Zehut's No. 2 Wants to Abolish Education Ministry

Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Zehut party and the second-ranked candidate on the joint list with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party, stated this week that he would close the Ministry of Education, calling it a "ministry of anti-education, ignorance, corruption, and progress." Feiglin, who polls indicate is likely to return to the Knesset after more than a decade, also proposed shuttering two-thirds of government ministries, leaving only 11. He cited the first government under David Ben-Gurion, which had only eight ministries, as a model.

Feiglin specifically targeted the Ministry of Culture and Sport, arguing that state support for culture is unnecessary. He believes that successful artistic endeavors should be commercially viable or funded by philanthropists, not the state. He also extended this principle to religious institutions, stating that "Torah" studies should not receive state funding to ensure their independence from government agendas. He questioned the need to fund ideological programs like gender studies departments at universities while also advocating against state support for religious seminaries.

Feiglin's proposal to eliminate ministries like Culture, Environment, Agriculture, and Economy reflects a broader desire to reduce government bureaucracy. He argued that a third of the Knesset members are ministers, which he deems excessive. The joint list, formed to overcome the electoral threshold, has consistently polled between five and eight seats since its inception. The agreement between Feiglin and Smotrich is described as "technical," with separate campaigns and post-election coalition negotiations.