Shas removes veto of bill on hesder yeshivot

Bill would separately legislate status of hesder yeshivot, national-religious institutions that combine Torah, IDF service.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Haredi ultra-orthodox yeshiva students 311 (photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
Haredi ultra-orthodox yeshiva students 311
(photo credit: REUTERS/Baz Ratner)
Shas has dropped its veto of bills that would separately legislate the status of hesder yeshivot, national-religious institutions that combine Torah studies with IDF service.
Hesder yeshivot were previously authorized under the “Tal Law,” and as such their legality will end on August 1. Two bills, by MKs Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) and David Rotem (Yisrael Beytenu), sought to prevent that situation, and passed a preliminary plenum reading on Wednesday, despite Shas’s opposition.
In Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Science and Technology Minister Daniel Herschkowitz asked Religious Services Minister Ya’acov Margi and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Meshulam Nahari, both of Shas, to remove their opposition to the bills.
Nahari said the bills differentiate between people who study Torah.
“There is a difference between those who serve in the IDF and those who don’t,” Herschkowitz argued.
After several minutes of discussion, the Shas ministers agreed to remove their appeal, allowing the legislative process to continue for the bills protecting hesder yeshivot.