The right wing Zionist Orthodox political party HaBayit Hayehudi says
that instead of forcing haredim to serve in Israel’s military, Israel
should leave haredim alone and increase state benefits for those who do
serve, instead. But the frequently disingenuous party wants to
achieve this by taking away tuition breaks for some university students
– people who actually contribute to Israel’s economy and economic
security.
HaBayit Hayehudi's chairman Naftali Bennett
Right Wing Zionist Orthodox Party Wants To Rob University Students To Pay Haredi Yeshiva Students
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The right wing Zionist Orthodox political party HaBayit Hayehudi says that instead of forcing haredim to serve in Israel’s military, Israel should leave haredim alone and increase state benefits for those who do serve, instead.
But the frequently disingenuous party wants to achieve this by taking away tuition breaks for some university students – people who actually contribute to Israel’s economy and economic security, the Jerusalem Post reported.
In a plan titled “If they give, they will receive," HaBayit HaYehudi details its plan, which makes sense – but only for the extremely math challenged.
"In the next government, we need a new social agenda, which better rewards those who carry the burden in order to encourage service. We are taking an existing benefit that the country gives as part of [university] tuition to over 100,000 students, and redistributed it so that those who contribute to the state will be recognized, and those who do not will get less help,” the party’s introduction to the plan says.
Israelis who do not serve in the military will have to pay NIS 20,000 per year of university tuition.
The current tuition rate for government-supported universities and colleges is about half that.
Those who do serve in the military will receive a larger tuition break and will pay only NIS 5,000.
Almost no haredim go to college or university. HaBayit HaYehudi’s plan does not impact yeshiva tuition subsidies or subsidies for the individual yeshiva students.
HaBayit HaYehudi’s plan also includes benefits for Israelis who serve 10 days or more of military reserve duty per year, including extra tuition breaks, a monthly NIS 110 tax break and a monthly NIS 150 subsidy for day-care for reservists' children.
Also, Israelis who serve in the military will receive preference in employment in academia, in government jobs, and in access to public housing.
HaBayit HaYehudi says its plan grants benefits as high as NIS 55,830 ($15,000) in total over the lifespan of an Israeli who serves in the military and who does reserve duty.
What HaBayit HaYehudi doesn’t say is that according one calculation being taken extremely seriously in Israel, married haredi yeshiva students average about $14,400 per year in government subsidies, or $720,000 over 50 years the government will support a student’s yeshiva study – 48 times more than what HaBayit HaYehudi wants to give those who do serve in the military.
This would mean that those who do serve in the military and who do work and pay taxes would then be paying increased taxes to keep ever more haredi yeshiva students on the government dole. Any possible gain in tuition credits or meager day care subsidies would be more than eaten up by the cost of the haredi increases.