From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Knesset finance panel set to approve nearly NIS 100 million for Haredi schools
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Knesset Finance Committee convenes to approve the allocation of nearly NIS 100 million ($33 million) in funds for Haredi education institutions, part of a larger NIS 1 billion ($331 million) transfer that was halted in December by the High Court of Justice because it had not undergone the required deliberations and vote in the parliamentary panel.
While the rest of the funds have since been distributed, the court last month ordered the committee to hold a meeting to discuss the remaining NIS 98 million.
December’s freeze came after in response to a petition against the transfer submitted by lawmakers from the opposition’s Yesh Atid party, accusing the government of funding educational institutions which do not teach core curriculum subjects as required by law.
In a statement before the committee discussion, Yesh Atid noted that it was taking place on Holocaust Remembrance Day and that “while in the previous budget they cut NIS 3.3 million from aid for Holocaust survivors, today in the Finance Committee they are discussing the transfer of about NIS 100 million to Haredi educational institutions.”
These are the “priorities of the draft dodgers and the corrupt,” the party said.
In a tweet, former committee chairman and Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni says that he had warned for years that “transfers must be made on time and not approved retroactively but the absurd reality is that now we’re required to re-discuss only one transfer, for Haredi education.”
Last month, the Knesset passed the 2026 budget, including billions for Haredi education.
The Times of Israel Community.