Israel – Education Blamed for Low Male Charedi Employment

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    File Photo by David Vaaknin/ Flash 90Israel – A new study from the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies points to the failure of haredi schools to teach core curriculum subjects as one of the main factors in low male haredi employment.

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    Most haredi primary school boys attend either what are known as “recognized but unofficial schools” or “exempt institutions,” which barely teach any core subjects set by the state, preferring to teach religious studies instead.

    According to the Taub Center’s study published on Sunday, haredi employment has fallen from close to 88 percent in 1979 to 48% in 2011.

    Although there have been recent increases in the rate of employment in the ultra- Orthodox sector, the study attributes this to the general uptick in the Israeli economy since 2005.

    Prof. Dan Ben-David, executive director of the capital’s Taub Center, said that the decrease in male haredi employment was attributable to the increasing need for skilled and educated workers in the modern labor market, and the failure of the haredi education system to prepare its male children for entry into the workforce.

    The study highlighted the similarities in decreased rates of employment between haredi men and other poorly educated sectors of society.

    In 1979, approximately 80%- 90% of non-haredi and haredi Israeli men who received a poor education were nevertheless employed. Since that time, however, the level of employment for both groups has declined to between 35% and 50%.

    “At the end of the 1970s, when Israel’s standard of living was relatively low, education was not imperative for finding a job,” Ben-David said. “In those days, rates of employment among men with all levels of education, as well as among haredi men, were over 80%. Today, in a competitive and global Israeli economy, employment rates among the uneducated are below 50%, as are employment rates among haredi men.

    “The data reflect the increasing lack of employment opportunities that the haredi education system provides its sons,” Ben-David added.

    He noted that removal in 1977 of the maximum quota of 800 military service exemptions for full-time yeshiva students, plus increased welfare benefits, also contributed to the rise in haredi unemployment.

    “Looking forward, the country simply won’t be able to support such a huge population which can’t work,” Ben-David said.

    “It’s already a very problematic situation, both for the ultra-Orthodox community and nationally. What will happen when the haredim are a fifth of the population as opposed to the 8 or 9% they represent at the moment? “We need haredim as part of the economy and part of the country. We need doctors and engineers. Where are we going to get them from in the future? In recent years we’ve had to develop anti-missile technology.

    Who knows what we’ll need to develop in 20 years time, but we’re going to need educated skilled people to work out these challenges,” he said.

    Despite the report’s concerns, male haredi employment has been on the rise. Between 2002 and 2011, their employment rate increased, from 35% to 45%, according to a report published by the Israel Institute of Technology-Technion’s Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research in August.

    Within the haredi school system, “unofficial schools” receive 75%, and “exempt institutions” receive 55%, of a non-haredi school budget, and are expected to teach respective proportions of the state core curriculum. In practice this is extremely rare.

    No core curriculum subjects are taught in haredi high schools for boys, known as yeshivot ketanot, which teach only religious studies from grade nine onwards.

    Haredi girls generally continue with a general education throughout their time in elementary and high school as many join the work force at some stage.

    In July, the Education Ministry stated in response to a petition to the High Court of Justice that it is considering whether to cut the budgets of haredi schools that do not have their students sit for standardized elementary and middle school tests.

    The petition, filed in 2007 by the Israel Religious Action Center, demanded that all state-funded schools teach the core curriculum subjects and that an efficient system of inspection be established to oversee the process.

    The “Status Quo” agreement signed in 1947 by then-head of the Jewish Agency David Ben- Gurion promised the leaders of the haredi community, which pre-dated much of the Zionist settlement, that “full autonomy” would be granted to all sectors of society to control their own educational frameworks.

    This agreement, signed to create unity in Mandate Palestine ahead of the UN vote on partition, has governed the state’s attitude to haredi educational frameworks ever since, although it also stipulated that “minimum [levels] of Hebrew, history, sciences and similar” would be obligatory.

    Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post


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    22 Comments
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    UseYourHead
    UseYourHead
    11 years ago

    Not news. Talmud in Kiddushin: One who does not teach his son a trade, teaches him thievery.

