Abstract of publication #4/25
This study lends historical perspective to the current struggle against the shift in ultra-orthodox society this past decade over the right to earn a living by means of acquiring vocational and general education. Unrelenting attacks by conservative circles were directed at two levels; against vocational training and education for married kollel students with families, who turned to this at a late stage in life, and against the ultra-orthodox high-school yeshivas. In parallel to attacks on educational institutions intended for the older age group, silent consent appears to be forming for appropriate establishments. The leadership accepts that growing poverty is dangerous and it is therefore prepared to direct and regulate a new reality by means of tight control. Reality, however, is more powerful than any force and as such it is creating a new climate.
If silent consent exists on the issue of vocational training for kollel students, it does not apply to new ultra-orthodox high-school yeshivas. On this issue attacks by the ultra-orthodox leadership are relentless and uncompromising seasoned with ideological argumentations which present general studies at this late stage in life as a serious aberration, prohibited a-priori. Ultra-orthodox leadership is inclined to present this deviation as a new phenomenon unfolding only in Israel and that it will do all it can to thwart it.
The data collected in this study show that this is a distortion of historical truths. It appears that ultra-orthodox society is associated with this phenomenon as far back as the "golden age" of yeshivas in Eastern Europe, long before the inception of the State of Israel. Moreover, it appears that such an opinion was expressed and legitimized by the Torah sages in ultra-orthodox society.
WWI and the rise of Communism, which jeopardized the yeshiva world and religious establishments, deepened the inherent sense of danger in ultra-orthodox society. The threat of a breach was slowly evolving before their very eyes, with the accelerated process of emancipation in Europe, the spread of education among all strata of the Jewish community and in particular the popularity of the Zionist movement among Jewish youngsters and even yeshiva scholars. The physical and ideological assault on Jews by the communist regime further deepened the sense of loss and danger. The Holocaust which followed was terminal both physically and spiritually. The struggle to recreate the Torah world after the Holocaust by ultra-orthodox circles on the one hand, and the birth of a secular, Zionist state on the other hand only increased the opposition of the conservative guardians of the faith to the integration of secular and religious studies. They considered such an attempt a continuation of that same danger of total spiritual annihilation. Ultra-orthodox society forged itself as a "Society of Scholars" requiring each of its members to devote himself totally and limitlessly to religious study, as an historic goal for rescuing the Jewish people. This stand was also responsible for changing the natural division of roles in the family, shouldering the women with all the financial responsibilities.
Over the years the "Society of Scholars" grew and developed in great numbers. Its main resources were derived from government and National Security allocations. In recent years those decreased dramatically and the income of married scholars sharply declined. The poverty plaguing ultra-orthodox society is only deepening with time. The ultra-orthodox leadership finally understood that it must permit the adjustment of training for a life of earning through vocational and general studies, and, as previously mentioned, this was indeed generally accepted by silent consent. However, this trend, which began in 1996, is not gathering momentum and a decade of activity has yielded negligible results. Apart from a few hundred kollel students who have trained for a vocation in purpose-built educational institutions, no significant change can be noted. Among the women the situation is somewhat better, although it is manifested only in a larger variety of occupations.
This study examines at length one of the reasons for the unrelenting confrontation by the ultra-orthodox leadership against introducing general studies at the high-school level.
The ultra-orthodox students who enter colleges at a relatively advanced age, with no prior education in mathematics, English, Hebrew or computer-literacy, find it extremely difficult to overcome these disparities. Moreover, the mere existence of a disparity between the minimum requirements and what they actually know deters many from choosing this course of action. The preparatory courses, which these students take in order to join vocational institutions, compromise on the standard of education, leaving the basic knowledge they acquire wanting. A low basic knowledge also impacts on the standard of further education, forever lower than that of high-school graduates, who will continue on to universities and reputable technological institutions. In today's competitive labor market, potential employers will always favor those graduates who have completed their training in a reputable higher-education establishment. The ultra-orthodox student therefore faces overwhelming barriers; the initial barrier, the economic barrier (who will finance his studies and provide for him), the disparity in the quality of education between institutions, the impediments in the labor market and the fear of failure, which is also associated with the loss of societal frameworks. The "default" required, therefore, is one of acquiring a suitable education at high-school ages, which will equate the position of the young ultra-orthodox student with that of his secular peer. As a result, reputable educational establishments will also be open to the ultra-orthodox student and the educational disparities will be contained. Any high-school yeshiva which will allow its students to study endorsed general studies (mathematics, English, Hebrew, digital expertise) alongside religious studies, will mark the true beginning of a long process through which ultra-orthodox society can extricate itself from the siege of poverty. The persistence of the leadership's relentless and ideological opposition to such developments will perpetuate the poverty and lead ultra-orthodox society down a dead end path.