After a round of discussions between representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Culture, and following the across-the-board cut in the budget of government ministries, the Ministry of Culture announced today (15/1) that out of all the support regulations in its ministry, it has been decided to make an across-the-board cut of about 8%, which is about NIS 180 million.
In addition, 59 million will be cut from the budgets of public libraries (25 million), the sports basket and motorsports (25 million), and an additional 9 million from the budget for supporting school associations. The ministry will also cut about 50% of its budget from the Sports Facilities Fund, i.e., about NIS 245 million. The total cut in the Ministry of Culture's budget will be NIS 484 million – a sum first reported in Israel Hayom.
"After a white night with the Ministry of Finance, we decided on a sweeping cut of 8% of the ministry's budget," Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar told Israel Hayom. "All support items, in all cultural sectors, will be cut equally. What this allows us, in fact, is to keep all branches of culture alive. I think that in the end, in relation to what the Finance Ministry wanted and asked for versus the agreement we reached, the result is perfectly reasonable. We are taking part, together with other government ministries, in the burden of war expenses, and as a whole – this is honorable and appropriate."
Zohar says that the cut was made from the 2023 budget, in which there was already an increase in the culture budget compared to the 2022 budget, "in fact," he says, "the increase that occurred between the 2022 budget and 2023 was taken from us, and a little more about it."
The Ministry of Finance's demand to cut 25 million from the library budget (which stands at 85 million) also leads to a change in the Public Libraries Law. The fear of the people of the book is that once the law changes, the budget will no longer return to the same amounts.
"I can understand the fear of changing the law, and I will work in the coming years to try to gradually return the budget to its original number. Of course I would prefer that there be no cut, but we had to reach agreements with the treasury. This is a very complex story from the point of view of the ministry, and I know that there was a great concern that came from the field, in the worlds of culture and sports. But in the end, I do hear a sigh of relief. True, this is not a simple cut, but at least one that we can live with and survive this period, without ending the ability of entire cultural branches to continue functioning."
In the face of these, the cultural people do not remain quiet. "A reduction in the library budget will paralyze most of them, and there is great concern that some of them will close," says author Meira Barnea-Goldberg. "Beyond the clear and severe harm that will be caused to the general public, which enjoys free cultural services, there will also be a blow to the second circle of writers, since, by cutting the budget, libraries will purchase fewer books and invite fewer writers to meetings. The public will not be able to enjoy reading and meeting writers, and writers will not be able to enjoy an accessible place to meet their readers. This is a sad day for Israeli culture. Rumor has it that there are empty government ministries, and it seems that they chose the easy solution at the expense of the citizens, and at the expense of deep thinking about where cuts can really be made."
Amit Gitler, director general of the Center for Libraries and Literature in Israel, is also not satisfied with the cut. "It is clear to all that all public services must mobilize for the war, but proportionality is necessary. The future cuts that are sought to be included in libraries, combined with the fact that their budgets have not been updated in 17 years, and that many authorities do not supplement the libraries with the full budget (a supplement to which they are committed), will create a situation of paralysis of some of the activity in the libraries at worst, and the closure, in the worst case, of another part of the libraries. These days, anyone who enters the library will discover an active and rich cultural world - books, meetings with authors, activities for children, evacuees from the north and south who enjoy the services offered by public libraries. All of these, which are free services provided to the public, will be harmed. I hope that there will be a compromise that will settle the amount of the cuts and see public libraries as an important resource for the welfare of the community and the residents."
Michal Geula, director of the Kfar Saba Libraries Department and chair of the Association of Directors of Public Libraries, says that "public libraries are the only free egalitarian institution that allows everyone access to cultural treasures. Damage to the library budget is tantamount to a fatal blow to the spirit of the nation. Books and literature are the foundation of culture, and libraries prove themselves especially in times of crisis, as we are experiencing in this challenging period. Changing the Libraries Law in order to reduce the budget, which has already eroded for almost a decade, will particularly harm communities with disadvantaged populations and will harm the ability of libraries to contribute to reducing social gaps."
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