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| R’ Yechezkel Roth, ZTL (Hamodia) |
The reasons for this are probably as varied as are the people that become OTD. But this is not going to be the discussion of this post. It is about what happens to those who do leave. The answer to that is not simple.
We know all too well that many who completely (or mostly) abandon their religious practices and beliefs suffer from depression, loneliness, and in some cases alienation from their family. This often leads abusing alcohol and/or drugs - and even suicide. On the other hand in some cases there is readjustment to a new life with glee and no looking back – except with disdain and contempt – as does Julia Haart.
As going OTD pertains to the Charedi community, all of the above is applicable. But there is another form of going OTD which I believe is specific to them. Leaving the Charedi lifestyle but remaining fully observant. While I know a few cases like that where the child is accepted in their new identity as modern Orthodox, this is not always the case. For some families, a son or daughter leaving the Charedi lifestyle is considered going OTD.
This point was driven home to me by R’ Ysoscher Katz, who in a Facebook post not long ago said he considers himself to be OTD. This might be shocking since he is not only still observant but received Semicha from the late Karlsburger Rav, R’ Yechezkel Roth. R’ Roth was one of the most knowledgeable and respected Rabbonim in the Chasidic world. Getting Semicha from him is not easy. R’ Katz got it.
R’ Katz is fully observant, teaches Gemarah at YCT, and is the Rav of an Orthodox Shul in New York. If I remember correctly he also gives a very popular Daf Yomi shiur. And yet, he considers himself to have gone OTD because he left the path of his forefathers - the Chasidic world in which he was raised. He is now part of the most left wing segment of Orthodoxy (which many consider borderline Orthodox at best). You can’t get much further away from your Chasidic roots than that and still be observant.
The question arises, how many Charedim are there like this? Based on a recent survey taken in Israel, the answer might surprise a lot of people. From the Jewish Press:
(The survey) reveals that out of about 53,400 men and women ages 20-64 who grew up in a Haredi home and no longer define themselves as part of Haredi society, about 34,300, or 64%, still define themselves today as religious, or even very religious.
This is good news. Because it shows that a lot of Charedim realize that one need not be Charedi to be observant. 34,000 of them have decided that the lifestyle in which they were raised is not for them and not the only way to live an observant lifestyle. They do not buy into a doctrine that eschews secular studies for purposes of learning Torah full time for as long as possible.
They have come to understand that getting a secular education and a job does not mean you abandon the Torah. It just means that they now realize that the best way to serve God is by using your own God given personal strengths toward that end. And not necessarily in the cookie cutter fashion imposed by their former community.
What this survey also revealed, sadly, is something I constantly allude to. Which is that in all too many cases observant ‘OTDs’ are at a great disadvantage by not having been given the education they need to succeed:
The survey data show that the education gaps of 57% of respondents and the cultural gaps of 53% were the main barriers in their searching and finding a new job. In addition, 40% of respondents mentioned the lack of employment skills as a barrier to finding work. In addition to those, a sense of alienation in the workplace, the absence of family support, and the lack of employment experience also barred many former-Haredim from succeeding in the job market.
I am not in the habit of saying ‘I told you so’. But… I told you so. 34,000 people is not a drop in the bucket. A lot of those people (over half) find themselves ill prepared for the workplace.
Sadly, I don’t believe things are going to change. I guess Charedi leaders consider losing that many people the price they must pay to maintain what they believe is the best way to serve God. Which is through Torah study for as long as possible without any other ‘distractions’ like a secular studies curriculum. Anything else is second best. Which is why they insist on maintaining their current educational paradigm of no secular studies and no preparation for the workplace. If and when the need arises to ‘leave the Kollel’ and support their families, they are on their own.
Making matters worse is the following:
The Israel Democracy Institute’s original survey estimated that about 420,000 men and women are expected to leave Haredi society over the next four decades. Of these, about 40,000 will depart in the next decade, and an additional 55,000 in the decade that follows. However, at that time about 176,000 individuals are expected to enter Orthodox society.
This means that a lot more people will be leaving the Charedi world than there will be coming in. I understand and respect their beliefs even as I strongly disagree with them. Learning full time for as long as possible is not for everyone. Not even for most people. As my Rebbi, R' Ahron Soloveichk said, it should be reserved for the Yechidei Segula - the treasured individuals who are the great men of the generation.
As much as I respect their views, I believe the price of their approach to life is just too high. The idea of tweaking it a bit to better prepare their students would not in my view alter their ideals. What it would do is prepare those among them who choose to leave better succeed. Much the way Charedi education in America works (Or used to – as they seem to be looking increasingly Eastward for Hashkafic guidance.)
Where will this all end? Who knows. But as the numbers of observant OTDs increase, maybe things will eventually change. And for the good of Klal Yisroel - sooner rather than later