Religious Education Forum Demands Party Pledges Ahead of Election

With elections imminent, the Religious Education Forum has called on party leaders to publicly commit to the future stability of the state-religious (HMD) education system. The forum sent a letter to party heads demanding four key commitments from the next government upon its formation. These include integrating HMD budgets into the core budget, maintaining funding for religious studies, prayer, and Jewish identity programs, ensuring the continued operation of small and dispersed religious education institutions nationwide, and presenting a clear state position to the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) by the end of November.

The forum's demands arise amidst an ongoing petition challenging the current funding model for HMD. They emphasize that the incoming government and its appointed education minister will face urgent decisions with long-term implications for the sector's budgetary structure.

"Two days before the election, we are asking for a simple thing, answers," the forum stated. "Those seeking public trust must clearly state what they intend to do with state-religious education." The forum is pressing parties for concrete commitments, not just general statements, regarding the integration of HMD budgets, the continued funding of religious studies and prayer, and the provision of long-term stability for the sector.