Haredim should go to Work !

B"H

Bank of Israel President Stanley Fisher announced that he will continue his policy decreasing the interest rates. Furthermore, he made some economical remarks regarding haredi society. Poverty should be decreased by increasing the workforce. Or in other words, instead of adding more and more poverty, the Haredim themselves should look for a job. So far, only 25 % of them are integrated in the job market.

It cannot be that the majority of married haredi men just joins the KOLLEL where they stay for the rest of their life. If haredi society was concentrating more on how they can contribute something to the Israeli workforce, poverty would go down and thus, the families don't depend on either welfare or the Kollel money anymore.



Stanley Fisher


It is not as easy as Fisher may think. Only because him and others say so, it doesn't mean the Haredim are listening and now start changing their whole society system. A society with rules which cannot just be changed within a week or so. Instead Fisher should consider the following:


1. The Israeli job market has been already very tense for many years. Not too many people are able to find jobs, as there aren't enough anyway.

2. Generally, haredi education in Israel is very different from the one abroad. Here, they don't learn too many secular studies and due to their lacking education, aren't fit for different fields in the job market.

3. Many Haredim have already been working and earning their own income.

4. Extreme groups such as the Toldot Aharon Chassidim work within their own community and thus earn money. Anti - Zionist groups don't accept money from the government anyway and rather live off their private donations from the US.

5. Joining the workforce could mean disadvantages within the own haredi society. For instance, there are many chassidic girls who are still only prepared to marry a Baal Torah and not a job slave.

6. Many male married Haredim earn their income from their KOLLEL.
The Kollel is a Yeshiva for married men paying them a monthly salary for their studies.

Those who are screaming out for an increase in the workforce should, first of all, create more jobs, as, at the moment, there simply aren't enough !