A majority of 57 MKs defeated a no-confidence motion in the
Knesset plenum early this week filed by United Torah Judaism
and HaIchud HaLeumi-NRP regarding the government's decision
to stop support funding for yeshiva students from abroad and
reduce support funding for kollel students.
Twenty-two MKs representing UTJ, HaIchud HaLeumi-NRP, the
Likud and the National Democratic Assembly voted no
confidence and seven MKs representing Meretz and Hadash
abstained. Shas and the other coalition members from Kadima,
Labor, Pensioners and Yisrael Beiteinu backed the
government.
The Knesset also rejected two other no-confidence motions
submitted by the Likud and the Arab parties on the
government's policy in light of events in the Gaza Strip.
MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, who presented the no-confidence
motion for UTJ, said the government's decision to support
only yeshiva students with Israeli citizenship would reduce
the basic budget for 2008 by NIS 18 million ($4.6 million).
"We're talking about students from abroad who come to study
here in Israel who eventually make aliya, get married here
and not only that but they also bring their families here. So
how absurd it is to cut funding that amounts to NIS 18
million. This is the big cut the government is looking for?
This is where it's going to make big bucks?"
Rabbi Litzman went on to say that in contrast to yeshiva
students, university students from abroad receive massive
government support, both for the institutions where they
study and for the students themselves. "So what's the
difference between a foreign student who studies at a
university and receives government assistance, and a yeshiva
student who does not? The only reason is simply that they do
not want chareidi aliyah to the State. There's no other
reason."
Later he commented on the cut in funding for
avreichim, calling it a continuation of the cut in
Children's Allotments. "They're cutting support for poor
families. In every area we are at a low ebb, with one
exception — poverty. We're at a peak when it comes to
poverty and impoverished children. It's not enough that cuts
were made for every family with children; now they want to
diminish funding for avreichim who sit and study all
day.
"Where's Shas? All of you voted for the budget. What did you
vote for? To send away all foreign [yeshiva] students and not
let them into the country? Isn't that racism? Doesn't this
matter of reducing and cutting funding for avreichim
create poverty here? And this is what you supported in a
first reading? How could that be? If we [UTJ] were in this
coalition would they have even dared to present such a
thing?"
Welfare Minister Yitzhak Herzog, who responded in the name of
the government in place of the Finance Minister, said that
nobody has any intention of hampering yeshiva and kollel
students, "but we live in a very complex reality that demands
that the Finance Ministry and the government take measures
that appear logical." He said adjustments would be made to a
portion of the cuts in the budgets for Torah institutions,
and for others the government feels the cut is
appropriate.
Regarding the discontinuation of funding for foreign yeshiva
students, the Minister claimed that the State does not
provide support for foreign students at any other
institution, including university students.
On the cut in stipends for kollel men he claimed the
government restored the ratio of support of the married
students in relation to the funding given unmarried yeshiva
students to the level preceding Netanyahu's decrees. "In
practice the situation has returned to its prior state, in
terms of the relative amount that was widely accepted for
years," said Herzog. "I think that in light of the [budget]
balancing, constraints, difficulties and problems the State
of Israel faces, the decision is logical and reasonable."
