Report Reveals Inflated Figures on Haredi Financial Burden

A new analysis suggests that figures used to claim Haredi families impose a significant financial burden on working Israelis have been heavily inflated and inaccurately calculated. The original claim, widely reported, stated that each working family pays approximately 1,700 shekels per month due to the non-service of Haredi men in the military. This figure originated from a study by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI).

Following public outcry and scrutiny, the "Mashrokit" fact-checking section of Globes admitted an error, reducing the figure to 144 shekels. However, the latest analysis, obtained by "Kikar HaShabbat," indicates that even this revised number is misleading. The analysis points out that the IDI's initial estimate of 14.9 billion shekels for subsidizing the Haredi community was based on theoretical calculations not directly tied to the cost of non-conscription.

Further breakdown of a 3.8 billion shekel component within the IDI's study reveals that only about 1.9 billion shekels are attributable to the non-service of Haredi men. The remaining sum includes Haredi women, who are legally exempt from military service like all religious women, and other artificially added components. When isolating the cost specifically related to Haredi men's non-conscription, the monthly cost per working family is estimated to be as low as 72 shekels.

Critics argue that the IDI provided the raw data for a public campaign against the Haredi community, and media corrections have been incomplete, leaving the distorted narrative of 1,700 shekels per family largely unaddressed. The public and Haredi community are reportedly angered by the continued misrepresentation.