A newly published Hebrew University of Jerusalem study found that the well-meaning environmental tax turned into a cultural flashpoint.
JULY 6, 2025 ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
The Health Ministry in Jerusalem – run by the ultra-Orthodox party Shas – persuaded the Netanyahu government to cancel a tax on single-use plasticsnot because it would cause a significant financial burden on the community but because haredi Israelis felt they were being “politically victimized.”
This was so even though ministry professionals had been working for years on the move because plastics cause harm to the environment and the whole country.
A newly published Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) study found that the well-meaning environmental tax turned into a cultural flashpoint. The 2021 tax on disposable plastics – widely used by haredim with large families and in many family celebrations, made easier by throw-away utensils, plates, and the like – caused a sharp and lasting decline in climate support among the ultra-Orthodox community. It was driven by a deep sense of political victimization – not a financial burden – as many saw the tax as an attack on their way of life. Even years after the tax was repealed, the damage to environmental trust still lingers, the researchers declared.
At the time when the law taxing single-use plastics was enacted, they had no representatives in the government, and the law did not take their psychological and day-to-day needs into account. Thus, the enactment of the law was perceived by the community and its rabbis and MKs as something that restricted their perceived collective autonomy to behave in accordance with their social identity.
A study by Leah Bloy from Business Administration at HUJI, in collaboration with Dr. Nechumi Malovicki-Yaffe, Dr. Boaz Hameiri, and Dr. Ram Fishman from Tel Aviv University, revealed that Israel’s 2021 tax on single-use plastics was responsible for the change in haredi views of improving the environment. Just published in the journal Policy Sciences, it was titled “Environmental taxation triggers persistent psychological resistance to climate policy.”
Bloy (the wife of a yeshiva student and the mother of nine) and Malovicki-Yaffe are haredi and therefore sensitive to the cultural concerns of this group.
Unmentioned in the study, the cancellation of the tax on soft drinks by the Shas-controlled Health Ministry was undoubtedly due to the same reason – as the haredi community is a massive consumer of sugared and artificially sweetened drinks for Shabbat, holidays, and family celebrations. Haredi-oriented supermarkets have shelves packed with these beverages, which can cause overweight, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Bloy said she is interested in studying this aspect in the future as well.
The researchers suggested that their insights could hold lessons far beyond environmental policy.
“As Israel grapples with deepening societal rifts over contentious issues like ultra-Orthodox enlistment in the IDF, this research offers a potential road map for fostering cooperation. Policies perceived as externally imposed or culturally insensitive can entrench resistance and mistrust – but when framed in alignment with the values and narratives of the target community, even difficult conversations can become opportunities for partnership rather than polarization.”
The researchers conducted six rounds of surveys among haredi participants from 2021 to 2024. Immediately after the tax was enacted, the study observed a sharp drop in “pro-climate” attitudes within the community – driven not by the economic burden of the tax, but by a powerful sense of victimhood. Many respondents said they believed the tax was politically motivated and unfairly targeted their community rather than genuinely aimed at environmental protection.
“These findings are both fascinating and concerning,” Bloy said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “Our data show that when environmental policies are perceived as punitive or politically charged, they can provoke a backlash that undermines long-term climate goals – even after the policy itself is revoked.”
Indeed, even two years after the tax was repealed, negative attitudes toward climate-related issues persisted. While the sense of victimhood diminished, resistance to environmental messaging remained high. The authors argued that this lasting impact highlights the importance of accounting for psychological and social dynamics when designing policy – especially in marginalized or politically sensitive populations.
The subject was seized upon by the ultra-Orthodox as a central political issue and was highlighted in the national election campaign that took place shortly after the law went into effect (July-November 2022). The community presents an interesting paradox – despite displaying numerous attributes of a marginalized minority group, it maintains substantial political power. The election resulted in a change in government, and the tax was rapidly repealed.
“Environmental taxation is often lauded as an effective tool for changing consumer behavior, but it can also trigger substantial psychological resistance, especially among disproportionately affected groups such as the haredi community.
The study underscores that marginalized groups may react to environmental regulation not only through financial concerns but through a lens of identity, fairness, and social exclusion. The ultra-Orthodox community, which has among the highest per capita use of single-use plastics in Israel, initially responded with decreased consumption, but this short-term behavior change came at the cost of long-term erosion in environmental support.
According to the authors, the key takeaway is the need for moral reframing – the process of aligning policy communication with the values of the target population. “In the case of the ultra-Orthodox community,” said Bloy, “connecting environmental protection to the important Torah principle of bal tashchit – ‘Thou shalt not destroy’ – could have fostered a more constructive dialogue.”
The authors concluded that their research has broader implications for climate policy worldwide, especially in diverse societies where trust in government varies and political polarization is high. The authors called for more culturally informed and psychologically sensitive approaches to environmental legislation to avoid alienating the very populations whose cooperation is most needed.
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https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-860073