Israel: History and People: November 2010

"Soldiers of Nahal Haredi in action."

In the Israeli Defense Force there is a unit designed to accommodate Ultra-Orthodox Jews, this unit did not exist ten years ago. In fact, it would have been called and “oxymoron” to have any relationship at all between any of the Ultra-Orthodox groups and the IDF. The Haredim: (a word meaning to adhere strictly to traditional form of Jewish law) often stresses that all connections with the IDF should be limited or avoided all together. These extremely religious Jews follow the “Torah” much more strictly then Modern Orthodox or secular Jews. Because of these strict religious views and pressure on the government from haredi leaders who have the “political power [to] make or break government coalitions” (Rosenthal, 186) haredi scholars were freed from their obligation to serve in the Israeli army. (Rosenthal, 186) However, the number of draft-exempt religious scholars began to grow and Israeli leaders “did not foresee the astounding explosion” in the number of men that would be granted deferments. In 2008 there were over fifty thousand military exemptions granted to yeshiva student that were of draft-age. (Rosenthal, 168) Nevertheless, a group of haredi educators realized that not every yeshiva student was destined to become a rabbi or educator. They decided to approach Yehudah Duvedani (an retired IDF officer) “with the idea to create the Nahal Haredi.” Duvdevani embraced this idea and agreed that “the haredim would serve in a combat unit”. Compromises between the IDF and the haredi leaders began: a base with out female soldiers, special haredi supervision, orthodox officers, and daily lectures from haredi organizers were all requested. The army agreed to pay for most of the requests but not for all. They required the haredi organizers to pay for the daily shiurim, recruitment, and personal needs of the haredi solider. Funding was not the only set back…” some of the haredi soldiers were no longer welcomed home by their families who couldn’t accept that their sons were serving in the IDF.” Many felt like these boys betrayed all that they were taught. Arguments that the haredim “lifestyle is different and is incommensurate with the IDF atmosphere, slang, and conduct” only reinforced the stresses of the families. Many of the families feel that these young men are “not fit for military service.” Nevertheless, the Nahal Haredi has now been a three year IDF program and has a combat ready battalion of 600 soldiers, 275 trainees and 125 participants in the third year educational vocational program. And future plans to increase the recruitment numbers are underway.

"The haredi soldiers participating in a religious ceremony"

When reading my two online I found it interesting how one was very positive and supportive of the Nahal Haredi and the other was very critical and diminishing. The mission statement of the webpage supporting Nahal Haredi was to “provide for the unique spiritual needs of the Haredi youth, while also enabling them to participate in the defense of Israel.” It also listed that it hopes to “bridge the gap between the secular and religious populations in Israel.” However, on the other web page it was clear to see that it was reinforcing negative emotions about the IDF and any participation of the Haredi’s in the military. It even put blame on the IDF by saying that “it has been clear to us, the haredim, that we are not really wanted in the army.” The two articles were interesting to compare because one stressed that the IDF was supportive and enthusiastic about the Nahal Haredi and the other page gave the reader a negative perspective on the IDF and their efforts to integrate the haredim into the army. When placing them together it is clear that the website in support of Nahal Haredi provided more factual and reliable information then the web page against it. The source that was unsupportive of haredim participation in the military was based more on opinion then legitimate facts.

"A solider studying the "Torah""

On May 23, 1991 an aircraft supplied by the IAF was sent to rescue Ethiopian Jews who in a few hours were to be surrounded and massacred by rebel groups. (Rosenthal, 158) No one was allowed to bring any belongings because “every bundle meant another Jew couldn’t fit onto the plane. (Rosenthal, 158)” Planes were so crowded with people that some had to have seats removed and others had to carry 1000 passengers even though the capacity of the plane was only 500. During this rescue Israel managed to “smuggle 14,324 Ethiopian Jews” into Israel within thirty six hours. Many Israelis welcomed the refugees with opened arms by showering them with gifts, food, and tutoring them. For many this rescue was one of Israel’s “finest” moments. The Ethiopian Jews were overwhelmed with all that industrial Israel had to offer. Many had never seen everyday luxuries such as electricity and running water.

There are now about 100,000 Ethiopian Jews in

Israel

. The majority of the Ethiopian families are among the poorest economic groups in Israel. 72% live below the poverty line and 70% are illiterate in both their native language and in Hebrew. Both of these factors cause a high rate of unemployment of Ethiopian men and women in Israel. Another, notable fact is that more then half of these 100,000 immigrants have been living in Israel for less then ten years. The majority of Ethiopian Jews living in Israel are under the age of 18! In fact 60% if the population falls into this age range.

Another factor that contributes to the continuing poverty faced by the Ethiopian Jews is the high rate of high school dropouts. Drop out rates for Ethiopian students double that of Israeli Jews and the general population in Israel! These high drop out rates cause most of the Ethiopian families to remain in the same economic position. Because, “more then 75 percent of the Ethiopian Israelis came from rural, agrarian environments and have few skills marketable in a modern economy…resulting in severe inequalities between Ethiopian citizens and other citizens of Israel.” By not finishing school and learning the skills needed to become successful in modern Israel-many high school drop outs continue the cycle of poverty for themselves and their families.

This high rate of high school drop outs in the Ethiopian community does not mean that they are less intelligent or able to be educated then other Israeli children. In fact, “Ethiopian students often exhibit better memory skills, concentration, and patience then other students (Rosenthal, 170).” Some argue that the reason for the high drop out rate is because many of the children do not receive individualized tutoring and opportunities to attend afterschool programs that allow them to excel in computers, Hebrew, and English. All of these factors together cause Ethiopian Jew to be stuck in a persistent cycle of poverty, lack of education, and diminished opportunity. Nevertheless, more and more Ethiopian Jews are breaking free of this cycle and leading the way to ending this underprivileged life style. For instance, “in 1993, there were only 143 Ethiopian college students… By 2008, more then 3000 Ethiopian Israelis were [enrolled]! (Rosenthal, 172) These young Ethiopians are good examples for younger generations to see that anything can be accomplished. Many haven’t had good examples because, “most of their mothers and fathers have never been in a classroom. But once these kids get a taste of this, they want it. (Rosenthal, 173)” Hopefully, there will be an even greater increase in Ethiopian Jews enrolled in college in the future. And hopefully we will see a decline in drop out rates among high school students. These types of changes will allow Ethiopian Jews to integrate more into Israeli society and feel less like outsiders.

The information that I found through out Rosenthal’s book The Israelis was often identical to the information and statistics found on the websites. This led me to asses that most of the information that I found on Ethiopian Jews was reliable and consistent. However, I felt like Rosenthal had a more understanding and compassionate view of the situation regarding the Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Her writing had much more personal relevance then the website articles. By including personal stories from Ethiopian Jews it made the reader feel more compassion for their situation then the website articles which were just cold hard facts-making the Ethiopians seem uneducated and lazy. Rosenthal took a much more humanitarian approach when talking about the hardships faced by the Ethiopian Jews by talking about why they haven’t been able to improve their situation. The websites did not give much background on why there were so many drop outs, or why there was so many people living in poverty. Overall, I felt like the information was very reliable and that I learned a great deal about the Ethiopian Jews that immigrated to Israel-and challenges they are facing.