Government ministers are due to approve a transfer of NIS 164 million to the budget for supporting Torah institutions today. Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich put the proposed resolution on the agenda of today’s weekly government meeting. The money will be transferred as part of the coalition demands of the haredi parties and of Smotrich’s own party, the Religious Zionism party.
Under the proposal, NIS 79 million will go to yeshivas and kolels (institutions of higher rabbinical studies), and another NIS 51 million will go towards increasing the number of yeshiva students in 2023. In addition, NIS 19.3 million will go to financing studies at midrashot for girls, and to boosting support for Torah institutions in communities near the Gaza Strip border and those that encourage military service. A further NIS 15 million will be channeled to Torah study programs for students with foreign citizenship.
The cost will be NIS 145 million to the 2023 state budget. According to the government, the source of finance will be surpluses from the across the board budget cut imposed in February. At that time, just before the state budget was passed, a 3% cut was imposed on the budgets of all ministries in order to finance the cost of the coalition agreements with the various parties.
Smotrich’s proposal for raising state support for Torah institutions did not appear on the original published agenda for the government meeting, and was added late last night. The decision to spend an additional NIS 145 million from the state budget for coalition party needs somewhat contradicts Smotrich’s directive to senior Ministry of Finance officials last week to maintain budget reserves and restrain expenditure as much as possible.
Meanwhile, it has been decided to divert NIS 35 million from budgets for encouraging economic development among the haredi population to the public transport subsidy, in order to help prevent the rise that was planned in fares.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on July 30, 2023.
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