Arutz Sheva - Israel National News has received a number of appeals for help from IDF reservists whose daycare subsidies have been cut.
"I am a 28-year-old reservist, after 180 days of fighting both in the north and in Judea and Samaria," Lior told Arutz Sheva. "We were called up immediately on October 7, and since then, every few months, we have been called to carry out defensive and offensive tasks - whatever is needed. In civilian life, I am a yeshiva student at a Religious Zionist yeshiva - one of the more prominent in our sector - and therefore my wife is the main breadwinner. We chose this life out of a feeling of mission, and every day we are grateful for the merit."
"What has happened now is that because they ended the daycare subsidies for everyone, including for those who are serving and for those who have done many more days of reserve duty than myself - my friends have done closet to 300 days, and I'm not exaggerating - they were released a short while ago after operating in Lebanon. And what has happened is that now we need to pay full price for the daycares, and that is very very expensive for us.
"Thank G-d, I have twins, and this month I needed to pay 7,300 NIS! In previous months all my reserve duty pay went to pay daycare."
He added, "We understand that there is a complex political issue here with the haredim, and it really is something that needs thought and should not be forced, G-d forbid, and there is a campaign intended to bring down the government. It's all true, unfortunately. But it's unthinkable that we are shredded like this - we've been away from home the entire year, and now they are forcing me to work half a day."
"We need to change this situation. From my perspective, they can give discounts in a temporary fashion. This situation cannot continue - we honestly will not have anything to eat."
Another reservist told Arutz Sheva: "I have two children in daycare and pay 6,500 NIS each month, because they haven't yet approved us for a subsidy, and there's no deadline of when it will happen. This is an issue all parents whose children are enrolled in subsidized daycares suffer from. We are begging for help."