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| Charedi students getting a higher education |
Apparently an agreement has been reached between Likud and the
Untied Torah Judaism(UTJ) making them part of the ruling coalition government in
Israel. From the Jerusalem Post:
Under the coalition deal between Likud and United Torah Judaism, many of the cuts made during the last government to budgets which benefited the haredi community specifically or to a greater extent than the general populace will be rolled back and reforms to religious services could be repealed as well.
In addition, the criminal sanctions clause of the law for haredi conscription, a central reform of the last government, will be repealed and replaced by non-binding quotas to be determined by the Defense Minister…
As revealed by Raviv Drucker in The Marker on Tuesday, UTJ has also demanded a veto on all legislation pertaining to matters of religion and state, a return to the level of funding for yeshiva students enjoyed before the last government halved the budget for stipends for yeshiva students, income support payments for yeshiva students as well, among other items.
It seems like all the innovations designed to bring Charedim
into the mainstream and improve their financial lot have been reversed. Army service is no longer mandatory. Quotas (which
have not even been established yet) will no longer be binding. And sanctions
for Charedim dodging the draft will no longer be the same as they are for
everyone else. Instead of going to jail, there will apparently be some sort of
fine.
The extreme financial hardships that were created by
reduction in funding to that community will be restored.
Life is good… one might say if he is a Charedi living in
Israel.
But I would dispute that as any kind of real assessment of
their material welfare. Because what all this means is that the status quo ante
of poverty will continue. Which will put pressures on family peace (Shalom
Bayis). Nor will it solve the resentment by secular Israelis towards Charedim they
see as shirking their duty to serve their country. All while their own children
are required to do so – sometimes in life threatening ways.
All is not lost though. It is encouraging that there are reports
of increased Charedi enrollment in army programs designed for Charedim. Although there has been some dispute about how
real that is.
And it is encouraging that many educational programs have
been developed that give Charedim the tools to get better jobs. Such as Adina
Bar Shalom’s Charedi College and schools
like Machon Lev and and Kiryat Ono which offer programs specifically designed
for Charedim.
It is also encouraging that at some level there is an
increased level of appreciation for this in Charedi circles. There is a very
funny video (produced by Machon Lev, if I recall correctly) that demonstrates the
increasing value Charedim with an education have in the world of Shiduchim.
A lot of this was happening before the last Kenesset. And many
moderate Charedim applaud it while condemning government efforts to force the issue.
Saying that it was creating a backlash and was therefore counter productive.
It’s true that Charedim were upset by the moves of the last
Keneset perceived to be against them. But
in reality they were all designed to steer Charedim from welfare to work and
place them on a more financially solid path. And contrary to the belief of many
Charedim it was not at the expense of their values. Despite the resistance by Charedi leaders and
their politicians it would have accelerated their entry into the mainstream economy
and benefitted their Shalom Bayis. .
Now that everything seems to be reversed there is a
lot of anger by politicians like Yair Lapid who worked hard in the last Keneset to get those reforms passed. But perhaps things aren’t as bleak as one might
think. Perhaps the last Keneset gave the process a bit of a boost.
What the future holds… I don’t know. Now
that more than a few Charedim have had a taste of it, maybe there will be more
Charedim that will choose options that will make their lives and those of their
families better .
