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20 Cheshvan 5771 - October 28, 2010 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Guaranteed Income for Avreichim Law Draws out Hatred of Chareidim

by Yated Ne'eman Staff

Despite the fact that it was mandated by the High Court, and despite the fact that it merely formalizes an arrangement that has been in place for some thirty years and adds no extra money to the government budget, the law authorizing the continuation of guaranteed income payments to avreichim draws fiery, hostile debate whenever it is discussed.

As Rabbi Moshe Gafni, chair of the Knesset Finance Committee explained, "This is not a law that bypassed the High Court, but rather a law that has been proposed according to the instructions of the High Court. In the past, the High Court approved the arrangements that were made to provide avreichim with a guaranteed annual income and that were in place for three decades. More recently, the Court said that it was not proper for the arrangements to continue in their current form as administrative regulations and that they should be formalized in legislation. That is why the Court delayed its invalidation of the administrative arrangements until January 2011 — to give the Knesset time to pass the necessary legislation. That is what we are doing now. It is not a law defying the High Court but rather done at their direction."

Rabbi Gafni added, "The Finance Committee recently discussed the matter at great length and it became clear from the data of the government's General Accountant that university students receive several times the amount of money that goes to avreichim, in programs that are tailored to them. Thus the argument that the guaranteed income law for avreichim discriminates against other students is not correct. The opposite is the case."

Rabbi Gafni noted that all recent governments, including the one lead by Kadima whose members lead the attacks against the new law, authorized the provision of guaranteed income for avreichim.

"This law does not add even a single shekel to the budget beyond what was given for decades by all the Israeli governments," said Rabbi Gafni.

Nonetheless, opponents of the bill continue to claim that it somehow hurts students. The Likud accused Kadima of taking its political playbook from the defunct Shinui party whose strategy centered on attacking the chareidim.

 

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