(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

With increasing pressure on chareidim in Israel and other countries to enter the workplace, the following video portrays those who are doing just that, without compromising their chareidi identity.

With changes in culture and other factors, as well as finding an appropriate framework, until Achvat Torah was created under the leadership of Rav David Leibel, providing a framework for higher education.

Air Force Major Gadi Goldring, who heads research for the air force’s Ofek project, explains his Gemara is not lost.

The video reports 50% of chareidim in Israel work today, but there remains a disconnect between the working and limud Torah chareidim. Dr. Chaim Zuckerman who heads the Chareidi Campus of Ono Academic College explains, “This is perhaps one of the more sensitive areas in the chareidi community today”.

Rav Leibel says today there are some 60,000 working chareidim today and this is a fact, “And while one may decide to ignore them, one may also decide to address them”.

However, many in the beis medrash are fearful, that the success of working chareidim would ‘pull’ them from the fulltime limud Torah.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)