Educating the ultra-Orthodox: Release the shackles - opinion

Jewish humor constantly portrays Jewish parents wishing to raise their children to be doctors or lawyers. Today, we can add a high-tech entrepreneur to the list.

These stereotypes do not allow for the ultra-Orthodox (haredim), whose desire is for their sons to become talmidei chachamim (learned Torah scholars) who learn day and night while their wives bear and raise children and work to support the family.

The majority of ultra-Orthodox eschew interaction with the modern world as they fear that such interaction threatens their way of life. The outcome is that most ultra-Orthodox families live in poverty and rely on welfare and charity.

There have been numerous studies performed that illustrate how the ultra-Orthodox sector is a drain on society and how, if left unchecked, the situation will become untenable. In 2018, the Israeli census had the ultra-Orthodox at 12% of the population. The Bank of Israel forecasts that in 2065, they will comprise 32%. In 2021, 34% of ultra-Orthodox families lived in poverty compared to other Jews, among whom the rate was 15%.

Many have been advocating for years that there is a dire need to integrate the ultra-Orthodox into Israeli society better.

Conscription is not the only issue

The hot topic of debate today is the issue of mandating army service for the ultra-Orthodox. I hope that the government and the haredi leaders arrive at a consensus where haredim will be required to join the army and perform some form of national service.

While this is a critical issue that can potentially alleviate a lot of the tension between the haredim and the rest of society, particularly in light of the war situation in Gaza and Lebanon, it is not the sole critical issue that needs to be addressed.

Structural reform is required to integrate haredim into the workforce. Rather than being welfare recipients or limited to earning low salaries, men need to be able to access the same employment opportunities as the rest of society. Their success will rebalance the economy and enable the state to benefit from their input in addition to tax revenues.

Education is the starting point for tackling this issue. Proficiency in the core subjects of mathematics, English, and the sciences is a prerequisite for facilitating entry and access to tertiary education.

Large majority of male haredi students don't study core subjects

A review of the haredi educational system conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute is frightening. It reveals that 84% of male students in high schools did not study core curriculum subjects. In elementary school, only 55% learned to a limited extent. In 2021, only 15% of students enrolled in haredi institutions matriculated, whereas in mainstream society, 86% matriculated. The average sixth-grade student will be fortunate to have attained a third-grade standard.

The haredi leadership, which provides guidance and direction to ultra-Orthodox communities, is demonstrating criminal neglect in depriving their youth of a decent education that can serve as a platform for economic advancement. Some initiatives seek to address this issue but are being undertaken ad hoc. Some haredi institutions, such as those led by Rabbi Menachem Bombach, take secular studies seriously and prepare their students to gain entry to higher-level employment.

Some tertiary institutions offer pre-tertiary courses to compress learning and bring potential students up to speed. The Technion is one such institution that provides this service. Sadly, it only benefited the top echelon of bright students, with most average students dropping out. Many haredi families seek private tutors or after-school classes to compensate. The empirical evidence demonstrates that such piecemeal efforts are not a satisfactory substitute for teaching these subjects in a proper, disciplined school environment.

The argument that teaching these core subjects in a manner no different from how they are taught in mainstream state schools will detract from Jewish studies or pave the way for students to abandon the haredi lifestyle going to university is a canard. There is also a degree of contempt and disdain for secular studies among community members. When I learned at Yeshivat Hakotel, a non-haredi Hesder Yeshiva, in 1980, some rabbis believed it was forbidden to attend university. Why bother with secular studies when Jewish studies have all the answers?

Some programs for core subjects already exist

Some tertiary institutions already cater to haredi sensitivities by providing a learning environment suitable to their needs. Machon Lev in Jerusalem offers Jewish and secular studies for male students. If there were to be an increase in demand for tertiary education from the haredi sector, many institutions would be established to cater to the market, and existing institutions would adapt to compete to attract haredi students.

Four years ago, I was invited by a friend and former classmate, Simon Fink, who immigrated to Israel well before me, to join a committee to explore the possibility of establishing a digital education project that would be accessible to haredim who wish to attain high school level certification in these subjects, thereby paving the way to enter tertiary institutions. Fink surprisingly comes from a Reform background but has a passionate belief that the haredim are Israel’s greatest untapped resource.

Although COVID-19 hampered the committee’s work, I recall attending numerous meetings with representatives of interested parties ranging from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Education Ministry, academics with expertise in digital education, and haredi educators. The concept was to develop modules that would correlate with grades. It would be made available to students who attend institutions that do not offer these subjects in high school. The students would have access to a teacher supervising their progress online.

Although it is only a partial solution and does not address the fundamental shortcomings of the haredi education system, what was fascinating to me was the enthusiasm and support for the project’s aims, with the stakeholders coming from both the haredi and non-haredi sectors. Moreover, the haredi sector is not monolithic, and there is movement on many fronts where the haredim are opening up.

My late grandfather, Rabbi Dr. Israel Porush 'Obm,' was a fifth-generation Jerusalemite who attended Yeshivat Etz Chaim. At 15, encouraged by Dr. Wallach of Shaarei Tzedek Hospital, he went to Berlin for a "modern" education, attending Hildesheimer Yeshiva. This institution promoted observance within the modern world—a philosophy my grandfather upheld. He opposed Reform Judaism's assimilation, valuing the Torah's timelessness alongside secular knowledge, seeing it as essential yet supplemental. 

He was also ordained as a Rabbi and earned a PhD in mathematics. He served as a communal Rabbi for 38 years, including 32 in Australia.

The challenges posed by the rapid changes in society, particularly since the internet age, have only exacerbated the threat that modernity poses to the haredi world. The pressures to adapt will only increase in the future. The haredim should be encouraged to release the shackles and embrace moderation without compromising their lifestyles and beliefs.