Israel is a country that has always had to deal with existential threats and its leadership and the population have faced such threats head-on, and been able to overcome them. Wars (and the threat of war) have been almost part of daily life and from both sides of the political spectrum there has been unity as to the gravity of such threats. The response to such threats has not always been the result of such unity, but in the end, wars, as an outside, existential threat, have always been dealt with as a united front.
But the emphasis here, should be on the word “outside threat”. Today, Israel is facing an existential threat to its existence as the modern State that it is today, that comes from the inside. And while dealing with this threat requires a united front maybe even more than war, the main, and maybe only reason it has not been dealt with, even though it is there for all to see, and growing, is the lack of agreement how the face this threat and the unwillingness of large segments of the population to deal with it at all.
The threat is a demographic one. No weapons are needed, only the will to fight for what Israel has achieved in the past seventy years, and not allowing it to be destroyed.
The ultra-orthodox community in Israel is a growing segment of the population, which today makes up about 12% of the total population but is expected to grow to 24% of the population by 2050. With a birthrate of almost 7 children per woman versus barely three on average (which is also high), the ultra-orthodox population will grow twice as fast as the general population will.
Of course, each person must live his life as he sees fit, believe what he wants to believe, and have as many children as he desires, without the State interfering with this in any way. The problem begins when such a person also believes that the State needs to support him in his way of life, and demands payment in order to maintain his way of life.
Today, the ultra-orthodox community in Israel is by far the largest segment of the population that does not contribute to the State in any way. Fifty present of the adult ultra-orthodox male population does not work and spends its days studying Torah, either in Yeshivas or in Kollels. They are enabled to do so because the State will give them a stipend for as long as they continue their studies. This in addition to additional benefits whereby Army service is avoided.
In order to assure a reasonable family income, the wives of these ultra-orthodox men often work, and the State will subsidize the institutions that take care of the children while their mom is out working. This in addition to arrangements that were made whereby child support increases significantly per child when you have a large number of children.
The official numbers giving information on how much the State really supports the Ultra-orthodox population is impossible to discern, and in any case there is no doubt a lot of “under the table” activity as well, even though, with the new government in place this may be declining, with the religious parties no longer part of the government.
The facts are simple: Israel is financially supporting a fast-growing segment of the population that is not contributing to the Sate in any way and the cost will soon become prohibitive. The State is cultivating a society that is for a great part dependent on hand-outs, with large numbers of children who will grow up to become like their fathers, without skills and without the will to acquire any. The schools that these children attend are in most cases not teaching such basic subjects as mathematics, Science and English, and most do not have their pupils do matriculation exams, thus closing the doors on further education, even if these children would want it.
It may, on the face of it, not look like an existential threat, but it definitely is. Secular Israelis are fed-up having to pay taxes so that others can “Study Torah” even though many feel uncomfortable because we are talking here about Jews. Young, educated Israelis are leaving to do post-docs or temporary work abroad, and many never come back. This “brain-drain” has always been a problem in Israel but it is significantly more substantial now, and we need to recognize that these young, talented people are who made Israel the “Start-Up Nation” it is and their leaving puts that in serious jeopardy.
In the United States, particular New York and New Jersey have very large Jewish populations and many of those are Ultra-Orthodox. They study Torah, and they have many children just like their Israeli counterparts. But in order to support their families, they do not rely on the charity of the State (or maybe it should be called the pay-outs of blackmail). These people go to work like everyone else. So why isn’t this the situation in Israel? It is a complicated matter and even if it may be attributed to one serious mistake made by David Ben-Gurion (the “Status Quo”), it is clear that it has to end. Israel as we know it will not be able to sustain this distorted situation much longer.
And, while it is reasonable to allow for time to adjust to a new situation, it must start now. First step will need to be made in education. Ultra-orthodox schools should be forced to start teaching basis subjects without delay and prepare their pupils for matriculation. Any school that doesn’t fully cooperate should loose first of all its funding, and after that it accreditation. The funding of Yeshivas and kollels should be stopped immediately and exemption from army service can no longer be obtained just by studying Torah. There must come complete openness on the funding to Ultra-Orthodox institutions, including to the many people “working” there and drawing salaries. Only by taking drastic measures to stop the immense flow of money and resources to a small, unproductive segment of the population, will the tide be turned and Israel will be returned to the road of sanity, the road of progress.
Will anything happen before it is too late? It is up to us, no?
I hope you found this article interesting and I welcome any comments you may have.
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