דל"פ: המפלגות החרדיות צריכות לוותר על תקציבי הישיבות. נקים מערכת מימון עצמאית להחזקת לומדי התורה.
— אבי מימרן Avi Mimran (@avi1mimran) March 5, 2024
כל חרדי שעובד ישלם 'מס תורה' ויחזיק אברך, בזה אנחנו מאמינים.
התורה שמרה עלינו כעם יהודי 3000 שנה, אנחנו העם הכי קטן, הכי נרדף, והיחיד ששרד.
אם אברך מקבל מהמדינה כמה מאות שקלים בחודש,…
Translation:
Avi Mimran (Haredi journalist) tweeted:Unpopular Opinion: the Haredi political parties need to forego the yeshiva budgets from the government on their own volition. We will establish a system of funding from independent funding in order to support Torah learning.Every working Haredi will pay a "Torah Tax" and will support an Avreich, this is what we believe in.The Torah has protected the Jewish people for 3000 years, we are the smallest nation, the most persecuted, and the only one to have survived.If an Avreich gets a few hundred shekels a month from the State, we can replace the State.Alongside paying taxes to the State, we will add a Torah tax. We cannot come to terms with the fact that Avreichim give their lives for learning Torah in destitution and that we should abandon that protection they provide.We need an army to protect the landWe need the Torah to protect the nation.We have to give the Reservists their due respect, good wages and benefits.The Haredi parties can sit in Opposition, just like the Arab parties do. Their entire purpose of existence was to protect the funding of the Torah world. From the moment that goal is no longer possible, there is no longer any need to sit in the government.
So what do you think about this?
Regarding his conclusion - they can sit int eh government or not, nothing to do with the funding issue. Even if they go through with the plan as proposed, he didnt seem to suggest shutting the parties down because they are no longer necessary but says they can sit in Opposition. Maybe they should be shut down entirely, according to what he is saying. But even if what he suggests should ever happen, they will still fight to be in government - everyone, every party, wants to keep their hands close to the power and close to the kitty.
Regarding the proposal itself.... my thoughts:1. how will they decide who has to pay the Torah tax? Obviously anyone who wants to can, but who will it be imposed on?2. So the working Haredim have to pay full taxes to the government, which surely will not go down just because the Haredi parties forego the funding, and then also have to pay a Haredi tax? And if they cant afford that significant increase?3. I assume the working wives of Avreichim will also have to pay this tax, considering they are working Haredim? or will only working Haredi men have to pay?4. Is a few hundred shekels really enough? Avreichim get far more than a few hundred shekels a month - not all of it is directly money. As a matter of fact, most of it is in other benefits such as discounted daycare, discounted property taxes, discounted camps, discounted many other things, subsidies from Bituach Leumi and more. Will this Torah Tax of a few hundred shekels be enough to cover all of that?5. Will simply creating a kollel fund that people can donate to, especially the gvirim who already support a nice chunk of the Torah community and would presumably continue doing so, not be enough? Add to that the various fundraising projects that are already done by many Roshei Kollel and Roshei Yeshiva along with community askanim and that will surely continue...6. Would such a plan negatively affect all other forms of tzedaka - Haredi working men paying this tax would likely give far less to everything else such as local poor, local tzedaka funds and all the other issues, if they are giving a nice chunk already to one thing.
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