Cuts in the child support of Bituach Leumi took effect this week in payments that were made on August 20. From now on, the monthly allowance for children under 10 years old is NIS 140 per month (about $40). For older children, the third child gets NIS 172 per month (about $49), the fourth child gets NIS 336 ($95) and from the fifth and onward the sum is NIS 354 ($100). A family with six children of whom half are over 10 years old will see its monthly stipend fall from NIS 1,348 to NIS 872.
Up until now, for children less than 10 years old, the first child got NIS 140. The second, third and fourth got NIS 263. And the fifth child and any more each got NIS 175. For older children, the first child got NIS 175 a month. The second got NIS 263. The third got NIS 295. The fourth got NIS 460 and other children each got NIS 389.
Government support for yeshiva education was also cut drastically. Up until January of this year, a student in a yeshiva gedolah was budgeted at NIS 500 by the Ministry of Education, and a kollel avreich at NIS 900. In January this was reduced to NIS 400 for a bochur and NIS 700 for an avreich. In August the yeshivas were notified that the amount for this month would be NIS 155 for a bochur and NIS 279 for an avreich. So far nothing has been paid, though it was due on the fifth of the month.
Rabbi Gafni said that there is reason to expect that the sum for this month will be larger.
