Religious Education Forum Warns Budget Freeze Will Impact Students Next School Year

The Forum for Religious Education (Chinuch HaMamlachti Dati) responded on Wednesday to the Israeli Supreme Court's decision to freeze budget transfers approved for state religious education. The court halted the funding due to alleged procedural flaws in the Knesset Finance Committee's discussion. The forum condemned the decision as intolerable, describing it as part of an ongoing campaign by left-wing groups to undermine state religious education through repeated petitions.

Coalition members also expressed outrage, accusing the Supreme Court of reckless behavior. They emphasized that the freeze unfairly punishes 400,000 students, their parents, and educators in the state religious education system, who actively contribute to Israeli society and bear a significant share of military service and sacrifice.

The forum warned that if the budget delay continues, the consequences will be felt in the upcoming school year, including cuts to instructional hours, damage to educational programs, and increased financial burdens on parents. They demanded the immediate lifting of the freeze to ensure timely funding for the students' benefit.