The state is planning to allocate 100 million shekels ($28.8 million) to the Religious Services Ministry in order to prepare for the shmita, or sabbatical, year, which begins on Rosh Hashana. The plan to allocate the funds will be discussed at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. The Jewish year 5775 marks the end of the seven-year agricultural cycle. According to Jewish tradition, on the seventh year, all the lands of Israel must lie fallow, with existing agriculture and produce, such as from grape vines or fruit trees, either being donated or consumed, not sold. The Religious Services Ministry will divvy up 100 million shekels among various projects, including supporting Jewish farmers who have decommissioned their land and subsidies for non-Jewish farmers to build greenhouses and for Jewish farmers to develop hydroponic farms, which are a modern loophole of sorts because hydroponic uses water to distribute nutrients to plants instead of soil. The ministry will also provide 11.5 million shekels ($3.31 million) to institutions that educate and train agriculturalists for the shmita, 2 million shekels ($600,000) to nationwide shmita educational programs and an additional 2 million shekels to organize the Hakhel ceremony, which will be held at the end of the shmita year at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City.
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State to allocate 100 million shekels for shmita year
In preparation for sabbatical year, the state plans to allocate 100 million shekels to Religious Services Ministry for a variety of projects, including encouraging greenhouse development among non-Jewish farmers and hydroponic farms among Jewish farmers.