Poverty in Perpetuity?
By Amir Shaviv
The State of Israel is 62 years old—an age that in the United States would entitle a person to apply for Social Security benefits. But can a country, too, apply for public assistance?
Consider this news item that exploded on the eve of Israel’s 62nd Independence Day, yet remained in the shadow of other scandals. The percentage of ultra Orthodox men in Israel who are not working has more than tripled over the past 30 years. In 2008, some 65% of Haredi men did not work, compared to only 21% in 1979. This revelation is included in the Annual Report of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel.
How did we get to this stage?
The Center Director, Professor Dan Ben David, an American-educated Israeli economist, explains that the State increased allowances and funding for ultra-Orthodox Jews, permitting them to choose nonparticipation in the workforce as a lifestyle.
“At the same time,” explains Ben David, “years of neglect of the human infrastructure, in particular in education… prevent many people from acquiring the tools to manage in the modern competitive economy.”
He adds that in the last decade, the number of students in elementary religious schools increased by 8%, while the number of kids in nonreligious schools has dropped by 3% since the year 2000.
Simply put, Israel is creating poverty in perpetuity. Kids attending inferior schools will grow up to be adults lacking skills for productive employment; thus they will depend on public welfare, sending their own kids, in turn, to poor schools. The catch is that in order for these elementary school children to be integrated into the labor market, they must receive an education appropriate for the needs of the modern economy. However, the level of elementary education in the ultra Orthodox schools (and in the Arab education system) is lower than Western standards.
Is there a way out? Sure there is, but it takes political courage, statesmanship and the power to empower. Let us hope that Israeli leaders with the necessary strength and vision will emerge in the years to come.
Amir Shaviv, a former Israeli journalist, is an executive at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).
The “Focus on Israel” column is edited by Robin Fleischner, a Vice President of BJ’s Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of BJ’s Israel Steering Committee.