Featured Post
Free The Hostages! Bring Them Home!
(this is a featured post and will stay at the top for the foreseeable future.. scroll down for new posts) -------------------------------...
Oct 2, 2014
No more shuls to be built in Israel
In the current budget proposal that is due to be submitted and voted on for the coming years, the Ministry of Finance (i.e. Yair Lapid) removed any funding for buildings of religious institutions. Meaning, for at least the next couple of years, if the budget passes as is, the government will not finance the construction of any new buildings that are for religious purposes - such as shuls and mikvaot.
the Deputy Minister of Religious Services, Rav Eli Ben Dahan, is fighting the budget cut and says the issue will be resolved and the buildings will be built.
source: Bechadrei
The people in RBS C fighting to get some basic shuls and mikvas built better get it going fast, or else the entire budget for such things might just disappear. Unless for them the money is already there and wont be canceled as it was designated when the neighborhood was built.
To paraphrase Martin Niemoller, First they came for the chickens (for kapparos), I remained silent. I was not a chicken. When they came for the shuls and mikva, I was silent. I was not a shul. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.
the Deputy Minister of Religious Services, Rav Eli Ben Dahan, is fighting the budget cut and says the issue will be resolved and the buildings will be built.
source: Bechadrei
The people in RBS C fighting to get some basic shuls and mikvas built better get it going fast, or else the entire budget for such things might just disappear. Unless for them the money is already there and wont be canceled as it was designated when the neighborhood was built.
To paraphrase Martin Niemoller, First they came for the chickens (for kapparos), I remained silent. I was not a chicken. When they came for the shuls and mikva, I was silent. I was not a shul. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
Labels:
shul
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Related Posts
If Lapid wants to prove that Yated is right that he hates religion, he is doing a great job!
ReplyDeleteWhy are religious services in Israel so dependent on government funding?
ReplyDeleteWhy would this cause that no shuls will be built?
Why wouldn't the people donate money to build a new shul as is done in the U.S.?
Are there so few wealthy and middle class Israelis?
Is the reason the frum Israelis won't pay to build a shul or a mikvah in Israel really due to the poverty in Israel or is it because they are just used to a system where the government pays for the religious services?
Granted, the frum people pay taxes, so they want the government to pay for religious services, however, my question is, if for whatever reason the government is refusing to provide religious services, then why wouldn't the people pay for it as is done in the U.S.? As a frum person living in the U.S. this situation is puzzling.
Moshe
we havent gotten to the point where people refuse to pay, because it hasnt had to happen yet. just the opposite. people do pay, or raise money, because the government des cover some. there also are private shuls buuilt with private money. that being said, when the government gives, nobody wants to take out of their own pocket.
DeleteI would assume if the situation changes and the government stops giving funding, people will. after all the screaming is done, pay or raise money to build their own shuls
A simple answer: I pay taxes and the country and the city build 'cultural centers' and sports centres that I do not use. It is legitimate that religious people also have their culture built by taxpayer money. Given that, until now, the country would either two things ONLY - in new neighbourhoods, there is the possibility to receive a grant that will go towards the cost of building a new shul, but i think up to 500 or 600k. Another option that is/widely used was pre-fab shuls that include a hall for about 100 guys, an afterthought of an ezrat nashim, two separate washrooms, and a shelter that is also the kitchen. This is built by/for the Misrae Hashikun and 'free' frm what i understand, but I would assume at some cost to the city hall in paying for preparing the plot for that prefab structure.
DeleteAbout community donations - there are almost 10000 registered amutor/shuls in Israel, the vast majority of which are operated in regular low and middle class neighbourhoods. Overseas where shuls might be limited, you might have a higher percentage of wealthy people that will give the big donations. Not in Israel. If you are lucky, your shul might have some business owners that have more money than the salaried workers with their fixed incomes.