In her obsessive drive to undermine the Olam HaTorah, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is apparently not satisfied with just halting government funding to yeshivos but is now aiming to prevent even private donors from funding yeshivos.
According to a report in The Marker on Wednesday, Baharav-Miara has “determined” that tax benefits for donors who contribute to yeshivos and Torah mosdos at which draft-eligible students are enrolled should be revoked
According to Baharav-Miara’s twisting of the law, which is expected to be submitted to the High Court, granting tax credits under “Section 46” to such institutions constitutes “indirect funding” that encourages draft evasion. The immediate implication: donors—both corporations and individuals—who until now received tax credits for supporting yeshivos would lose that financial incentive, potentially leading to a dramatic halt in the flow of funds to yeshivos.
According to the report, yeshivas and kollellim are estimated to receive billions of shekels in donations each year. If implemented, the move would represent another measure that could significantly impact the yeshiva world, which relies heavily on donations and, in part, on Section 46 of the Income Tax Ordinance, which grants donors tax credits and serves as a major incentive for giving.
In a recent closed-door discussion attended by the director of the Israel Tax Authority, Shai Aharonovitch, it was reportedly agreed that the authority would compile a “blacklist” of yeshivos and Torah mosdos where draft-eligible students are enrolled. This work is expected to be completed by the end of May, when the state will respond to a petition filed by the left-wing Israel Chofsheet organization.
It should be noted that the lawyer representing Israel Chofsheet, Attorney Chagai Kalai, was the one who was caught on the microphone muttering to his colleague: “We’re going to dismantle the Olam HaTorah,” during a recent High Court hearing on drafting Chareidim.
Government sources estimate the move could amount to a “financial bombshell.” Yeshivos and Torah mosdos in Israel rely on donations totaling billions of shekels annually. Revoking tax benefits would not only reduce donor motivation but also effectively label these institutions as subject to state sanctions.
UTJ chairman Moshe Gafni launched a fierce attack against Baharav-Miara, saying: “If the reports that Baharav-Miara intends to prevent the granting of Section 46 to Chareidi public institutions are indeed true, this is a blatant declaration of war against Olam HaTorah and Judaism in the State of Israel,” he said.
“This is no longer a question of legality; it is systematic and obsessive ideological persecution against the Chareidi public and everything that represents the Jewish identity of the state. Time after time, she exploits her powers to harm Lomdei Torah and their mosdos. I call on the public not to surrender to illegitimate dictates and not to accept a reality in which a legal clerk runs the country and decides against its basic values.”
Gafni also directed criticism at Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “It’s unfathomable for such a serious move to pass in silence. I do not understand how Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to leave her in office. This is a serious failure, and I call on him to put an end to this situation immediately.”
“It’s unacceptable that the State of Israel be led by someone who consistently acts against Judaism and against its Torah-observant citizens.”
Baharav-Miara’s latest move against the Olam HaTorah joins her previous efforts, recently endorsed by the High Court, to impose a series of economic sanctions against lomdei Torah and their families.
CPA Yoel Vinterov, an expert in the field, explained on “Kikar FM” that recent reforms in donation receipts were originally introduced as part of a broader effort by the Tax Authority to combat fraudulent reporting. However, the Attorney General’s current move effectively turns this mechanism into a tool against yeshivos and Torah mosdos. The key change is the requirement for digital reporting: donations must be reported online to receive tax credits, giving the state the ability to deny approval for institutions that include draft-eligible students.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
