A special one-time grant of NIS 43 million ($10 million) is
being transferred to yeshivas and kollelim based on a UTJ
decision regarding the NIS 290 million ($70 million) the
party received in exchange for backing the current state
budget in last year's vote.
Every avreich kollel will receive a one-time grant of
NIS 540 ($129) and there will be NIS 300 ($72) for every
yeshiva student to go to yeshivas. The funding will be
transferred to kollel and yeshiva bank accounts starting
Wednesday.
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni said during a UTJ meeting that a
decision was reached — in light of the difficulties of
transferring a portion of the NIS 290 million from the past
year to the original destinations due to problems meeting
criteria — that the remainder of the funding not used
by the yeshivas and kollelim would go toward aiding the Torah
world in other ways.
Nevertheless a concerted effort will be made to solve the
criteria and other bureaucratic problems as quickly as
possible to make funding available for talmudei Torah
and Jewish cultural programs. Eventually it was decided that
in addition to the NIS 183 million ($43 million) in funding
for yeshivas and kollelim added to this year's budget another
NIS 43 million and a total of NIS 226 million ($54 million)
would be transferred to the Torah world in addition to the
regular budget.
Another NIS 30 million ($7.2 million) was transferred to the
dormitories and NIS 18 million ($4.3 million) will be
transferred to the Chinuch Atzmai bussing program within the
next few days, according to directives issued by Attorney
General Mazuz. The seminars received NIS 16 million ($3.8
million) after fully complying with the instructions of
gedolei Yisroel shlita not to introduce study programs
exceeding two years.
