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Job Fair Offers Hope for Haredi Families in Economic Despair
The room was abuzz with excitement as prospective employees, aged 23 to 55, milled about from table to table, contemplating their futures. The well attended event included representatives from Israel Aerospace Industries, The Malam Group — Israel's second largest IT (Information Technology) corporation — and the Egged Bus Company, as well as more than ten other high profile Israeli companies looking to recruit new employees. It was a typical job fair in Israel in every sense, except that all of the attendees were Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men looking to find employment in Israel's burgeoning modern economy. The fair was organized by JDC's Parnasa B'Chavod program, which in partnership with a range of companies and businesses offers culturally sensitive vocational training programs for Haredi men. In fact, the 15 employers seeking to recruit participants at the fair all offer vocational training which meet the specific educational and religious needs of the Haredi community. Literally meaning 'Employment with Dignity' Parnasa B'Chavod is a critical component of JDC's Employment Initiative, which seeks to empower Israel's chronically unemployed to find their place in Israel's workforce by helping them overcome their social, physical and cultural barriers to the job market. The Haredi community is one of five populations targeted by the initiative including immigrants, people with disabilities, Arab-Israelis and young adults. With the mayor of Bene Brak, Rabbi Issachar Frankental, delivering the keynote address — thereby offering his seal of approval — and as many as 500 prospective employees from across the country in attendance, the event was deemed a great success by JDC Program Director for the Haredi Sector, Ruben. "It was exactly the exposure we had hoped for," Ruben explains, grinning. He added, "News travels very fast in the Haredi community. We plan on making a big difference." The "difference" Ruben is referring to is the program's ultimate goal to help generate self-sufficient Haredi families who earn their living in an honorable manner, with respect to their particular communal, social, and religious needs. Founded by JDC in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade a number of years ago, Parnasa B'Chavod provides Haredi men vocational training in a variety of fields including aeronautics, accounting, hydrotherapy, security, computer programming and engineering. Today the program runs in parallel with other employment efforts targeting the Haredi sector. In attendance at the fair were a number of Parnasa B'Chavod graduates who had managed to turn their lives around as a result of the program and could testify to this "difference". One such success story was Menachem, a father of three from Jerusalem. When Menachem first came to Parnasa B'Chavod at the age of 30, his family was mired in debt. A full time yeshiva student until the age of 26, his secular studies in such subjects as math, science, and English ended when he left middle school to enroll in yeshiva at the end of 8th grade — standard practice for Haredi boys. When he left yeshiva, Menachem lacked the skills to enter Israel's competitive job market. Menachem signed up for a six-month bus driver course developed jointly by Parnasa B'Chavod and the Egged Bus Company. One month after completing the course in November 2005, he began driving several of Egged's Jerusalem routes. Four months later, he reports a high level of job satisfaction. As he explained to those who gathered to hear his story, "I feel a real sense of pride in my job, but more importantly, in my ability to provide for my family in an honorable way." In addition, the family has tackled their debt problem and was recently approved for a mortgage by their bank to buy their first home. Kobi, the Vice President of Human Resources at one of the companies seeking to recruit Haredi trainees, explained his company's presence at the fair as follows: "We are here because the Haredi community is the best kept secret in Israel. As a general rule they possess the ability to think critically on a very high level and are very devoted, honest, and hard working employees. All they lack are the specific job skills — something we are willing to provide them with." Kobi added that in addition to fighting poverty, he believed the program was helping to bridge the country's religious-secular divide. "It is truly an eye-opening experience for everyone involved, religious and secular alike," he explained. Parnasa B'Chavod aims to make deep inroads in tackling the unemployment problem and resulting poverty that is plaguing Israel's Haredi community. "We have nothing," explains Menachem, a 35-year-old father of two from Zichron Yaakov. "I always expected I would spend the rest of my days studying in yeshiva but I can't anymore," he exclaims, disappointment filling his voice. "My house is falling apart and my wife and I are having trouble just feeding and clothing our family." After a prolonged internal struggle, Menacham came to the job fair to "check things out" and see what opportunities existed beyond the yeshiva walls. Unfortunately, Menachem's story is not exceptional in the Haredi community. Moderate estimates place Israel's current Haredi population at around 650,000, with more than 50% living below the poverty line. With a high fertility rate (some experts place it as high as 7.6 children per family), Haredim will continue to comprise an increasingly large percentage of the total Israeli population. This, combined with a 60% unemployment rate, means that addressing the Haredi community's economic crisis is becoming more urgent with each passing year. With more than 1,000 graduates since JDC began partnering with the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the endeavor, and 700 additional students already enrolled or expected to enroll in the program by year's end, Parnasa B'Chavod continues to tackle the problem head on and has already assisted hundreds of Haredi families in becoming self-sufficient. JDC seeks to train an additional 3,500 participants through Parnasa B'Chavod within the next five years, fulfilling its mission to help this community find 'employment with dignity.' November 2006 |
