Jacob Schorman, like many boys in his ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, spent years studying the Torah and reading ancient scriptures. He led a segregated religious life, married early, and had four children before he was 30.
But these days, Schollman is learning how to code from a high-rise building overlooking the ocean and a biography of Steve Jobs nearby. Although his faith remains central to his identity, Schoorman, like many students at traditional yeshiva schools, wants to join the country's vibrant technology industry.
His aspirations come as ultra-Orthodox Jews face growing backlash from the larger secular community over benefits such as subsidies for religious schools and exemptions from mandatory military service for Torah students. did. These tensions, and efforts to limit the Supreme Court's role, led to far-right nationalist and religious parties gaining a prominent voice in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government last year, and large-scale street protests. There has occurred. Many Israelis view the power wielded by religious parties as a threat to civil rights and the country's democracy.
Students from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community learn to code to become programmers and software developers at companies such as Citibank and Mobileye.
That concern comes as Israelis unite around the war against Hamas and a small but growing number of ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim, begin to move beyond the limits of centuries-old tradition. It has faded somewhat. These represent a generational shift that could lead to the widespread integration of religious conservatives into Israeli life and economy.
“I don't believe in separation. The gap between haredi and secular is closing,” said a student at JBH, a school that trains haredi men to become programmers and software developers for companies such as Citibank and Mobileye. Schollman, 31, said. “At this school, you come into contact with a wide variety of people. It's important to understand these worlds.”
He added that more ultra-Orthodox Jews are leaving the enclave due to war and increased reliance on technology since COVID-19. Since the war began in October, Haredi have participated in shiva for those killed by Hamas, and 4,000 have volunteered in the military's temporary emergency services.
But moderates and secularists see this limited integration as little noteworthy as Netanyahu's government ramps up spending on haredi projects. The coalition's discretionary spending on yeshiva schools, which rarely teach science or math, increased from $322 million in 2022 to $456 million in 2023. Hundreds of millions of dollars more have been allocated to cultural, religious, and educational programs, along with thousands of other government programs. Funded work that benefited the ultra-Orthodox.
Haredim make up about 13% of Israel's population of more than 9 million people, but their average family size is about seven children, making them a drain on social welfare spending. Israeli media reported that Haredim poverty and low employment could lead to a 16% tax increase on working Israelis, costing the country's economy $2 trillion over the next 40 years.
Students take breaks between classes to learn how to code and program. Ultra-Orthodox Jews face growing anger from the larger secular community over subsidies and other benefits for religious schools.
“Haredim are the linchpin of the conflict between religion and state,” said Rabbi Uri Regev, head of Hiddush, an organization that advocates for religious freedom and equality. “This problem predates Prime Minister Netanyahu. All previous governments have followed the will of the Haredim.”
He added that ultra-Orthodox, about 45% of whom live in poverty, are “a huge burden and burden on society.”
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A pre-war 2023 survey by Hidush found that 70% of Israeli Jews believed the country's “most serious internal conflict” was between ultra-Orthodox Jews and secular Jews. It turned out that The study showed that the fault lines run deep when it comes to military and education issues. Seventy-eight percent opposed total military service exemption for ultra-Orthodox, and 69% of Jews “supported the complete cancellation or significant reduction in funding” of yeshiva schools. . The latter figure jumps to 93% for secular Jews.
Several They fear Haredim and the far-right Religious Zionist party could disrupt the Middle East and further undermine prospects for peace with the Palestinians. Best-selling author and scholar Yuval Noah Harari wrote an essay in the left-wing Haaretz newspaper in July with the headline, “What will happen to Judaism if Israel's democracy is destroyed by supremacist zealots?” Ta. He warned that the creation of a “savior state” that persecutes “Arabs, secular people, women and LGBTQ people” would lead to “spiritual destruction.” He asked, “What would happen if the state embraced the racist ideology of Jewish supremacy?”
Haredim believe that God's will shapes the destiny of all and that their dedication will protect the nation of Israel. For many years they lived in isolated areas such as Mea Shearim in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv. Men in side curls and black hats walk to the religious school carrying holy books, but Haredi women are the main breadwinners and caretakers. Their extended family gathers on the Sabbath and strolls through closed shops and quiet trams.
The portrait resonated in the television series “Shtisel,” about a Haredi father and his artist son who brave noisy neighbors and matchmakers in a closed street, while navigating the noise and temptations of the invading outside world. It has expanded. The show was widely popular in Israel, and for less than an hour each night, it provided common ground for secular Jews to look beyond suspicion and stereotypes and get a glimpse of a world with which most people are unfamiliar. .
