The ultra-Orthodox have been dealt a blow the likes of which we have not seen in recent years. Yeshivot have had their budgets drastically cut, as have other institutions; anti-religious legislation has been introduced. The status of the yeshiva students has been the most contested issue as lawmakers try to impose a new way of life on this large segment of society. The state has never targeted a single segment of society with such force and with such indiscriminate methods. This has culminated with the recent High Court of Justice ruling -- an outrageous precedent -- that prohibits the state from giving stipends to yeshiva students whose draft to the Israel Defense Forces had been deferred, even though they were never presented with draft notices in the first place. In the wake of that decision, the anger in the haredi street has been clearly noticeable. This further underscored the already unfavorable view of the court's justices, who have never sided with the haredim, on any issue. But feelings aside, the court has never defunded universities just because they accept conscientious objectors or others who failed to serve. So why deny funding to yeshivot? The Budget Law has items that cater to every sector of society; certain segments take state funding and use it to fun fund cultural venues, the arts, sports and recreation. We are talking about billions of shekels. We must look at the national report card. As a result of the 2013 general elections, the haredim have had to deal with new austerity measures. But does anyone feel better knowing that haredim have seen the pinch in their pocket and saw their budgets hit hard? Has this helped the middle class? Has the fact that Finance Minister Yair Lapid defunded certain haredi programs helped reduce the cost of living? Does a young couple have a better shot at buying an apartment now that the haredim are no longer in the government? Apartment prices are on the rise; the cost of living has remained high; the state of the middle class and those in the lower crust of society has declined; poverty has increased and unemployment is still taking its heavy toll. The myth that the haredim are free loaders and that their yeshivot are funded at the expense of our healthcare system and the welfare benefits, has been debunked. Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) is a member of Knesset.
Similarly, ultra-Orthodox want their share of the pie and they seek to spend it on yeshivot. Studying the Torah is the most prized endeavor, and the yeshivot help make the world of the Torah -- which belongs to all of us -- accessible. The budget is funded by everyone's taxes, included the haredim, who contribute to the state coffers through indirect taxation. As such, they too should be allowed to see that the values they hold so dear and the causes they champion get funded accordingly. The debate over drafting haredim should not be conflated with the budgeting of yeshivot and Torah study.
The ever-expanding baseless hatred was further exacerbated with the recent High Court of Justice ruling. In the eyes of hundreds of thousands of haredim, the court once again proved that it would not provide them with relief and that it would undermine their way of life and hurt their families in every possible way. You get the feeling that the High Court of Justice was influenced by the prevailing sentiment in the government and in the media, both of which want to see more cuts and more measures targeting this large segment of society, a public that fights for its spiritual existence and knows it cannot rely on the Israeli democracy to protect it as a minority.
The High Court pulls us apart
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