Left-Wing Groups Petition Israeli Supreme Court to Cut State-Religious Education Funding

Two left-wing organizations have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court demanding a reduction in funding for state-religious education (Chinuch Mamlachti Dati, or Chamad), claiming that cutting its budget would promote equality. The petition argues that students in the state-religious system receive disproportionately higher funding compared to those in the general state education system. However, a study by the Yachin Center refutes this claim, stating there is no political favoritism or excessive funding. Instead, the funding reflects professional criteria set by the Ministry of Education, including factors such as nurturing index, smaller class sizes, peripheral location, extended school days, and additional systemic needs.

The research further explains that a simple comparison of "cost per student" is misleading because Chamad students must fulfill both the general curriculum and additional religious studies, prayers, Jewish identity education, and extra matriculation exams. These unique requirements justify the differentiated funding. The study's authors criticized the petition for targeting the state-religious education budget instead of advocating for increased funding for all Israeli children. Although the Supreme Court has not ordered any cuts yet and allowed the government to conduct a review, the petition signals a legal attempt to limit Chamad's ability to provide comprehensive Jewish-religious education.

According to the researchers, the claim of overfunding is false and misleading. They emphasize that Chamad is funded according to Ministry of Education guidelines and its specific needs. They argue that true equality would come from increasing budgets for all children rather than reducing funding for state-religious education.