Reply To: Does the state really support Torah?

“The main point is that in rural societies there isn’t much to do in Winter and after dark. ”
But Jews were not part of the rural society- they were not allowed to own land, and they were not working the land- that was what the peasants did. They were mostly traders, shopkeepers and craftsmen, their work was not seasonal like farming. If you could afford candles, then you could continue making shoes- or learning – into the night.
I don’t understand the argument though- what does the number of Jews learning in shteibels 100 years ago have to do with how many Jews are learning in Yeshivos in E”Y right now? How does the fact that there may or may not have been more people learning Torah back then impact on how much the Israeli govt is paying the 140,000 yeshiva/Kollel men now?