A new bill advanced by Knesset member Uriel Buso of the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox Shas party aims to provide financial aid to Israeli Jews who leave the secular world and become religious, similar to that given to new immigrants upon their arrival in Israel.
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Buso proposed the legislation in response to another bill, advanced by Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg, which seeks to grant monetary aid to ultra-Orthodox Israelis who decide to no longer be religious – in an effort to help them complete their secondary education and go to university.
Buso's bill aims to get the state to recognize secular Israeli Jews who become religious – known as hozrim betshuva – by awarding them the same financial aid, or "absorption basket," given to new immigrants.
As per the bill, every Israeli Jew who leaves his or her secular community and becomes ultra-Orthodox will be eligible for the assistance regardless of their age, gender, or marital status.
If in a Jewish state – where Torah study is of supreme value – the government wants to provide absorption baskets to Jews who leave the religious way of life, then all the more so it should assist those who decide to begin adhering to it, according to the bill.
It further explained that returning to religion carried with it challenges similar to those encountered by new immigrants when entering a society they know nothing about.
"This process is in many ways similar to what new immigrants go through, and in some ways, it is even more difficult," the bill said, stressing that financial aid would help them "acclimatize immediately."
Knesset members are scheduled to deliberate on the matter on Thursday.
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