Bennett Asks Israeli Industrialists to Help Boost Haredi Work

Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett told a group of industrialists on Wednesday that one of his major goals is lowering the cost of living and encouraging more ultra-Orthodox to join the labor force.

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Meeting at his ministry’s offices in Jerusalem, he asked representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Israel to do their part by employing Haredim.

The industrialists told Bennett that bureaucratic hurdles make doing business in Israel more difficult. Bennett replied that he would strike the proper balance when it comes to removing barriers facing businesses, but that he would not support policies that would curb competition.

Manufacturers’ Association president Zvi Oren said after the meeting that his delegation underlined the importance of not changing the law to encourage capital investment, which led to the establishment of many manufacturers around the country. The delegation explained that frequent changes to the law sow uncertainty and discourage investment, he said.

Bennett also called on would-be lawyers to rethink their steps yesterday.

In response to data showing that Israel suffers from a shortage of workers in technical fields like computer programming, engineering and construction, and an excess of law school graduates, Bennett posted a message on his Facebook page discouraging students from going into law.

“I too studied law,” Bennett wrote, “without doing an internship. Between my third and fourth year, I started a company with three of my friends. Today, with what I know, I wouldn’t recommend studying law unless you really love the field.”