In coalition deal Noam gets millions for ‘Department of Jewish State Consciousness’

The newly published coalition agreements show that the far-right anti-LGBT party Noam has secured some NIS 70 million per year to set up what’s being called the Department of Jewish State Consciousness.

The mandate of the new department is not immediately clear, but the coalition agreement signed between Avi Maoz, the head of the one-man Noam faction, and Likud guarantees it five staffers.

The establishment of the department is in addition to the NIS 300 million over two years Maoz is to receive for his Jewish National Identity office, an increase of NIS 50 million over what he was previously promised. He will also be given the title of deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, where his Jewish National Identity office will sit.

As previously reported, Maoz will also assume control over Nativ, which manages Jewish immigration from former Soviet states, and an Education Ministry unit in charge of external educational programming in public schools.

Maoz said his goal is to increase “transparency” to parents over the school programming. In connection to Nativ, Maoz has said that he wants to tighten eligibility requirements to be closer to the Orthodox definition of Jewishness.