BoI chief: Haredi unemployment is hurting Israel's economy
Bank of Israel chief Stanley Fischer says that the deepening poverty among the Haredi community is an unsustainable economic problem.
By Agencies Tags: Israel newsThe rate of growth among the ultra-Orthodox, in which a majority of men don't work, is an economic problem, Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer said earlier this week.
Speaking with foreign journalists, Fischer spoke about the deepening poverty among the Haredi community. Meanwhile, the situation in terms of poverty among another relatively impoverished group, Israeli Arabs, is improving, the governor said.
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Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer |
| Photo by: Daniel Bar-On |
If 70% of the men in 10% of the population don't work, it becomes a problem of macroeconomic magnitude, Fischer said. The Haredim as a group are growing faster than the rest of the population. Moreover, he said, that speaking with figures in the Haredi community, it is apparent they do not grasp the problem.
The situation is unsustainable, Fischer warned: 60% of Haredim live in poverty and the proportion is rising. "We can't have an ever-increasing proportion of the population continuing to not go to work," Fischer said.
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If the statistics are right - 10% of the population are Haredim and 70% thereof are unemployed - then surely the social political answer lies with the 90% rest of the population who vote a government which supports this phenomenon. A socially responsible government should aleeviate poverty and support people in need, but not allow the Haredim to buy "tickets" to heaven by fleecing the rest.
They are frauds. Where did the concept enter our religion that one is not supposed to work?
Groups that really want to work, such as older people and people with handicaps, can not find work. But the government instead of helping them find work worries about people who don't want to work or contribute to society.
Add to the Haredim poverty situation the fact that most don't learn basic math or science and it would not be surprising if they don't even understand what is said in the article...
If the population is not properly educated and don't learn languages such as English, French, Arabic and / or Chinese and don't get a proper grounding in essential basic subjects like mathematics, science etc. then they are unenployable in a modern advanced society. Learning only theology allows them to be basic labourers, hewers of wood and street cleaners.
AS A SECULAR JEW I SUPPORT THE HAREDI AND THEIR WILL TO GIVE ALL UP FOR THE BIBLE. I MUST SAY I COULD NEVER DO THAT. BUT STRONGLY BELIEVE IT IS PART OF OUR HERITAGE.
Is being a parasite part of our heritage? Unser rebbeniou hobt gesogt, "ha-avodah he chaienu, avol lo beshvil-leinu"
The real real real problem is that the secular growth rate is too small. Let Mr. FIsher think about how to increase the birth rate of working Israellis. Housing policies, family and children centered social initiatives, new spacious family centered towns and settlements, tax incentives, subsidized day care etc. could all help. As for the ultra-orthodox, their high growth rate is a good thing and something to emulate. Integrating them into the market place and the army is important and will happen because of natural market forces. A little good will on the part of secular Israel would also help.
The Haredim live off government grants and subsidies. They do not have market forces affecting them. If I got enough money to live for the rest of my life, I wouldn't care about market forces since they would cease to exist as I am being funded as if from nothing. The concept of market forces applies only when it's actually there. Such as no work no food no home (or so little you can't survive for long). It doesn't apply when it means "it's not much but we can live on it". I know many people in UK council estates (government housing). Some are 2nd generation unemployed, with at least one parent who has almost never worked in their life. When a segment of population is funded by others, there is little incentive to act by many of them. Only those with massive motivation do. The rest simply don't. That is the haredim. No need to work in a paid job so most don't work in a paid job. There is no problem with the secular growth rate. It is expanding and is the highest in the western world. The problem is a large segment of population living off others. If haredim grew at 100% nobody would care so long as there was enough land for homes and services and jobs to pay for their expenses. But there isn't. There aren't enough homes for them nor do they pay for themselves. Blaming seculars for not growing fast so they could keep funding Haredim makes no sense.
Subsidies to haredim are much exaggerated for political reasons (when kibbutzim were bankrupt a few years ago they got USD 100,000 per person - search for Ombudsman report available on line in Hebrew). All such subsidies are now in decline. Market forces will see to it that the decline continues (unless the leftists try to bribe haredim for another generation to get their votes for further 'peace' moves). But if you follow the news here you will be aware that increasing numbers of haredim now do some sort of army service, something very rare years ago. Moreover many more haredim now learn trades at community colleges. Jerusalem College of Technology has a whole program for haredi technicians and Kiriat Ono campus is filled with haredim. Even Haaretz reports these things from time to time. Cheer up, things are much better than they look in the media.
Otherwise, no matter how hard the rest of Israel work and build, these (growing) religious population will only drain the country resources... We will always remain behind... Rather than spending on such people and encouraging this kind of laziness, invest all the funding to building the country - education, housing, defense...
As a modern and moderate jew with far less knowledge of the Torah and its interpretations...at least I try to make this country function by having a normal job and paying taxes! It does not make me feel less jewish I have to say! Perhaps the lazy bunch should givbe it a try! Working does give satisfaction perhaps more than reading the Torah day in and out!!! And oh yeah, you may be able to support your family with a job! Think about it!
Basically the ultra religious believe this world is a phase for the next life in heaven. They believe the only way to get into heaven is by knowing Torah. You can be a rocket scientist, but if you don't know Torah you're an ignorant. Basically the man studies Torah 24/7. He finds a woman who will work and tend to the house and kids. By doing so she allows him to worry only about Torah and thus he buys a ticket to heaven for both of them. With a mentality like that, while their respective belief, is.. well... you're not going to see a change soon, and that way of life is going to be aggressively defended. The average children per family is around 5 and they're supported by a low pay of the wife and the government's pay for families of many children.
work, take care of the 12 kids, cook, wash, clean, shop as the husband often obese from poor diet and laziness doesnt lift a hand and claims he is getting the ticket to heaven. Perhaps their rabbonim should give a heter for polygamy. At least that way the wife would have more help from her sisters.
As a reformed Jew I have to admit I'm confused. Where is it written or in what part of the tradition is it established that the religious should spend their entire lives as leeches, not working.
It isn't written anywhere. What those who study Torah only are doing is subverting the principles of Judaism. Even I, a secular Jew, know that the Rambam stated first parnassah (obligation of supporting oneself and family), then Torah (mitzvah). Anyone who considers Torah study a parnassah is violating one of the basic concepts of their own religion. You'll only find this behavior in the eastern European Eda Haredit cults.
UVAHEM NEHEGE YOMAM VALAILI. KEEP ON RUNNING AFTER THIS WORLD
the government supports them. The government should stop giving them welfare and let G-d feed take care of them. He can throw them manna.
why did we vote in a way that we have it suppported! We should vote more reform and modern! Let them work for change!
If you pay men to do little except to dress up in a scarecrow outfit and put on noisy demonstrations over obtuse issues, don't be surprised if there are lots of takers. Having said that, they do add a touch of color to society, and are for the most part well-meaning.