- Israel

Mafteach is the “Key” for Haredi Men and Women to Find Jobs

Judy thinks of herself as a typical Haredi woman. She was raised near Jerusalem, married at 20, and six years later has two toddlers and another baby on the way. Judy works part-time as a teacher's aide with special needs children to support her family while her husband learns full-time in a kollel, studing Jewish law.

Last June, Judy left the school where she had been working for five years, aiming to find a job that would raise her family's standard of living above basic subsistence. She felt certain that she could secure a position before the new academic year. But by November, as the family's primary breadwinner, Judy began to worry.

"I knew that the main way to find a job is to find the right connection," said Judy, who wanted to move into the learning disabled field in her new job. "There are so many people looking for jobs out there and in our community, you always have to know someone."

It wasn't until December that Judy heard about Mafteach, the Zusman Center for Haredi Employment. As one of the centers created by JDC to promote employment opportunities for those chronically out of Israel's workforce, Mafteach (meaning "key" in Hebrew) provides job skills, including resume-writing workshops; effective job search techniques; and advice on how to look for and find jobs, in a facility that is culturally and religiously sensitive to the Haredi way of life. Still, because the Center is located in a high-tech Jerusalem business park with which Judy was unfamiliar, she did not yet feel comfortable to avail herself of its services.

"There are so many people looking for jobs in special education. How would they have something for me?" she wondered, knowing how important networking is in the close-knit, supportive Haredi community. "I didn't have much hope. And I couldn't see how Mafteach would take me without any personal recommendations."

When she realized that an appointment was free and the Center was only a ten-minute walk from her apartment, Judy relented. Working with an interviewer at the Center, she went over her resume and then talked about what she was looking for in a job. Judy spent the rest of the morning redoing her resume at the Center's computer lab and then meeting with a consultant with a background in special education.

What surprised Judy was how relaxed she felt at Mafteach. Among other factors, the Haredi staff and separates women's and men's hours assuaged any cultural concerns and helped her to feel completely comfortable in this new setting.

"The interviewer was someone who was basically like me, and she could help me practically because of that," explained Judy. As members of the ultra-Orthodox community themselves, the staff were also able to leverage "connections they have in our world," she added.

Employment centers such as Mafteach offer a way out of the cycle of poverty for those who have traditionally not participated in Israel's workforce due to the unique barriers to employment that they face, including Haredim, Israeli Arabs, individuals with disabilities, vulnerable immigrants and young adults. Created as part of JDC's TEVET Employment Initiative with the Government of Israel, the job centers are just one of the tools provided to help the unemployed develop skills and find dignified jobs, moving them from poverty to independence, and, hopefully, professional satisfaction.

For the Haredi community, the Zusman Center for Haredi Employment in Jerusalem helps break down those barriers. With separate hours for men and women, an ultra-Orthodox staff, availability of newspapers and publications that are acceptable to the Haredi public as well as highly filtered Internet access on the Center computers and strict standards of kashrut, men and women can receive professional support to learn about or advance in the job market. Designed to serve as a model for future JDC Job Opportunity Centers slated to open in other major Haredi communities around Israel, including Beitar, Modi'in Illit, Bnei Brak, El Ad, Ashdod and Haifa, the Zusman Center will assist some 800 to 900 clients on an annual basis, while the national network will handle 4,000 referrals annually.

"I had such a good feeling, not because I knew I was going to find a job through there, but because people were really trying to help me and to help me find a connection," Judy said.

After making several calls, Judy made contact with a principal who was interested in speaking with her. Less than a week later, she started work at the new school, filling in for someone on maternity leave, but with a better salary and more attractive responsibilities than she had at her previous job. She is working with learning disabled boys, teaching small groups and individual students—work that she finds to be very satisfying and that is helping her family to live with some measure of comfort.

More importantly, she knows that Mafteach provided her the key to finding a new job. "I don't know if I would have come if I had just seen an ad, without hearing about it from someone," said Judy. "But I've told a lot of people about it, because it's so good to know that a resource like this exists."

February 2007