The chairman of the Knesset’s Education, Culture and Sports Committee, Knesset member Amram Mitzna, has in recent weeks racked up long hours of loaded discussions with the heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties. This effort was part of preparing the legislation that is supposed to cut the budgets of ultra-Orthodox educational institutions that do not teach core subjects.

The new legislation, spearheaded by Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, also includes the cancellation of the Nahari Law, which obligates local authorities to fund unofficial educational institutions, a move viewed by the ultra-Orthodox community as persecution. As far as the ultra-Orthodox are concerned, this is one of the most trying periods in recent decades. Not only were they kicked out of the government to make room for Lapid, but they were also unable to block the Equal Burden Law. Now they face budget cuts to their educational institutions.

While Mitzna supports the amended legislation, he is finding that he is beginning to understand the ultra-Orthodox. “To a great extent, they justifiably feel persecuted, because things could have been done differently,” he said in an interview with Al-Monitor.

According to Mitzna, Lapid is contributing to the bad atmosphere and is unjustifiably increasing the ultra-Orthodox sense of frustration and alienation from general society.