Haredi Pols Scheming To Restore Handouts To Yeshiva Lifers

I have a number of friends and children of friends in Israel who are in college.  This morning my inbox was overflowing with petitions sent to me as part of their mass lists to mostly Israeli friends.  The petitions are to express their outrage about the following story.

Back in June, the Israeli Supreme Court, once again demonstrating that it is the sole Israeli bulwark against theocracy, ruled that the special allocation of “guaranteed income” to yeshiva students was illegal.  In the words of the high court’s president, Dorit Beinish, “there can be no distinguishing between yeshiva students and students studying at other institutions.”  It took nine years of litigation.

Reactions from Haredim were swift:

“There has never been a single court ruling in favor of the haredi public in the High Court,” [United Torah Party MK Moshe] Gafni said.

Meanwhile, Shas Chairman Eli Yishai also claimed the court decision discriminates against the haredi public, and immediately ordered the preparation of a bill to counter it.

This is how the handout system worked:

The assured income clause currently applies to couples who do not work, have three or more children, and do not own a vehicle. Thousands of married yeshiva students rely on the benefits stipulated by the clause, as well as funds given them by the yeshivas, which are also government-funded.

Today the Haredim took action to get around the High Court.  They’re going to offer the same deal to the university students.  Those kids, by the way, sacrificed years in their nation’s defense, continue to serve in the reserves, and work their tuchises off to pay for school, all while earning useful degrees.  Then they enter the workplace.  These permanent students do nothing but study Torah.  Forever.

Didn’t Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah say (Tractate Avot 3:21), “If there is no bread, there is no Torah”?

As they summed up in Yediot Achronot:

The handout will now also go to every college student with three or more kids, no vehicle and no other income.  So, how many college students like that do you know?

I don’t know any.  On the other hand, there are 10,000 Haredi students whom this perfectly describes.