The integration of the ultra-Orthodox community into the labor market is one of the greatest challenges facing the Israeli economy. Over the past few years, many philanthropists have donated large sums to make this happen.
However, according to a report by Nati Toker, TheMarker's macroeconomics correspondent, the flow of donations has been halted due to philanthropists' disappointment with "the conduct of Haredi society, and the unwillingness to integrate and participate in the challenges of life here.".
Toker, an ultra-Orthodox media figure, spoke with 15 activists who deal with this issue, and in a conversation with 10 ultra-Orthodox people, he explains why those donors were disappointed and closed their wallets.
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• According to your report in The Marker, philanthropists who have donated large sums over the years to integrate Haredim into the labor market have stopped donating due to disappointment with the behavior of the Haredi public. What, exactly, were they disappointed by?
Toker: "As far as I was able to understand from conversations with the foundations and employment bodies, a significant portion of the donors did not do so just to change employment trends. In other words, the goal is not just philanthropy. The foundations and donors have a broader vision. They believe that the Haredi audience should be more integrated into Israeliness and take a more significant part in the public agenda.
""That is, the goal is to strengthen and consolidate Israeli society as a whole, and not just provide financial assistance to the Haredi sector. In practice, when the coronavirus, the coup d'état, and especially the war arrived, these donors saw an opposite trend, in which the Haredi sector, even the one that has a more modern tone, was turning its back on Israeliness from their perspective. They wanted to create a unified Israeli society, and in the end they got a separatist Haredi society that does not want to be a partner in Israeliness, from their perspective, especially when this is expressed in the firm opposition to conscription, even for those who are not studying.".
""I think it slapped them in the face with force. They realized that the money they poured into employment may have actually helped the Haredi sector stabilize economically, but perhaps it actually achieved the opposite goal in terms of trying to create a strong and cohesive civil society in Israel.".
• What you are, in fact, saying is that they did not intend for the Haredi public to integrate into employment, but simply tried to create a 'melting pot' - and perhaps even to secularize the Haredi public?
Toker: "No, no. God forbid. On the contrary. I think that these foundations and donors deliberately recruited people from the main avenue of the Haredi sector to manage the activity for them, to advise them. They poured a lot of money just on consultants. The reason is that they had no pretension to create a change in the ways of the Haredi sector. I don't know of a foundation that said: Let's turn the Haredi into secular or national religious people as an agenda.
""Their vision was broader, covering civil society as a whole. They tried to find the issues where there is a broad common denominator for all citizens, secular and ultra-Orthodox alike, and focus on them. For example, issues such as mutual guarantee, kindness, shared destiny. These are things in which the ultra-Orthodox public stands out in terms of values.
""In other words, I think the hope was to create a connection based on existing shared values, and not through changing or updating the value perception.".
• And is there no more kindness in the Haredi public? What has changed? The only thing that has changed is that the entire Haredi public is lining up in front of what is called the "conscription decree." Everyone knows that as soon as the yeshiva students and kollel elders, those who really sit and study, can do so without interference, those who do not study will be ordered to enlist - if the army does indeed create the conditions that "those who enter Haredi will leave Haredi." So I don't understand what disappointment led to the closing of wallets?
Toker: "It is difficult to know whether, indeed, once the yeshiva students and the avrechim who study Torah are able to do so, the others will enlist. I wish. But in the end, the donors and the entire Israeli public are influenced by the unequivocal instructions of the rabbis and the blunt statements of the activists, who went very extreme, and in fact expressed a complete alienation from the urgent needs of the people of Israel. The instruction was - even those who do not study should not enlist. Throw the enlistment orders down the toilet. Even if you think these are tactical moves, in order to achieve the achievement of postponing service for those who do study, the broad public impact - including into the Haredi sector - is a complete renunciation of the partnership and mutual guarantee of the Haredi sector in Israeli society as a whole.
""We live in a world where perceptions and thought patterns are more influential than reality itself. And donors see before their eyes, on the one hand, endless funerals, even of God-fearing soldiers and Torah scholars - and on the other hand, an ultra-Orthodox leadership that is in no way willing to initiate ways to take part in this. For some donors, it is a complete failure. The money is being thrown away.".
• Then something simple happens: they punish the modern Haredi public, which was the main public that benefited from these funds and support - because of the 'Jerusalem faction' and the radicalization in the entire Haredi public...
Toker: "Yes, that's the situation, and it's very sad. It's also a hard blow at the level of the individual Haredi, because bodies that used to fund scholarships and professional studies for Haredim are forced to turn away empty-handed.".
""I spoke with one of the heads of these organizations, who has already paid scholarships to tens of thousands of Haredi students, and he tells me: 'I am forced to turn down more and more young Haredi people who want to go out and earn a living.' This is a painful economic blow.
""But beyond the Haredi individual, this is also a severe blow to the Israeli economy as a whole. Ultimately, Israel has exhausted its employment potential, both among men and women, and it has a zero unemployment rate at historic levels. The country's ability to grow is currently only through increasing employment rates and wage levels among two groups - Haredi men and Arab women.".
""The difficulties for the first group to go out and work in high-income professions are already high, and now they encounter much higher barriers. This will not only harm the income of the entire state, but will also force those Haredi families to rely more on state budgets or various discounts - and again, this is money that will go to subsidize families instead of for economic growth, for paving roads or for building another hospital in the periphery.".
""In the long term, after the buds of a relatively positive trend of 20 years, the picture may reverse. This is why we saw the importance of flooding this issue and giving it widespread emphasis. Decision-makers, both in the Haredi public and outside it, need to be aware of this difficult development.".
• Could it perhaps be said that this looks like an attempt to put pressure on the rabbis to give in to the conscription law?
Toker: It could be. But it's not necessarily direct pressure. Lynn Shusterman, the donor, doesn't say to herself, 'Either we reach a deal, or I'm stopping the money.' But it is a reexamination of the goals and whether any of them have been realized.".
