Tel Aviv Mayor Huldai's tough love
Ron Huldai tends to speak bluntly and honestly, with blithe disregard for the rules of political correctness.
Haaretz Editorial Tags: Ron Huldai Tel AvivTel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai tends to speak bluntly, without considering the public damage he might incur. But this trait, which is accompanied by a blithe disregard for the rules of political correctness, sometimes indicates genuine concern and caring.
 |
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai |
| Photo by: Dan Keinan |
That is what happened on Sunday at the “Educational Core” conference at the Seminar Hakibbutzim Teachers College, Tel Aviv, where Huldai said that “the State of Israel is funding and nurturing entire communities of separationists and ignoramuses,” and that “private education is financed by the public, but there is no supervision over its content.”
He even urged the silent majority to rebel against this situation, in order “to restore Israeli democracy’s right to intervene in and decide on issues that are vital to it, like education.”
Huldai indeed minced no words. But the Shas leaders who hastened to respond were both mistaken and misleading when they said this constituted unbridled incitement. Huldai was expressing the anguish of that sizable public that pays the bulk of our taxes, yet whose children, who study in state schools, have in recent years received less education and fewer classroom hours.
Particularly outrageous was the response of Knesset Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), who claimed that it is actually the ultra-Orthodox who fund the secular public. Gafni knows very well that not only does the Education Ministry fund ultra-Orthodox schools, but so do the social affairs and religious services ministries, as well as the local authorities within whose jurisdiction these schools are located. Nor can he deny that supervision over these schools ranges from lax to nonexistent.
The education minister did recently say that his ministry would curtail funding to private schools that are not officially recognized by the state. But most of the schools affected by this decision are non-Orthodox institutions; funding for the ultra-Orthodox schools continues to flow from all the usual sources. These schools do not teach the core curriculum, and every education minister who has tried to force them to do so has failed utterly.
Due to this abdication, graduates of this school system − like those of the Islamic Movement and certain schools in the Zionist ultra-Orthodox community − learn a separatist, alienated view of democracy, and they lack the necessary tools to integrate into society and the economy.
Huldai spoke the truth: Education is vital for democracy, and he justly fears for its welfare. Israel must stop this dangerous socioeconomic erosion immediately.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
thank huldai for expressing our thoughts outloud. stop the orthodox extortion. at least in tel aviv. and stop the attempted orthodox takeovers in north tel aviv. thanks!
I believe Mr, Huldai should check into the Hareidi schools. Perhaps he might find out what the secret is to the religous school systems. While nothing is 100%, they make do with little or no budget, little violence, no teen pregnancy, drugs, etc. while still scoring top in the country for education. Also, Mr. Huldai should take this to heart while his top students gang rape and murder
65% of Ultra-Orthodox working age men, do not work and instead live off the state. It is bad enough that they do not serve in the IDF or do national service of some kind. Within 10 or 20 years, their sheer numbers will drain off most of Israel's resources, for a population that completely rejects Israeli society!! THIS MUST STOP!! Either these people will become part of Israeli society starting with elemetary school, or they will not continue to receive the outrageous allocations that they receive. A new movement, perhaps led by Huldai must help change the political system whereby the Haredi parties can no longer blackamail the big parties
... and the "strength" of democracy is such, that in future governments these very cheder-goers will hold the reins of power... even if they don't know calculus or Shakespeare or even Dalia Ravikovitch, let alone any history outside the scriptures...
Huldai is completely correct. There is nothing wrong with what he said. I foresee a huge disaster if the state does not FORCE those chareidim who do not work, whose children do not learn anything useful, to either start learning, studying and working for real OR leave the country. A small minority (like maximum 10%) may be allowed to continue studying and receive stipends for a maximum of 4 or 5 years - just like university students receive in most European countries (this should be the same in Israel as well). Instead of granting university students NOTHING while chareidim can live their entire lives with just useless kollel study subsidized by the state, the state should grant every student - whether in yeshiva, university or college - a grant lasting 5 years. Everyone who finished secondary education should be eligible for this grant. What one does with it - prepare himself for a financially independent succesful future by studying secular studies, or dive into Gemara (Talmud) all day - is their choice. I know of no other country in the western world that pays hundreds of thousands for religious people to just sit and learn. Some countries pay something to state-recognized religious clerics, but this is limited to perhaps 1 cleric out of a few thousand inhabitants - actual rabbis, priests and imams who actually do something other than just learning non-stop. If private individuals wish to come along and subsidize others who want to learn their entire lives (yes such kollelim exist!), that's fine with me, I have absolutely no problem with that. But do NOT expect the state to finance your eternal useless studies. And yes - this is from a black and white (c)haredi. (Though as of lately doubing whether he still belongs in that dress....)
The way the rules go, those who study at Institutes of Higher Torah Studies aka Yeshivot are in reality penalized by the system if they work, so when they work, well, the tax man doesn't see it that income. Other than that, Rabbi Steinman, among others is acutely aware of the issues you discuss, and promotes technological education for avreichim who set out for the labor market. There is another detail you also forget, many employers discover the most ingenious ways of not hiring some very talented Haredim and Dati men and wormen who won't come in for work on Shabbatot and Holidays. You see, the "secular" candidates, who aren't religious, or even traditional will do anything for a shekel. Are you sure you are Haredi--how can you call Torah study useless?!
The way the rules go, those who study at Institutes of Higher Torah Studies aka Yeshivot are in reality penalized by the system if they work, so when they work, well, the tax man doesn't see it that income. Other than that, Rabbi Steinman, among others is acutely aware of the issues you discuss, and promotes technological education for avreichim who set out for the labor market. There is another detail you also forget, many employers discover the most ingenious ways of not hiring some very talented Haredim and Dati men and wormen who won't come in for work on Shabbatot and Holidays. You see, the "secular" candidates, who aren't religious, or even traditional will do anything for a shekel. Are you sure you are Haredi--how can you call Torah study useless?!
state fundings should be for every school child the same. It is nice that Huldai makes some concerns about this. But if Huldai realy is concernd about the people, he does not show it in TelAviv. Every fligth with ElAl ,you see this advertisment of TelAviv, as a modern rich city. The advirtisment shows very luxery appartments being build in TelAviv for the upper rich. But what is Huldai doing for the real TelAviv people? For the children in Hatikwa, yad Elihau , yafo etc?
The Mayor did you all a favor. He spoke the truth.