Israeli Government Postpones Sanctions on Haredi Kindergarten Teacher Salaries Amid Political Pressure

Under pressure from Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni and contrary to the Finance Ministry's professional stance, the Israeli government is set to delay economic sanctions on Haredi kindergarten associations and networks. This move reverses a government decision made a year ago, which was intended to regulate salary funding based on teachers' seniority.

In July 2025, the government approved a proposal to increase the salary funding mechanism for Haredi kindergarten teachers by calculating seniority at an average of 16 years instead of 12. This was designed to incentivize associations to report accurate seniority data for each teacher within a year. The plan stipulated that if 85% of associations failed to report by September, funding would revert to the 12-year average, with retroactive budget cuts applied.

So far, only about 30% of the networks have submitted seniority reports, with others still in the process. Many associations have hesitated due to fears of civil lawsuits from teachers demanding back pay for previous years. Since these associations are private, the state is not obligated to fully fund them.

Due to concerns that some associations might collapse under the financial strain of paying senior teachers, the government is expected to cancel the planned budget cuts and allow those who reported to continue receiving funding based on the 16-year seniority average. Associations that have not reported will receive extensions of six months to a year to comply, also without immediate budget reductions.

Education Ministry sources emphasize the goal is to avoid harming those who complied and to eventually create a complete database to allocate funding fairly. However, questions remain about enforcement if associations continue to delay reporting. MK Moshe Tur-Paz of Yesh Atid criticized the move, accusing some Haredi politicians of corruption and calling for an end to preferential treatment, demanding minimum legal funding until full reporting is achieved.