In a controversial move, Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has ordered the termination of daycare subsidies for ultra-Orthodox families whose fathers are eligible for military service but have not enlisted. The decision, which affects an estimated 6,700 families, has ignited a fierce debate over the intersection of religious study, military service, and state support in Israel.
Baharav-Miara sent a letter on Sunday morning to Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur, instructing him to halt funding for daycare centers for young ultra-Orthodox families with individuals eligible for military service between the ages of 18-26 who are required to enlist.
According to the attorney general, "With the expiration of the legal basis for blanket service deferrals, the justification for government funding aimed at encouraging studies for draft-eligible ultra-Orthodox men has also been nullified. There is no longer any authority to promote Torah studies within the daycare subsidy framework for those who are required to serve but have not reported for duty."
"The existence of a direct connection between the deferment of service for members of the ultra-Orthodox public and their Torah studies is rooted in the Torah studies being the basic purpose for avoiding enlistment," Baharav-Miara added.
Riots break out at the IDF's main recruitment center, Tel HaShomer, as ultra-Orthodox men break into the base in defiance of the military draft notices issued to them pic.twitter.com/HGDdRwx9Lz
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Israel Hofsheet (Be Free Israel), which petitioned on issues of non-subsidization of daycare centers on the attorney general's announcement, said: "We welcome the fact that the attorney general has also accepted the position we petitioned for two months ago – whoever is supposed to enlist and doesn't do so certainly should not receive far-reaching economic benefits. Gone are the days when one could both evade enlistment and receive extensive subsidies, which in any case only reach a few and should not reach those who choose to evade both enlistment and the labor market. The time for equality has come."
The Shas party issued a harsh statement against the attorney general's decision. "The decision to deny working ultra-Orthodox mothers daycare subsidies, three weeks before the start of the school year, just because the husband studies Torah – this is cruel legal bullying and abuse of helpless children. It's a disgraceful mark of shame on the forehead of a legal system that is supposed to be the shield and relief for women who decided to enter the labor market and contribute to the Israeli economy. The purpose of the subsidy is to encourage women's employment. Ultra-Orthodox women have the highest rate of female employment in the OECD. This unfortunate decision will set them back," Shas said.
The party added: "The issue of the status of yeshiva students is currently being discussed in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and efforts are being made to reach a legal arrangement in cooperation with the defense system. Bullying working ultra-Orthodox women as a means of pressure – is absolute folly that will not take a single Kollel student out of the study hall and will distance any solution on the issue. We will examine the legal tools at our disposal to cancel the scandalous decision that a black flag flies over it."
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush said, "The legal counsel exposes the truth – they are not interested in the army's needs, but only in an obsessive persecution against the world of Torah and the ultra-Orthodox family. The legal system drags small children into a political battle and works to starve them; they have no boundaries."
"The decision of the attorney general to exclude the children of Kollel students is outrageous and discriminatory," tweeted United Torah Judaism chairman, Housing and Construction Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf on his X account. "This is a direct attack on ultra-Orthodox women who go out to work for their livelihood and wish to maintain a Torah lifestyle. It's needless to say that the attorney general would not have published an identical decision against an Arab population that doesn't serve or against children of foreign workers and infiltrators who enjoy services and allowances as if they served in the IDF. This is another attempt to harm the ultra-Orthodox public in various cruel ways."
Goldknopf pledged that "United Torah Judaism will act with all the tools at its disposal to cancel this evil decree and ensure that the families of Kollel students are not harmed. We will demand an urgent discussion in the government and the Knesset on the subject and act to rectify the situation as soon as possible."
Ben-Tzur announced emergency discussions and consultations with professional bodies and legal advisors in his office. His staff stated, "The minister views the severe and direct harm against those helpless toddlers who will be left without supervised educational frameworks as serious."
