United Torah Judaism Party Chairman MK Moshe Gafni today (Wednesday) sharply attacked Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who signed a new decision stating that if both parents do not work, they will not receive subsidies for daycare.
Gafni said: "The criterion set by the evil Liberman will deny a working woman whose husband is studying Torah the subsidy for her child in daycare and will severely harm these families financially.".
Gafni added: "We are waiting for Bennett to say that he will not allow the Haredi public to be harmed, and the first and most severe harm inflicted by the evil Lieberman is coming to the world against the Haredi public, working women and Torah scholars.".
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MK Yaakov Litzman responded to the decree: "Lieberman is actually implementing the 'fence of evil' policy of the malicious government headed by Bennett-Lapid, against the ultra-Orthodox and the tradition of Israel.".
He said, "This is a direct and deliberate attack against Haredi families, out of disgust and hatred towards the public of Habrechim and families celebrating children. This is part of the policy of the Reform government that is waging a struggle against everything holy and precious to us, in perfect coordination with the messages of wild incitement that Lieberman has been leading in recent years.".
He emphasized: "We have witnessed that Bennett, Shaked and Saar, who promised to 'balance' Yvette, are not relevant at all and are full partners in the persecution of Haredi families.".
Religious Zionist Chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich responded: "The Torah of Israel is our right to exist here. Starving the children of the Abrechim is a shame and another sign of disgrace for this evil government. Shame on you.".
MK Yisrael Eichler attacked Liberman's decree: "The Minister of Finance is waging a war against Haredi mothers and their children. Thus began the path to driving the Haredi to the dump. He went to battle against Haredi mothers whose only curse is that they are mothers who are blessed with children.".
'"Lieberman says he wants the Kollel youth to go out into the workforce. They've already said before him that 'the Jews are parasites' and 'so that it doesn't multiply.' And the truth is that he wants to starve mothers and children, by increasing the prices of dormitories to a level where it won't be worth it for them to go out to work.".
Eichler added: "Lieberman is a veteran ultra-Orthodox hater, and we have no expectations from him. But the blame lies with the prime minister and all the partners in the malicious government. They have collective responsibility in this war. They will all be remembered to the world as fighters of the resistance army, Torah scholars, and ultra-Orthodox families.".
MK Uri Maklev: "These are the Lapid-Bennett decrees that are being repeated to us as they were several years ago. This is cruelty by the government that comes from persecution and hatred. The attempt to present this as a subsidy for the Haredim is fundamentally false. These are women who work long hours and this change will only harm the economy. Like the greatest persecutors, the government is stealing the bread of the Haredim children.".
According to Maklev, "The state is contradicting itself - the same people the state requires to show up for school are now being required to keep their children at home.".
MK Ofer Kassif from the Joint Committee tweeted:
I call on the government to put the program to abort children of ultra-Orthodox parents on wheelbarrows and throw it in a good landfill.
Free education from the age of 0 is a fundamental right that all children deserve, regardless of their parents. It would be better if the government deepened the subsidy and did not use it as a tool for racist political harassment.
— Ofer Cassif عوفر كسيف (@ofercass) July 7, 2021
Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman decreed today, in order to encourage integration into the employment market, that starting from the upcoming school year 2012, non-working parents will no longer be eligible for subsidies for supervised daycare for children ages 0-3.
According to the change decided upon by Lieberman, only a student parent who is oriented towards the job market will be able to receive a subsidy for daycare - a condition that excludes the children of kollel schools, who until now have benefited from the state subsidy.
Another condition for receiving the subsidy is that both spouses are required to work part-time for at least 24 hours a week. Until now, only the mother of the toddler was required to work part-time and the father could only study.
According to the Minister of Finance's decision, to the extent that parents integrate into the labor market during the school year, they will be able to receive subsidies starting from the day they start working.
In addition, it was decided to allow subsidies in cases where the spouse acquires education or skills that will enable future integration into the labor market.
Finance Minister Lieberman said: "The decision I am bringing today is a very important step that changes the priorities in the country, and puts those who work and pay taxes first. The current mechanism harms working parents and prioritizes those who do not - and therefore change is needed. I will continue to lead measures that will eliminate negative incentives for integration into the labor market.".
