developing· Politics· Updated
High Court Rules Haredi Education Funds Conditional on Core Curriculum
The Supreme Court of Israel ruled on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, that 100 million shekels in frozen government funds for Haredi educational institutions will only be released to schools that teach core curriculum subjects. The unanimous decision, delivered by Justices Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, and Gila Kenan-Steinitz, cancels a previous interim freeze but conditions the release of the funds on compliance with state educational standards.
4 newsrooms · 2 languages · since
What happened
- 01The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that 100 million shekels in frozen funding will only be released to Haredi schools teaching core subjects.
- 02The ruling follows petitions filed by Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party, MK Naama Lazimi, and the Hiddush organization.
- 03The petitions challenged a 1.1 billion shekel transfer to Haredi schools, of which 1 billion shekels was disbursed before Knesset Finance Committee approval.
- 04Justices Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, and Gila Kenan-Steinitz unanimously canceled the blanket freeze, replacing it with conditional, individual scrutiny.
- 05The court adopted the Attorney General's framework, which denies 2025 funding to institutions failing to meet core curriculum requirements.
- 06MK Naama Lazimi called the court's decision a victory for Israeli children and for the society that serves and works.
The ruling stems from petitions filed by Yair Lapid and other members of the Yesh Atid party, as well as Member of Knesset Naama Lazimi of the Democrats party (formerly Labor, according to Vesty) and the Hiddush organization. The petitions challenged the transfer of 1.1 billion shekels to Haredi schools that do not teach essential secular subjects like mathematics and English. While the Knesset Finance Committee approved the budget transfer at the end of 2025, it was later revealed that 1 billion shekels had already been disbursed before the committee's official approval, leading the court to freeze the remaining 100 million shekels.
Under the framework proposed by the Attorney General, which the court adopted, institutions failing to meet core curriculum requirements will not receive further funding for 2025. MK Naama Lazimi praised the decision, calling it a victory for Israeli children and for a society that serves and works. The ruling establishes a significant precedent, ensuring that public funding for Haredi educational networks remains tied to legal obligations and the teaching of core subjects.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 4 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: TheMarker. Read TheMarker’s originalThe coverage
4 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- LeftNone
- CentreNone
- Right1
- HarediNone
- ArabNone
- Other3