Students at JBH, a school that trains Haredi men to become programmers and software developers, take breaks between classes to play video games.
Yitzhak Pindrus, a Knesset member of the ultra-Orthodox party Jewish Torah Unity, said, “The other side needs to know that we are Israelis just like any other people,'' adding that he wants to support Haredi integration. He blamed employers and the military for not doing more to improve the situation. “We have different cultures and different traditions, but you don't always have to criticize us.”
Computer students like Schollman, whose wife started a virtual reality production company, want a modern lifestyle and a bigger income. But this aspiration is seen as a threat by religious conservatives, who believe such temptations lead to liberal beliefs about marriage and civil rights, and whose haredi leaders have long opposed women praying at the Western Wall. There are concerns that it will drive young people away from their faith.
“Haredim are concerned about people becoming their jobs,” said Aaron Fruchtman, vice president of JBH. JBH has trained 500 Haredim since 2013, many of whom receive government funding or private donations for tuition. “The question is, 'How do you get a haredi man into the IDF or into a high-tech company without losing your religious identity?'” It means being human. But integration into the workforce will break down barriers. ”
The early days of Schollman's training were difficult. Like most students at yeshiva schools, Schoorman, whose household income is too high to qualify for public subsidies, speaks no English and only a little math. “We're starting from zero,” he said. “Literally from A, B and C.” He added that since the pandemic began, more young Haredi have turned to technology, using email and rabbinic-approved smartphones. He said his years of studying Torah will help him overcome the rigors of coding and software.
“We have the ability to sit down and learn and be dedicated,” Schollman said as students played the video game tennis on a big screen and others typed on keyboards. ,Told. “The process of change is accelerating.” He jokes, “I'm a mainstream hardcore haredi,” expressing this contradiction, the unreconciled man who moves between two worlds. I tried.
The war with Hamas has also prompted other Haredim to join the military. Ram Moshe Ravad, a Haredi rabbi who retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel and chief rabbi after 29 years of service, helped recruit Haredi volunteers for short-term duty after Oct. 7. Most studied in yeshiva until age 26 and were admitted. They are exempt from military service. Some volunteers received basic training, but many took on non-combat roles such as mechanics, cooks, and drivers.
“Haredim are not against the military,” Ravad said. “What has happened over the years, especially in the last few years, is that people are turning against Haredim. All of this [political] The movement claimed Haredim were opposed to the military. So Haredim avoided serving in the military. Well, we took a different approach.Those who want to learn the Torah should study it, and those who have not learned it should come [to the army]”
“Haredim are concerned about someone taking their job,” said Aaron Fruchtman, vice president of JBH, which has trained 500 Haredim since 2013. Could he have become interested in high technology without losing his religious identity? ” ”
Kemi Trachtenberg is a 21-year-old Haredi who joined the military three years ago. “It doesn't matter whether you like Vivi or not. [Netanhayu] Haredim, whether you like them or not,” he recently told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, an international news agency. “After all, they [Hamas] You want to kill us, but you need prayers and weapons. ”
“When this war began, the 'Israelization' of the younger generation of Haredim was already well underway,” Anshel Pfeffer wrote in a November opinion column for Haaretz newspaper. “It was natural for people who were not very keen to separate themselves from society to begin with to feel embarrassed when they saw hundreds of thousands of men and women of their age convening on the day of the Games.'' . [Hamas] Massacre. “
Furthermore, he added: “But for now, they remain a minority in the community. Other than praying for Israel's salvation, most Haredi groups continue to live as before.”
Rabbi Regev said it would be “too much” to suggest that ultra-Orthodox are participating in society when so many Haredim do not have the kind of solid education that would benefit the country's economy. “It's a rosy characterization.” “Haredi attitudes toward spiritual empowerment are anathema to the larger secular society,” he said, adding that the ultra-Orthodox oppose secular marriage, civil rights and the use of public transportation on the Sabbath. he added. “They rely on the public treasury to perpetuate their own poverty.”
Regev said Israel faces two existential problems: the relationship between religion and the state and the relationship between Jews and Arabs. The relationship between religion and state often appears at odds, as ultra-Orthodox prioritize the sacred over the secular, even when it comes to immediate threats to Israel's future, from the coronavirus to war. , he said.
Rep. Pindles disagreed, saying, “Haredim are part of the state of Israel.” “Whatever hurts the State of Israel hurts the Haredim. We are in a period of pain right now, and we are all feeling this pain.”
