The government is expected to vote Sunday on a proposal to limit the number of years yeshiva students will be eligible to receive support from the State and give needy students a financial grant.
The vote will take place following recommendations submitted by an inter-ministerial committee headed by Eyal Gabai, director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, which was appointed as a result of public pressure.
According to the proposal, which does not require the Knesset’s approval, yeshiva students will receive full funding only on the first four years of their studies. On the fifth year, which will be considered a year of training, they will be given a grant of 75%.
At the same time, the number of yeshiva students entitled to unlimited full-time advanced Talmud studies ("kollel") will be limited to a small number of "diligent students". In addition, needy students will receive an increment of NIS 50 million (about $14 million) as part of an aid fund.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the committee’s recommendations are aimed at encouraging the ultra-Orthodox sector’s integration in the labor market and aid different studying populations in a balanced and equal manner.
Financial support for yeshiva students, totaling NIS 127 million (about $35 million) a year, will be granted in two tracks. In the first track, the yeshiva student will receive a full pension of up to NIS 1,040 ($289) a year. On the fifth year, the student will have to study only part of the time get a part-time job, and will therefore be entitled to only 75% of the initial sum for his Torah studies.
The second track, which includes a reduced pension, is intended for a small group of "diligent students" who plan to devote their life to studying Torah. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, this group includes about 2,000 people who will receive a total of NIS 20 million ($5 million).
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noted that "the settlement is aimed at balancing between two main principles – human sensitivity and a desire not to perpetuate poverty. We are talking about an extremely poor population and we cannot harm their level of income all at once.
"On the other hand, we must not encourage the current situation. The new arrangement will motivate the population of yeshiva students to go out to work and improve their economic situation, as well as show some sensitivity towards thousands of poor families and solve the problem in a gradual manner."
Currently, some 11,000 out of 70,000 kollel students receive the aid funds according to a number of criteria, which will also be implemented according to the new decision – they are married with at least three children, their total family income does not exceed NIS 1,200 ($333) a month, and they do not own a car.
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