Additional millions for ultra-Orthodox education: 2026 budget reopened
About 16 billion shekels will be allocated to various purposes, including 111 million for ultra-Orthodox education. The Knesset Finance Committee convened during the parliamentary recess to approve the budget adjustments.
During the parliamentary recess, the Knesset Finance Committee convened this morning, Wednesday, for a discussion to approve changes to the state budget. As part of these adjustments, approximately 16 billion shekels will be channeled to various purposes, including 111 million shekels for ultra-Orthodox education.
The committee is discussing expected changes to the 2026 budget, during which 26 million shekels will be allocated to yeshiva students who dropped out, and another 85 million shekels will be allocated to ultra-Orthodox institutions that do not teach the core curriculum (liba).
The budget review includes:
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26.1 million shekels for a program to prevent yeshiva dropouts
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16.4 million for ultra-Orthodox education exempt from core curriculum studies
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65.4 million for state-religious education in settlements
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16.1 million for increased subsidies for non-recognized after-school programs
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30.3 million for state-religious education
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12.5 million for Jewish culture support
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15.2 million for religious institutions in the Tkuma region
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69 million for the "Bnei Yosef - Maayan HaHinuch HaTorani" network
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54 million for kindergarten teachers in the unofficial education system
Finance Committee member and Yesh Atid MK Naor Shiri responded to the transfer:
"The coalition is again transferring hundreds of millions more to the ultra-Orthodox sector, right in our faces. The alliance of Benjamin Netanyahu and Gafni has never been stronger. Let every Israeli citizen remember who the natural partners of the Likud are: the refusers and the draft dodgers."
Millions at the last minute
In March, the Knesset approved the state budget, but an unprecedented maneuver occurred during the process. Hundreds of millions of shekels were transferred at the last minute to ultra-Orthodox parties with the support of the opposition, which failed to notice the coalition's trick.
During the night of the budget vote, the plenum voted on a series of reservations. When the coalition's reservations were put to a vote, the opposition voted automatically in favor. Only after several votes, noticing the unusual majority, did the opposition realize the situation and begin to condemn the nightly maneuver.
