Israel: plan to cut ultra-Orthodox study time to let men join workforce

Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman proposed on Tuesday to cut the study time of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men by half in order to give them time to join the workforce, local media have reported. The incentive is that they will receive the same government study stipend that they get at present.

Lieberman has already proposed the requirement for both parents to be employed before a family can receive state subsidies for child daycare.

Many ultra-Orthodox families are large, and are often supported by women According to official statistics, 78 per cent of the women in the community are employed.

The extreme right-wing minister’s proposal followed a warning by the Bank of Israel and economists that the state budget will be strained long term if ultra-Orthodox Jewish men are not integrated into the workforce.

READ: Israel government wants more ultra-Orthodox men to work, but faces pushback

The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is expected to grow from 12.6 per cent last year to 32 per cent by 2065. Lieberman has often clashed with the community’s leaders and ultra-Orthodox lawmakers.

According to Reuters, the head of one of the religious parties, Moshe Gafni, responded to the plan by calling him a “big fool”. Others said that the minister did not care about their well-being.

Lieberman pointed out that he wants to help ultra-Orthodox children, while their leadership “wants to keep them in poverty.”