Budget Delays Threaten Start of Year for Haredi Boarding Schools in Israel

The Association of Yeshiva and Torah Institution Directors has alerted leaders of Israel's Haredi parties about significant delays in budget allocations for the boarding school assistance project. This program supports students in residential religious institutions across the country. In a letter sent on Sunday to Aryeh Deri (Shas), Moshe Gafni (Degel HaTorah), and Yitzhak Goldknopf (Agudat Yisrael), the association noted that despite the school year 5786 (2025-2026) approaching, no payments have been transferred to the institutions, nor has a call for applications for the upcoming year been published.

The association emphasized that without official guidelines, schools lack the necessary forms to register students, creating substantial uncertainty among boarding school administrators. They attribute the delays to legal and bureaucratic difficulties with state authorities but stress that no clear instructions have been issued to enable proper preparation for the school year.

Warning that continued postponements could disrupt the start of the academic year and harm thousands of students from needy families, the association urged immediate intervention by the Haredi party leaders to resolve the funding issues with government bodies.