Encouraging progress
Beit Midrash Derech Chaim
Israël
Vision
Beit Midrash Derech Chaim seeks to enable the transition of Chareidi (Ultra-Orthodox) students towards full integration into Israeli society, through academic study and IDF service, leading to gainful employment and the ability to significantly contribute to the development of the State of Israel. Graduates will thus present a new model of Chareidi Judaism, who will build bridges to connect to all elements of Israeli society.
Activity
Beit Midrash Derech Chaim is a post high school four year University level program. In the first 2 years, the students undergo an intensive course of Torah study during the day and academically recognized computer studies in the evenings. Torah studies are focused on the creation of a Talmudic scholar imbued with a love for all elements of modern Israeli society. Instruction centers on the need to retain the unique values of their Chareidi upbringing while learning acceptance, tolerance and understanding towards others. Academic studies are geared towards a degree in Computer Sciences with a specialty in Cyber Defense.
In year’s 3 and 4 students will serve in the IDF Intelligence and
Technology units, using the skills they have gained towards defense of
their country while gaining valuable work experience.
Upon completion of their studies and army service, students will be
equipped for a successful transition into the work force, and be fully
prepared and motivated to contribute significantly to Israeli society.
5 comments:
Do we want this to be successful? Here's an interesting demographic twist that might make this a bad idea.
Consider: once upon a time the Secular Ashkenazic Left (SAL) was the dominant group in Israel. They controlled the country through elections because of that. The country reflected their values and they felt that they were the only true custodians of Herzl's vision which they felt was the only acceptable vision for Israel.
And over time they shrank as a proportion of the population and are now very much a minority but their belief in their centrality to Israel's existence hasn't changed. They are still the only acceptable rulers since only they follow Herzl's dream and all other groups are a threat to Israel as it should properly be. They've continued their rule through transferring executive and legislative power from the Knesset which they can no longer control to the Supreme Court which remains very much under their hegemony.
We saw this in the summer of 2023 in the anti-judicial protests which basically said that Israel is only Israel if the SAL community runs it according to SAL values and if the reform went through and the elected Knesset once again became the ruling body in Israel and not the unelected Supreme Court, there was a good chance they would leave in large numbers. They'd rather live in Golus than in an Israel they didn't control.
(Never mind that this is exactly what they told the religious and Sephardim to do for years - live under our rule and like it)
The other area they maintained control was the army. The army was and is controlled by the SAL elite and they have no interest in sharing that power. Ask any prominent DL officer who asks for a promotion to the top ranks. And that's one reason the SAL has always been hostile to the DL community despite the DL's being incredibly patriotic and serving in the army loyally. They don't see an ally, they see a rival.
Now imagine large numbers of Chareidim enterring hesder and the army. At the same time that the number of SAL's drops simply because SAL's have 1-2 children so there's just not as many to enlist, the number of Chareidim shoots up. Combine that with the DL's alreayd there and you might soon have a majority religious army.
Imagine that. An army where the majority of soldiers are religious will be a HUGE threat to the SAL leadership. I predict it would cause a major schism as the SAL's suddenly realize that their "We need to draft the Chareidim" has backfired and now they are losing control of their favourite institution. What would happen then?
Conceptually: this will promote Aliyah, integrate Charedim into the workforce with dignity, educate them out of their inherent ignorance of the real world, reduce the poverty percentages, reduce the Welfare state that for the most part they created. In addition, Charedim IMO will not become career IDFniks, it's not like politics where the Charedi thieves and zonas populate the Knesset.
Yes, I agree and those are all important things. My fear is that the Chilonim who never wanted to share mainstream society with the Chareidim and allow them influence in how the country or army are run will say "Well this is not my Israel!" and engage in mass emigration.
It is my first hand experience, quite extensively, enlightened Charedim are not held in contempt by the chilonim, in many cases just the opposite.
Things have really changed since the war started. There is contempt in the Chiloni community and anger in the DL community. It's one thing to be a parasite when things are quiet and there's plenty to go around. During this war, not only were they parasites but loudly self-righteous ones and they quickly burned up most good will from the rest of Israeli society. I wouldn't be surprised that there are 100 000's of secular Israelis quite prepared to live elsewhere than next door to Chareidim.
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