JERUSALEM (VINnews) — In a dramatic step, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued an interim order preventing the government from funding the monthly stipends of at least some charedi yeshiva students after April 1, as the legal framework for deferring their military service will no longer exist, according to a Times of Israel report.
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Yeshiva students who did not get a military service deferral after July 1, 2023 (when the previous draft deferment law expired), and who have not presented themselves for conscription, will now be ineligible for monthly stipends, according to the current ruling.
Those who received exemptions before that date will still be eligible, although their stipends will also likely be shortly cut off if the government does not pass a new legislative framework for them to obtain military service exemptions.
Tens of thousands of charedi yeshiva students receive monthly stipends for their yeshiva studies, although the sums of money involved per student are negligible in comparison with university students and other sectors which receive special funding.
United Torah Judaism (UTJ) slammmed the High Court decision, describing it as a “war on the Torah.”
In a public statement, the United Torah Judaism party accused the judicial system of declaring “an all-out struggle” against Torah study.
“How can an interim order be issued in an hour, when an ordinary person can wait years for a ruling,” the party asked, promising to “take care of Torah students and Torah education.”
UTJ chairman and Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf said that “The order given by the judges of the High Court of Justice, whose purpose is to seriously harm the Torah and Jewish people, here in the Land of Israel – the state of the Jewish people – is a sign of disgrace and contempt,”
“The State of Israel arose to be a home for the Jewish people whose Torah is a Torah of truth… Without the Torah, we have no right to exist,” he says. “We will fight in every way for the right of every Jew to learn Torah and we will not compromise on that.”
Senior UTJ MK Meir Porush likewise condemned the court, accusing it of taking the “unprecedented step of imposing economic sanctions against those who chose to study the Holy Torah.”
“This is a serious violation of our right to exist in the Land of Israel – the highest judicial authority of the State of Israel seeks to throw Torah scholars into prison,” he declares. “We will not put up with this situation and will fight to cancel the decision immediately, along with the effort to quickly regulate the status of yeshiva members so that they can observe the Torah without interruption.”
The point where I realized that the Likud-Religious Zionism-Charedi coalition wasn’t going to reach an internal agreement on Charedi enlistment was earlier this week, when a prominent Shas rosh yeshiva announced this week that Charedim who **don’t** enroll in yeshiva should also be exempt from the Army because “they also daven and learn.” How are dati leumi or traditional Sephardic parents supposed to react to that? Their sons don’t daven and learn? Some of the dati leumi soldiers who’ve sacrificed their lives since 10/7 have been genuine talmidei chachamim. The Charedi position (apparently that the Army should be 100% secular and/or non-Jewish) is disconnected from reality, and their parties deserve to go to the opposition.
There no doubt that Haredim should serve just like everyone else, but the timing is obviously a ploy to collapse the Bibi coalition. A very dangerous game to play in middle of a war. But we all know the SC is a fascist dictatorship
If the Creator wanted all men to sit in yeshiva and not serve in the army , He would have made bread grow on trees and nations no inclination to make war with other nations .
This seems like the court, cause division to make a lefty paradise. Ignorance of war, ignorance of israeli society. Ignorance of faith, just like with a judicial reform ruling in the middle of a war. They just make everything worse, may the true judge foil their evil plots. Their goal is to depose the prime minister and stifle religious life. This has nothing to do with a draft. If they really cared they would have waited for a solution to be made. Obviously they don’t.
Why the shock?
The chareidim have been thumping their nose with real חוצפה against the rest of the nation.
Why do they feel entitled? Why does the Chareidi community in Israel look for ways to avoid serving the nation, like everyone else?
You don’t want to go to the IDF, fine, there are plenty of options to “serve” without actually being in the IDF.
My cousin, who is a דיין, and Charedi, is teaching in a school thereby fulfilling his obligations to the nation. Why can’t everyone find a way to be respectful and pay their fair share??
Eretz Yisroel needs man power, if we hire people to do the work, they will need to raise the taxes substantially in order to pay for these expenses. Giving 2 or 3 years to the country, in effect lowers taxes and makes it possible to run a functional country.
We don’t need extremist screaming Shmad, this has nothing to do with that, it has all to do with everyone contributing their fair share
I wouldn’t worry too much, the stipends will stop from the Ministry of Religions and be transferred to the Ministry of Welfare.
Hate to be the one to say it but if this actually happens say good bye to Israel until Moshiach comes. Torah is the real protection and without it Israel will collapse very quickly
What fo you expect from a court that rules that a baby can have two mothers?
Maybe they can apply to the US gov’t for humanitarian aid designated for Gaza to be diverted to the draft deferring Yeshiva students since they minimize Israel’s capability to fight those “innocent civilians” in Gaza, Hu?
Sure. It’s unfortunate, but when are all gonna realize. That the whole point of this Israeli government is war on Torah.
Erev Rav is strong.
they mamosh hate the Torah