Here are the details of the study, as reported on by News1:
- 25% - 30% do not see their future along the track of "Torato Umanuto" (learning in yeshiva)
- 60% prefer "mleches hakodesh" as their possible future form of business - scribes (sofrim), dayanim, rabbis, mashgichim, rebbis in yeshiva, etc.
- 56% of respondents see their second-level preference for possible future employment being in the fields of education.
- the third-level of future employment preference is mixed among the normal popular fields such as computers (51%), law (38%) and banking (31%).
- 75% said they are aware of alternative study tracks for haredi males, while 25% say they aren't aware of the options for studying to acquire a profession.
- Among yeshiva students from weaker yeshivot, 40% said that they had spoken with their parents about the possibility of studying math and English.
- While 73% of yeshiva students expressed identification with IDF soldiers, 40% if hassidic and 49% of Litvishe students say they see the Shachar program (an IDF service program for haredim) as being a relevant possibility for acquiring a profession in the future.
- Among the 73% of yeshiva students identifying with the soldiers of the IDF, 81% of Sephardic students expressed that while 64% of Litvishe students expressed that sentiment.
- 43% of Hassidic students, 22% of Sephardic students and 17% of Litvishe students (with 55% of all respondents) consider their lack of basic knowledge in mathematics and English to be detriment to their future when looking to acquire a profession.
I only have one comment: Assuming the study is as accurate as it could be, I think it shows that the main problem is with the askanim preventing the community form "joining the workforce" and studying the important subjects. It seems that the people themselves actually are very open to the the ideas, to the knowledge that they plan to work rather than stay in yeshiva, to the importance of education and vocation training as an alternative.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
The problems I see are really the employment preferences they express. There's going to be some hard truths learned. Just as haredi women learned they cannot all be teachers, the men will also learn that they cannot all have religious jobs. The question is whether the yeshivot will be the ones to tell them this and take any initiative in preparing them.
ReplyDeleteI dont think it is such an issue for two reasons:
ReplyDelete1. right now they are idealistic. they are in yeshiva. they see their future in that world as well, even if from the working perspective. they are young 17-20. over the years some will find they are not cut out for it, they arent equipped well enough or whatever.
2. right now they might think that is all they are currently trained for, and it will be much easier to do this than to retrain in another non-"religious" field. As time goes on, they will see if they are not cut out for it or if ti does not interest them and will find something else...
Yeah, I remember when I was in school, I wanted to be a teacher... :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRe askanim holding their employment prospects down: it was said that the charedi pressure against the Ma'AR in up-and-coming RBS-3 was really to prevent too many jobs for charedim opening up.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great news and is clearly indicating a shift in Charedi thought. And the fact that some are willing to enunciate such things in public is an even greater indicator.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I'm curious whether my 3 boys who all fit into the interviewee requirements, were asked. I am pretty certain that their answers would be the same; a couple of years in yeshiva after marriage followed by army/national service and a career
Deleteanon - I never heard that. I heard that it was to prevent kids from having a hangout. (besides for the possibility of women in immodest dress coming to shop there or do business there)
ReplyDeleteWell I'm happy now.
ReplyDeleteIt seems my own perceptions of charedim has lined up with the pollsters. I always thought I must be missing something the way people talk about Charedim on the internet, but I see now that my observations were always correct.
It's always been that the spokespeople don't really reflect the atittudes of the charedim masses.