It’s impossible to miss them. Big Jewish families with 5-6 kids around them.
So the rumor goes as…
The Jewish families get paid $400 a month for every kid from the Israeli government.
No wonder you see so many kids in a family! One kid for $400 a month, so 4 kids for $1600, you only need 8 kids to reach the average salary, which is around $3200 in Israel.
And the rumor goes as…
These Haredim men don’t work, so the entire family relies on the stipend as income.
Well, the theory is fun. But is it true? 🤔
How much do you get paid? Israeli Child Allowance
The rumor is spread among not just among Arab taxi drivers to foreign tourists (like me!) and to some extent, even into the ears of young Israeli. However, the government spends 50% of the tax income on national defense, Israel doesn’t have that much money to support families.
Additionally, the allowance isn’t ONLY for ultra-orthodox Jews or Jews. The policy applies to all citizens, including Israeli Arabs.
So how much is this benefit? Let’s see the charts!
For children born before 2003, the monthly allowance is 152 NIS for the first kid, 191 for the second kid, 191 NIS for the third kid or the fourth kid, and 152NIS for the fifth kid onwards.
It looks like from this pattern, the Israeli government felt the “sweet spot” for a family structure was 2-3 kids. It makes sense because Israel is a country at war, you CAN lose your child in a battle.
For children born AFTER 2003, the monthly allowance is 152 NIS for the first kid, 191 for the second kid, 191 NIS for the third kid, 340NIS for the fourth kid, and 359NIS for the fifth kid onwards.
So it looks like the policy now is encouraging even bigger families! At least 4 kids! It might have something to do with the rising prices in Israel, many people simply can’t afford to have more kids.
So… how much is 340NIS in U.S dollars anyways?
.
..
…
The answer is…..
400USD!!!
Oh! I’m just kidding, it’s $98…!!
Did you know that a decent meal costs $20-$30 in Israel? You cannot do much with $98 a month. Just think New York.
(If anyone plans on making money through kid allowance in Israel, well, they will seriously be disappointed 🙄 Let’s stop this fake news spreading!)
What’s the Monthly Child Stipend in My Country, Taiwan?
So out of curiosity, I did some research on this topic for my country, Taiwan. How much monthly child stipend do we get? 🤔
Well. The monthly salary is around $1300 in Taiwan, to begin with.
- At birth, you get $700 as a gift money
- 0-2-Year-Old Baby: You get $80 as a monthly stipend. $30 extra for the 3rd kid onwards. If you have low-income, you get $170.
- 2-5-Year-Old Baby: You start to receive $80/month as education support.
So let’s say you have the lowest income, and you are having your 3rd kid. Then you get USD$200! 😳😳😳
That’s about 680NIS! It means the child support values more than 3 Israeli kids combined. If the same rumor applies to Taiwan (which is a high-tech and well-educated country) if you see a couple with many children, does it mean they have kids to get more stipend from the government? 🙄
Well, maybe it is true since Taiwan is 3 times cheaper than Israel ….. 🤐 (Of course I’m being sarcastic. The birth rate is about 1% only in Taiwan because young people cannot afford to raise up kids.)
The Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) Women
Since the stipend isn’t lucrative, why do Haredim women have so many kids?
Well, keep their religious background in mind, they don’t practice birth control. Every kid is a gift. You see ultra-orthodox Jews all the time in Jerusalem (the ones wearing black coats). If you’d like to know more about their world, I highly recommend taking a guided tour when you are in Jerusalem.
The role of a Haredim man is to read the Torah and pray, and a woman is to support her husband. They are on this mission together until they are rewarded in the eternal world. The responsibility of a bread runner falls on the woman’s shoulder. A Haredim woman receives more secular education, such as math and English, because they need to do “secular jobs”. On the other hand, they don’t feel their husbands aren’t working, because reading Torah and praying is the most meaning work in this world, which will pass away.
70% of the Haredim women go to work. But how do they work and raise 7-8 kids at the same time? Well, financially they struggle. And time-wise, they need their older kids to take care of younger kids. But the Haredim community is well connected, just like a big family.
If someone needs to go abroad or needs money to have surgery, the community is always involved, and people are willing to give a dime, or two. Or if there’s a new baby or a funeral, a helping hand is never absent. In terms of childhood, the Haredim kids grew up in love and care from the entire community.
So in some ways, these religious Jews chose this way of life.
They are not having babies for getting USD$400 monthly stipend per kid! Definitely not true!
If you are going to Israel, the guided tour that takes you to the religious neighborhood of Jerusalem is available only on Thursdays. You’ll be guided by an ex-Haredim guide, you’ll see their lifestyle, hear stories, and all your questions can be answered!
