Heritage center in danger of closure due to Netanyahu's cuts: "Like beggars"
In recent years, support for the Levi Eshkol Heritage Center has been severely cut. Commemoration budgets are being redirected to other bodies, including those associated with the Likud. Eshkol's grandson criticizes the move as discriminatory, while the Prime Minister's Office attributes the cuts to an increase in the number of eligible organizations.
"One of the excellent prime ministers of the State of Israel." This is how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously defined Levi Eshkol, the third prime minister of Israel. Ironically, it is during Netanyahu's tenure that the Levi Eshkol Heritage Center has reached the brink of closure due to consistent cuts in support. According to data, the Prime Minister's Office reduced the support for the "Yad Levi Eshkol" association from 1.65 million shekels in 2022 to just 244,000 shekels—a cut of over 85%. According to the center's management, this amount is insufficient to operate the official heritage center located in the historic prime minister's house in Jerusalem.
"It is difficult to see the dramatic cut to 'Yad Levi Eshkol' as a purely professional or technical decision. It raises a broader question: which heritage does the state choose to cultivate, and which does it leave to fight for its very existence," wrote Yochai Shohat, Levi Eshkol's grandson and a member of the association's executive committee, and chairman Avi Viderman to Prime Minister Netanyahu. "Such a deep cut cannot be presented as a technical adjustment. The state does not announce the closure of the heritage center; it simply reduces support until it can no longer be operated. This is how your government brings a commemoration institution to closure without making an open decision or holding a public discussion," they wrote.
"The feeling — like beggars"
In their appeal to the PM, they added: "Levi Eshkol is not just another name on the list of prime ministers. He was one of the state's architects. Commemoration struggles are not struggles over the past; they are struggles over the future. Every heritage center tells the next generation who the state's leaders were and what values are worthy of imitation. Commemoration budgets are the way the state shapes national memory."
"Yad Levi Eshkol" leases the building from the state, which previously served as the prime minister's residence. The state does not budget for the building's maintenance or operation. The support mechanism mainly allows for the reimbursement of expenses for activities, ignoring costs for archives, exhibitions, insurance, and municipal taxes. "We call on you to intervene personally. If the government under your leadership allows 'Yad Levi Eshkol' to collapse, it will signal to future generations that certain leaders are worthy of state commemoration, while others can disappear quietly," they stated.
"It may not be the most burning issue in the country, but it is impossible not to feel frustration at the way the government chooses to remember its founders," said Shohat yesterday. "The feeling since the house was established is that we are beggars dependent on the goodwill of the PMO staff. Not only is the budget insulting, but there is also blatant discrimination between prime ministers and presidents. It is simply very disappointing."
Response from the Prime Minister's Office
the Prime Minister's Office stated in response: "Contrary to what is claimed, no decision was made to close the heritage center. The center is operated by the 'Yad Levi Eshkol' association, which is an independent body. The association has chosen to operate under a framework of support tests that apply equally to all bodies meeting the threshold conditions. The reduction in support stems from the fact that in recent years the number of bodies eligible for support has increased, meaning the budget is divided among more entities. The office appreciates the work of Prime Minister Eshkol and continues to promote his commemoration within the framework of the Council for the Commemoration of Israel's Presidents and Prime Ministers."
Sources in the "Yad Levi Eshkol" association checked the budget transparency system to identify the new recipients of these funds. The list includes organizations such as "National Youth - Betar," "Jabotinsky Institute in Israel," "Shilton Betar," and "Sulamot." "It screams to the heavens," said a source in the association. "Money is moving from official commemoration bodies that have operated for decades to clearly right-wing bodies linked to the Likud."
