The Knesset plenum gave a preliminary approval to a proposal
of UTJ MK Rabbi Shmuel Halpert to link the children's grants
distributed by the National Insurance Institute (NII --
Bituach Leumi) to the average wage rather than the
cost of living. Every other grant distributed by the
government is linked to the average wage, which rises faster
than the cost of living in good times, on the principle that
these are income supplements and should keep pace with rising
national income. At the beginning of the current year, for
example, most grants rose more than six percent while the NII
grants rose only 1.3%.
Efforts to bolster the government's support of large families
are met with opposition and even open hostility from anti-
religious MKs who see it as a religious issue which they
oppose on principle.
They would do well to rethink their opposition -- and the
State of Israel should rethink its approach as well. After 52
years, the State of Israel still has a cabinet minister in
charge of immigration while those who advocate aid to large
families are thought of as representing narrow, sectorial
interests. It is as if in the economic sphere there were a
minister in charge of imports while those who want to
encourage local production are accused of pushing their own
agenda. The reality is that it is always better to produce
your own needs.
People are a real need for a modern society, aside from our
own consideration of the infinite value of human life. Social
observers are identifying disturbing trends that show what
problems low birthrates will cause.
If the countries of Europe merely want to keep their
populations at their 1995 levels, according to current
trends, they will have to import 35 million immigrants over
the next 25 years. That is over 1.5 million a year! Germany
alone will need 14 million new residents -- about 500,000 a
year.
These figures only account for preserving the absolute
levels. In fact, the local population on Europe will age
considerably, meaning that a larger and larger number of
retired Europeans will have to be supported by a smaller and
smaller number of working Europeans. If they want to have as
many working Europeans relative to the overall population as
today, Europe will have to import four times as many
workers: 135 million!
The situation in Japan is worse. The official government
projections show that the population will tumble from 126
million today to 100 million in 2050. By 2100 Japan will have
only 67 million residents. And these are optimistic numbers
that assume that Japanese fertility will rise gently. If it
stays the same, the population falls to 92 million in 50
years and 50 million in 100 years.
Japan is working to encourage its people to have more
children with financial incentives. Israel should do no less.
Even if its situation is not that serious, it is
significantly due to the high birth rate of the chareidim.
Those who have children are not doing it for themselves. They
do it for the children themselves, and they benefit the
entire community. Without children, a community has no
future. Children are the most important and fundamental
expression of the commitment -- and hope -- for the
future.
