life insurance for avreichim finally passes despite Gafni's opposition

What seems to be a good initiative has been on the government's table for a few years now. The idea was proposed and planned by Shas MKs and ministers, but it is being fought over internally with opposition by UTJ MKs, specifically Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Litzman.

The idea proposed is mandatory life insurance for avreichim. The plan would mostly be subsidized by the government, but the avreichim would have to pay a small amount - the amount proposed initially was 25nis per month.

the plan is fabulous. We regularly are inundated with collections for avreichim who suddenly died young, an untimely death (as if any death is timely), leaving behind a widow and 6, 8 or 14 kids, kids who need to be married off, etc... They turn to the public to collect, frequently, for these people, who really do need help, because there were no arrangements or plans or forethought for after death. They generally did not earn enough money as avreichim to be able to have anything extra to put into insurance or other things, but having insurance would really help the families in case of death. According to Itzik Cohen, the avreichim arent even really paying for it. They have to pay 15nis per month, but the stipend is being increased by 15nis each to cover it.

This argument between Haredi MKs has now come to a close, of sorts. Moments before being fired by PM Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, [now former] Minister of Education Naftali Bennett signed off on Itzik Cohen's plan putting the insurance plan into effect.

While even within UTJ some approve of the plan, as MK Eichler says the Belzer Rebbe was very happy with it, Moshe Gafni has been the main one behind the opposition for th epast few years and has successfully been able to hold it off until now. Gafni was surprised, and angered, by the last minute approval of the plan.

Gafni's main reason to oppose it is not because he thinks insurance is bad or they don't need insurance. Gafni just thinks we cannot allow for a precedent in which the government tells avreichim what to do, forces them to pay for things, or anything of the like. In Gafni's own words, this is as bad a decree as the evil decree of drafting Haredim. If we allow them to tell us to do this, what will happen when tomorrow some clerk wakes up and decides to tell the Haredim what they must learn in their schools and forces them to teach core curriculum studies?
source: Kikar, Behadrei

I am pretty sure he has gone overboard and exaggerated the issue just a bit. The question is why. According to Cohen (in the Behadrei article), all the gedolim have supported it and only Gafni, all by himself, has been holding it up until now. I wonder if tzedaka organizations are behind the opposition to it - they stand to lose big, in money collections and in community influence and  control if they will not need to run such campaigns any longer. Either way, the opposition to such a plan is ridiculous. Gafni should not be turning this into an issue. Taking out a life insurance plan will not lead to learning math, English, how to parachute out of an Air Force plane or mixed dancing. Gafni even sounds cruel opposing such a plan, preferring to leave the widows and children to the mercy of the public rather than to have assistance arranged in advance through insurance.

------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel

------------------------------------------------------