... We must protest and warn of all sorts of trends from outside to harm the pure cruse of oil, who found 'special frameworks for Haredim,' which will be under their full control and spirit, included in this are: programs of national service, army service,
...
They also are encouraging all kinds of institutes and colleges for job training and academic degrees which bring in foreign ambitions absorbed from the outside, and their goal is to bring a change in the spirit and essence of the Haredi public, and act to introduce all sorts of other aspirations, national and enlightenment which our forefathers did not know; and to integrate and connect them with the nonreligious life and the culture of evil people.
The question that needs to be asked is where will the money come from? If job training, secular studies etc. are prohibited how will people make a living? Live on handouts? Is that really the traditional Jewish way? Given the recent events in Bet Shemesh things are coming to a head and the secular majority is not going to give the Charedim money for much longer. In any case in 20-30 years the Charedim will be the majority and there won't be any money for the government to give.
The Charedi world has this idea that everyone is out to get them, that the secular want them to become irreligious. IMHO, from my experience working in Israel (with mostly Chilonim) this is simply not true. In fact, my experience is that they respect the religious people that they interact with at work. The average Chiloni has no interest in making anyone irreligious. They do however want a number of things:
1. Freedom from religious coercion
2. Army service for Charedim
3. No money for people sitting and learning
5 comments:
but posting a letter condemning spitting on girls and calling them zonahs, he couldn't be bothered.
no money for people sitting and learning. novel concept.
joshua:
First of all, I am almost certain that he doesn't know anything about what is going on lately in RBS.
Secondly, those people despise him - it could be argued that there is no point talking to people who certainly won't listen anyway.
Read the letter. Nowhere does R' Elyashiv specify any particular program - not Nachal Charedi, not michlalot or charedi colleges, nothing. He only generalizes about programs that are intended to bring Charedim under evil secular influences. I'm also against such things, if they exist. But as for programs that are genuinely intended to help Charedim make a parnossa, while preserving all their religious and lifestyle values - nowhere does the Rav say that he is against charedim learning a trade, and I cannot believe that he would say any such thing. All that this letter is effectively doing is saying, "Beware! There are programs out there that are intended to ensnare Jews into abandoning their values! Don't fall for them! Caveat Emptor!"
The askanim do this all the time. When Rav Shteinman came to RBS as a guest of Degel Hatorah before the municipal elections, the next day Gimmel had published posters and flyers saying that Rav Shteinman had said it was nothing less than a Chillul Hashem to vote anything other than Gimmel. Then I read his actual statement, and it said nothing of the sort. All he said was that voting for people with non-Jewish values was a Chillul Hashem. The Gimmel party workers obviously felt that this meant anyone other than themselves, hence the subsequent marketing.
So don't believe what you read in the media, until you've checked the sources. Same applies to charity collectors who shove "haskomas" in your face. Read them. And same applies to when a Rishon quotes a gemara: go to the source and make sure the quote is accurate. The results are sometimes very surprising.
How should make a living?
They should daven more, of course! They should increase their bitochon and just rely on Hashem to provide them with their needs!
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