Months after concluding the discussions in the committee he headed - the Perry Committee - Minister Yaakov Perry convened the Ministerial Committee for Equal Burden this morning (Sunday) to discuss various issues related mainly to the Haredi public.
The minister made it clear to the committee members that the success of the law depends on how it is implemented by the various parties, and that the monitoring committee he chairs will ensure that the law is implemented. "The law made a historic change and for the first time imposed mandatory conscription on the Haredi public. Now we must ensure that the Haredi will enlist in the IDF, serve in civilian service, and integrate into the labor market," Perry said, adding: "I call on government ministries and the public that employs in Israel to absorb Haredi into their ranks and thereby assist the Israeli economy and the success of the entire process."
The discussion was attended by: Defense Minister Bogy Ya'alon, Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz, Housing Minister Uri Ariel, and representatives of the Ministries of Defense and the IDF, Finance, Education, and Economy.
As part of the discussion, the IDF and the National-Civilian Service Authority provided reviews regarding the number of recruits in the recruitment year that began in July 2013, and regarding future actions intended to encourage the recruitment of Haredim into the IDF and National-Civilian Service.
Brigadier General Gadi Agmon said in the discussion that from July 2013 to the present, 1,650 Haredim have been recruited, and that he estimates that the IDF will meet the recruitment goals of 2,000 Haredim for military service in the current recruitment year.
The head of the National Civilian Service Authority, Minister Shalom Jarbi, said in the discussion that since July 2013, 817 Haredim have joined the National Civilian Service, and that it is estimated that by the end of the recruitment year, 1,100 Haredim will join.
The data shows that by the end of the current recruitment year, 3,100 Haredim are expected to enlist, compared to 2,642 Haredim who enlisted in the previous recruitment year. In July 2014, the committee will meet again and report on the final number of recruits and compliance with recruitment goals.
In addition, Michal Tzuk, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Economy, reviewed the actions that have already been taken in recent months and those that will be taken in the coming months, to encourage the integration of the Haredi into the labor market, and stated that the Ministry of Economy is prepared to absorb the Haredi into the labor market.
Following the discussion, the Ministry of Education reviewed its activities regarding determining the support test for yeshiva students, in accordance with Government Decision No. 638, which will constitute a model of economic incentives - negative and positive - in the event of failure to meet targets in the next 3 years.
The Ministerial Committee adopted a decision assigning tasks to the relevant ministries designed to ensure the implementation of the law, and it was determined that another discussion would be held no later than July 31, 2014.
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