Avreichim used to get this funding from the government, as a form of welfare. The Supreme Court put an end to it, saying it was discriminatory as it only applied to avreichim. Since then the Haredi parties, specifically UTJ, have been trying to find creative ways to rewrite the regulations of such a welfare payment in a way that would not be considered discriminatory.
Today they succeeded in passing their latest attempt, and students will benefit from it as well, which should help it get past the test of the courts.
What I find interesting is one point mentioned by Kikar. And that is, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman succeeded in lowering the requirement for learning from 45 hours weekly to 40 hours.
So, the irony in this, or strange part of it if not ironic, Haredi MKs fought to lessen the required learning time of avreichim. Haredi MKs fought to allow avreichim to learn less. Can you imagine the screaming we'd have heard had Yair Lapid done this?
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Unfortunately, it helps prove that this isn't about learning. But then, they know darn well that many, many of the avreichim aren't particularly accomplished in their learning, or aren't that devoted to their learning. The real issue is they want the support so that they won't be forced into becoming part of Israeli society.
ReplyDeleteYes thats right, my mothers sisters brother once saw her cousin who said he walked into a beis medrash and there was a guy sleeping on his Gemara and that man told him that yeah, everyone in the Kollel is a faker and we all just sit here so that we wont be part of society . And then he laughed maniacally as he counted out his 500 shekel that he mooched off the Government. Money that could have been used for normal people. And then he laughed again. Non-accomplished Avreichim (you know, the kind that are stuck in one Masechta for a year - losers) are sucking the life force out of Israel
ReplyDeleteAnon
ReplyDeleteQuite a biased statement with facts & statistics missing.
Anon & Morcechai are both ridiculous. Of course there are many avreichim who aren't "accomplished" - but the philosophy is that "an average Joe" sitting and learning all his life is a very powerful thing for the world, more meaningful than if he were to support his family in the typical/secular way. That is a different topic that has been debated ad nauseum already.
ReplyDeleteThe rules were obviously changed so that university students could be included, because the time logged in their studies isn't as much - they might invest plenty of time but research isn't as structured so it gives the student recipients the flexibility they need. And that a blog post can make a joke of irony - which likely won't be "taken advantage of" by any of the kollelim - without everyone jumping to "logical" conclusions, is missing the point.
Lighten up, people!
Not to mention of course that night seder doesn't count towards the total.
ReplyDeleteI am quite sure that Anon was being sarcastic.
ReplyDelete