A healthcare worker takes a swab sample from an Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test, after returning from overseas, at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel April 13, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

JNS.org – The Israeli Cabinet on Wednesday approved a decision by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to allocate 55 million shekels ($17.1 million) in grants for medical and health system employees involved in treating COVID-19 patients.

“The special grant expresses the gratitude of the citizens of Israel for the medical teams,” said Bennett. These teams, he continued, “are fighting at the forefront of the campaign against the coronavirus and have been doing holy work from the moment the crisis started.”

The grants, valued at 1,000 shekels ($311) each, are to be disbursed via multi-use debit cards, which will be purchased by the Economy and Industry Ministry and distributed to medical staff by hospitals and HMOs.

The grants are designed to serve a two-pronged goal of rewarding medical workers and stimulating the country’s economy, which has been hit hard by the pandemic, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.