After dealing with the survival of Orthodoxy in the United States yesterday, let us analyze Orthodoxy in Israel. It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Orthodoxy in Israel is surviving quite well. It is in fact thriving. Much like its counterpart in the US, the growth rate is soaring and if this demographic continues on its current course, Orthodox Jews will eventually become the majority someday. The reasons for this are the same as they are in the US: Jewish education. Those children that receive a Jewish education will be the ones that will perpetuate the Jewish people.
I should add that what I mean by Jewish education in Israel is a religious education. Secular Israelis get a Jewish education that is not particularly religious. Whereas in the US public education is entirely secular. But that is all beside the point.
But things in Israel are not the same as they are in the US. There are really 4 categories of Orthodoxy in Israel: Charedim (Yeshiva), Chasidim, Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist / Modern Orthodox), and Sephardim. One of the major differences between the US and Israel is in how the Charedi communities live. While their Hashkafos are the same in the sense that they both believe in full time Torah study as the pinnacle of Jewish endeavor, the US mainstream has had a secular education. Israeli mainstream has not. Most of them do learn the knowledge or the study skills to attend a school of higher education.
Most Charedi men stay in Kollel full time for as long as possible. If and when it comes time to leave they are completely unprepared for the workforce. While this is changing somewhat with various programs being created for them (such as the establishment of a Charedi college by Adina Bar Shalom)… the fact is that those taking advantage of it are still in the minority. I’m sure this is at least in part attributable to the fact that they have no secular education in their background.
The Chasidic world in Israel is much like its counterpart in the US. While they support working for a living, they do not receive any training for better paying jobs With the exception of a few very wealthy entrepreneurs – the jobs they do get are menial with the attendant low pay.
Datim generally do quite well financially relative to the Charedi world. Most of them have had good secular educations and have been able to get better jobs.
Orthodox Sephardim have a different problem. They are generally in lower half of the economic spectrum of Orthodox Jewry in Israel. I believe this is due to prejudice by the dominant Ashkenazi culture.
Economic conditions for Sephardim will only get better if prejudice is eliminated and they return to having pride in the great heritage they possess. Unfortunately there has been a trend of late by Sephardim in the Charedi world to ‘become’ Ashkenazim. I’m told that there are even schools that teach Charedi Sephardim how to be Charedi Ashkenazim so as to better fit in.
This is tragic in my view. Instead of teaching their children to be proud of their heritage, they are teaching them to reject it! Furthermore, by ‘becoming Ashkenazi’ they too will be bereft of any secular education that would prepare them for the workplace.
Jewish education is not the problem for Orthodox survival in Israel. There is no lack of it there. Charedim get it in spades. The cost of it is minuscule compared to the cost in the US. There is no danger of eliminating it. Orthodox survival requires something else. A major change in their financial condition. This is their great challenge.
