The study distinguishes between two groups within the population of yeshiva students: (1) a group comprising the majority of students in the ordinary yeshivot of the mainstream Haredi community, in which there is strict attention to study programs and meticulous observance of dress codes and the Haredi religious way of life; and (2) a group comprising some 8,320 students (around 18% of all yeshiva. [...] The challenges faced by students in the mainstream yeshivot, and still more so by their peers in the “soft” yeshivot, are related to the study workload, disciplinary problems, spiritual challenges, the monotonous character of the study material, the attitude toward them of their rabbi-educator (“ram”), and so forth. [...] The study shows that around two-thirds (67%) of students in the mainstream yeshivot believe that lowering the age of exemption from military service would lead them to enter the job market at an earlier age, and 87% of students in the “soft” yeshivot viii Policy Paper 199 | From the Yeshiva World to the Practical World share this assessment. [...] Regulation and Legislation: Lowering the Age of Exemption from Military Service and Conscription to the IDF As the findings of the study show, lowering the age of exemption from military service could provide a broad legal response to the needs of many young Haredi men of higher yeshiva age, particularly those who do not see their future in the yeshiva world. [...] Improving and Reinforcing the Personnel and the Educational and Care Systems in the Yeshivot In order to encourage increased professionalism in terms of pedagogy and student care in the yeshivot, consideration should be given to additional government funding and budgeting, inspected and audited by the Ministry of Welfare and its subsidiary units, for the placement of Haredi care staff in yeshivot.
- Pages
- 16
- Published in
- Israel
