The government is expected to approve today (Sunday) Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s proposal to allocate 114 million shekels to a series of educational, social, and security frameworks.
According to the plan, 15 million shekels will be transferred to support Torah institutions, including Hesder yeshivas, yeshivas that promote IDF enlistment, and advanced yeshivas.
In addition, the budget for Hesder yeshivas funded by the Defense Ministry will be doubled. Within the broader allocation, 60 million shekels will go to the Youth and Society Administration of the Education Ministry - including 20 million for youth movements, 12 million for student villages, 8 million for Ofek preparatory programs, 10 million for pre-service volunteer (“Shnat Sherut”) initiatives, and 10 million for educator groups.
The national service framework will receive 10 million shekels for national missions, and approximately 12.5 million shekels will be allocated to local emergency teams operating in the Negev and Galilee communities.
Minister Smotrich welcomed the decision, saying: “We continue to strengthen the pillars of Israeli society - the Hesder and higher yeshivas that combine Torah study and military service, the youth movements, the pre-military academies, the national service programs in the education system, and other initiatives. These are the systems that raise the next generation of leadership, strengthen social resilience, and promote volunteerism, Zionism, and mutual responsibility. This decision reflects the proper, Zionist, and moral priorities of a government committed to the future generation of the people of Israel.”