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| UTJ chairman Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf (Jerusalem Post) |
I’m beginning to believe there is no hope. For a while I actually thought the situation for the Charedi community in Israel was changing. Although it was doing so incrementally in what might best be called ‘baby steps’ there seemed to be a move toward Charedim finally integrating into Israeli society. At least on a socioeconomic level.
There seems to be more Charedim in the workforce than ever now. More Charedim than ever are seeking jobs requiring the kind of education they did not receive in their elementary and high schools yeshivas. All kinds of schools seemed to be popping up that were geared toward Charedim who sought careers where they could better support their families.
But all that seems to be a mirage according to an oped in the Jerusalem Post by Shuki Friedman, vice president of the Jewish People Policy Institute.
Now it is true that the writer may be biased because of his secular orientation. But the facts seem to be speaking for themselves. Facts that are very disappointing. His oped was generated by comments made by new United Torah Judaism (UTJ) chairman Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf.
Rabbi Goldknopf doubled down on the Charedi educational paradigm that secular studies should not be taught in Charedi Yeshivos. Even subjects as basic as English and math - calling them useless for Israel’s economy.
As things stand now, Yeshivos that do not offer those courses do not get full government funding. But the reality is that if the right wing parties win a majority of the Knesset seats in the next election, Netanyahu (whose party will surely have the largest plurality of seats) will be able to put together a governing coalition together and once again become the prime minister. He has promised to restore full funding to the Yeshivos regardless of whether they teach those subjects or not.
What about all those schools popping up geared to Charedim? What about the fact that some Charedim are actually catching up with their secular peers and getting college degrees? Does that not bode well for the future?
While that is indeed happening, it does not seem to be the wave of the future for the vast majority of Charedi men. Nor does it - or will it ever, apparently – have the endorsement of the Charedi leadership. Which keeps insisting that the the purpose of every male Jew is to study Torah full time for as long as possible – without any distractions like English and math courses. Here is how Friedman puts it:
...here and there in hi-tech companies and in general – one increasingly sees haredim. Nice, the average Israeli says to himself. Look, the ultra-Orthodox are integrating into society. But in reality, the opposite is true.
By most measures, haredi integration has fallen off in recent years. The latest statements by United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak Goldknopf, today’s number one ultra-Orthodox politico, have put an end to the masquerade. They have revealed to Israelis the stark truth about haredi attitudes toward military service and core studies, about haredi contempt for the rest of the Israeli population, and about a few other areas where change had appeared to be underway. The bad news is that there has indeed been a change – for the worse…
Haredi integration in academia is foundering as well. The proportion of ultra-Orthodox men who complete a bachelor’s degree is negligible. Most do not pursue higher education, and of those who do try to earn academic degrees, the majority (75%) drop out along the way.
Freidman actually appreciates Rabbi Goldknopf’s honesty, and makes the following observation:
The acute challenge of integrating the ultra-Orthodox into Israeli society is critical for Israel’s continued prosperity. All the data from the last few years shows that if haredi non-integration continues, in the labor market and in other spheres of Israeli life, along with that community’s current rate of demographic growth, Israel will become a third-world country
While linear projections are not always accurate, that should not inspire complacency. The sad reality is that if the non working proportion of the population increases, so too will the burdon on the working population to support them via their taxes. A lot is made of the fact that Charedim pay taxes too. But according to Friedman that fact is misleading since they will be taking in more than they pay in taxes. And then there is this:
Fewer than half of haredi men work, and those who do earn only 57% of what their non-haredi counterparts make. The impact on the haredi community and the State of Israel is rough. Some 60% of haredi children live below the poverty line.
While they may be deserving of government financial aid by virtue of the family size and low incomes, that does not take away from the fact that the burden of supporting them is increasingly laid upon the working secular public.
And yet the Charedi leadership seems to be either oblivious to those facts or simply don’t care about them. They insist that their way of life is the Torah way of life. That what God wants first and foremost of all Jewish men is full time Torah study. The Charedi educational system is geared towards only that goal. Any studies that would undermine that goal would in essence be an affront to God.
The Charedi world therefore considers a core secular curriculum to be anti Torah. But as I keep pointing out, secular studies are not anti Torah. Centuries of Jewish life has never consisted of such a paradigm. Only the best and brightest were invited to study full time in Yeshovos the rest of the Jewish population worked.
Charedim will argue that had those times provided opportunities we have today for full time Torah study for all, that surely would have been the paradigm then too. But I have to question that assertion. I do not believe that the copious laws in the Shulchan Aruch with respect to the working man were written only for the few poor souls that dropped out of full time Torah study.
The Jewish nation should consist of people involved in the fully panoply of Jewish endeavors. Which includes working for a living. It should not consist of only one one thing - sitting and learning full time without the benefit of an education that would prepare them for the future.
But the Charedi world has morphed into this paradigm and risks becoming a dystopian society where poverty and suffering will rule the day. Along with the distinct possibility of an increasing rate of children going OTD.
Why the Charedi leadership has adopted this relatively modern day paradigm and continues to insist on perpetuating it is a mystery to me. Do they not consider the possibility of this end if things continue as they are?