    PMOinFL
    PMOinFL
    11 years ago

    This story may as well have read: “Sun rises on time today!” or “Ocean tides 100% normal today!” or “Earth still spinning!”

    Are you kidding me? We’ve all known this for DECADES. Our yeshivos are a JOKE. We don’t teach our kids anything anymore. These kids can’t read. They can’t write. They have no math skills. They have no science training. They have no job training. They live as thieves. They have convinced the government that it is OK to forcibly take money from people who put in the work to educate themselves and earn a living and give it to people who CHOOSE to do nothing for themselves. It is exactly the kind of thievery we were warned about, not with a gun or a sword, but with the corruption of government!

    It is a disgrace!

    DRE53
    DRE53
    11 years ago

    What nonsence these PROFESSORS are talking!
    Let them come over to the US, or for that matter any other country, and see how chareidim work just like all others.
    It’s only israel where chareidim have a hard time getting a job, the reason being, not wanting to serve in the military and the hatered towards them from chilonim.

    Eagle
    Eagle
    11 years ago

    Let’s hope the US government also realizes it soon, chareidi male students get no education whatsoever, while the girls get a much better education.

    lakewooder
    lakewooder
    11 years ago

    What difference. The Charedim still have jobs and make money. Who cares if they cannot compete in the general market. Education is overrated and Torah is underrated.

    MarkTwain2
    MarkTwain2
    11 years ago

    This article is great. It places responsibility on education versus on the people themselves not getting one. Just keep providing excuses for frum young men to not accept upon themselves lifes responsibilities.

    “Between 2002 and 2011, their employment rate increased, from 35% to 45%”. This means that while 1,000 used to be employed now 1,050 are. Probably due to father in laws using sons in laws as lackeys in their businesses. There’s a son in law in our community whose only real job is to be the shliach tzibur at the daily office minchah minyan.

    HaNavon
    HaNavon
    11 years ago

    #4 ,

    Are you aware of the welfare plague in the American chareidi world???

    When it comes to off the wall chumras, everyone keeps whatever they can do so that they can show off, but when if comes to the issur of taking money from a medina shel goyim, everyone has their hand out.
    And talking about thievery, have you read about all of these ponzu schemers in the frumme world? How many chareidim sitting in prisons right now for theft? I don’t know but it’s a lot!
    Go do business by the Chassidim and see how many fingers you’re missing after the handshake!

    DRE53
    DRE53
    11 years ago

    I have many family and friends who got a chasidish education and ALL of them have jobs. Of course, some are more successful than the others, as the rest of the world is.
    Some still rely on government assistance being they have 8-9 children and are eligible for certain programs.
    Fact is: almost anyone looking for a job, has one. Those who chose not to work, do so because of other reasons and has nothing to do with their level of education. Unemployment amongst chareidim in the US is actually lower than the national average

    BaruchBendit
    BaruchBendit
    11 years ago

    Section 8 . . . . . . . . ain’t it great!
    WIC and HEAT . . . . . . really neat!
    Stamps for food . . . . . . really good!
    Families First . . . . . could be worse!

    itzik18
    itzik18
    11 years ago

    The fact is that haredi unemployment in israel has nothing to do with education, it is the law that they cannot work unless they go into the army. In the US most chassidim are employed. As far as education, it is a waste of time with Obama in office, as I am a college grad and the only job I could find is working in a pizza shop. When Bush was in office I was a rov in a shul making a real salary, but as soon as Obama came in they cut my salary by 75% and soon didnt event have that to pay me. I was hoping Romney would win and I could get off of foodstamps but I guess I will be stuck for 4 more years as mashgiach in the pizza shop making $9/hr with my BA and 3 smichos

    ALTERG
    ALTERG
    11 years ago

    #4 & #10 great comment, nothing to add

    Shtarker
    Active Member
    Shtarker
    11 years ago

    I blame the rabbonim, who never had to work a day in their lives, for whom everything was given to them, for driving their followers into a life of poverty and handouts.