause further difficulties and are liable to hinder
development of the Torah world. This dire forecast results
from a total funding cut for Torah institutions of
approximately 70 percent compared to previous years.
The same applies at yeshivos gedolos and
kollelim, where the government cut budgets by over 50
percent as part of the economic recovery program. Torah
institution heads have voiced strong opposition to the
government's deplorable decision "to encourage avreichei
kollelim to go to work, and toward this end a sweeping
reduction must be made in the support they receive," a move
the Torah world is unwilling to accept under any
circumstances since it represents a destructive blow and
blatant government intervention in the Torah world, which has
been marching along its unique path for generations.
Torah institution heads say in addition to the Welfare
Ministry's 60 percent cut in funding for students under the
age of 18 and stricter eligibility requirements, preference
has been given to institutions that hold high school
matriculation exams, though the issue is unrelated to this
ministry. According to institution heads, what remains of the
budget allocations has been delayed for nine months; not a
single shekel has actually been transferred since the
beginning of the school year.
Neither have the talmudei Torah been spared from the
economic decrees. In addition to an across-the-board cut of 6
percent of Education Ministry funding for all schools,
talmud Torah funding was reduced by another 11
percent, along with various other cuts that brought the
reduction to a total of 18 percent. Talmudei Torah now
receive proportionally half the amount allotted to government
educational institutions.
Now that several new economic decrees are taking effect
talmud Torah principals and directors, many of whom
faced financial difficulties before the recent cuts, will
have to confront additional challenges. Principals and
managers are currently organizing to raise an outcry against
the severe discrimination directed at the chareidi education
system and to take every measure possible to rectify the
injustices.
