Lapid: Fine yeshivas NIS 100,000 for violating coronavirus restrictions

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) institutions that violate coronavirus restrictions must be fined NIS 100,000, instead of the current 5,000, and then lose all its funding if there are repeated violations, opposition leader Yair Lapid told his Yesh Atid faction at the Knesset on Monday.  “An educational institution that doesn’t abide by the law wouldn’t get a shekel from the state,” he said. “It’s not against the ultra-orthodox, it’s in favor of the ultra-orthodox. It will save their lives.”Lapid said he blamed recent violations of coronavirus directives in the haredi community on  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.           “What’s happened in the last few days isn’t the fault of the ultra-orthodox,” he said. “It’s what they’ve been told, for years. Netanyahu told them that the rules don’t apply to them. It’s a deal they have – they let Netanyahu stay on as prime minister and in exchange he will make sure they receive budgets and that the rules won’t apply to them. But this time it’s harming the ultra-orthodox public, not helping them.” Lapid said Israel needed to help the ultra-orthodox communities by allowing them to study and pray in the open air, to transfer authority to mayors, to invest more in explaining the situation, to ensure that there are solutions for big families in isolation and if necessary to hire large holiday camps for that purpose. But he said Israel also needs to say to the ultra-orthodox public that it must abide by the rules. “Because of his trial, Netanyahu is running away from a clash with the ultra-orthodox parties,” he said. “He needs them so he surrenders to them. That surrender harms everyone but first and foremost it harms the ultra-orthodox public. The state has a responsibility to stand up against those who break the law.”
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