I therefore predict a change in that regard. A system that ignores its financial problems cannot last. They can no longer afford to rely on government programs to help sustain them. There just isn’t enough money. As their proportion of the population increases, the government tax base shrinks. Charity from abroad – even with the current increase is not enough to replace lost government subsidies. Belts are being tightened. Additional stress on families surely causes Shalom Bayis problems. That can and sometimes does result in family dysfunction and children going OTD.
While many – perhaps most Charedim will retain their idealism in the face of all this, there are far too many that will not be able to withstand the pressure. They will seek work. Some will get training. But some will simply fall through the cracks. Increasingly so, if I had to guess. There is just so much crushing poverty a community can take until it is totally crushed.
The government in Israel has tried to ‘force the issue’ withholding government subsidies to Charedi schools that do not include a core secular curriculum. There has been a lot of pushback… and it has been successful in getting the government to extend the period of compliance so that schools without a core curriculum will continue to be subsidized without penalty until then.
There are those who say that change cannot be forced and point to the government blinking on this issue as proof. Change they say – must be internal. I agree that internal change would be best. But the economic situation in the Charedi world does not have that kind of time. The clock is ticking. People are struggling. Waiting until they ‘do it themselves’ will not relieve the increased crushing poverty that so many of them have fallen into. It will no doubt keep increasing if nothing drastic is done.
Sometimes you have to force someone to do something he doesn’t want to do for his own good. It’s kind of like forcing an alcoholic into rehab. He may resist. But forcing him to do it is necessary for his own survival. Which is why I am disappointed that the government has blinked on this issue.
Another problem articulated by Marty Bluke on his blog is that the solution to Charedi poverty cannot be solved by changing the system from one of learning to one of working. He argues that the large families that typically constitute Charedi families cannot be sustained even by even an above average income. Modern economies are designed to support families of much smaller size. Not to mention the fact that religious Jews need even bigger incomes because of their greater expenses. In the US there is the added burden of back-breaking tuition.
Marty runs the numbers and concludes that Charedim may very well be better off staying where they are. There – they are able to take advantage of government programs for the poor. And their working wives will be more motivated to support them if they remain loyal to the Charedi ideal of full time Torah study.
While his numbers make sense, they do not really reflect reality. Most working Orthodox families live decent middle class lives. They are usually 2 income families. And their tuition obligations are met with relief as per the financial needs of the family applying for it. Yes, they are pressured to pay as much as possible but no family is bankrupted. They are left to lead more or less middle class lives. Most of them do. There are other intangibles that factor into family sustenance that can’t be quantified with numbers.