While Gedolei Yisrael Shlita have spoken loud and clear regarding the continuation of chareidi education without implementing secular studies, the nation’s Ministry of Education has other plans.
For those who question the ministry’s tenacious determination towards achieving its goal, bringing secular studies and bagrut matriculation exams to yeshivos, they may now put those doubts aside. The Thursday 16 Elul edition of Yated Neeman discloses a ministry document signed by Ministry Director-General Dorit Stauber, who is quoted “The ministry has assigned staff to promote this educational ideal which is viewed as a strategic goal”, namely the introduction of math, English, science, computers and bagrut exams in chareidi mosdos.
The document revealed in the report was sent by Stauber to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat during the tenure of the previous administration, when Gideon Saar served as education minister. “In light of the growing chareidi population in Jerusalem the ministry wishes to establish a chareidi high school that offers bagrut” the letter says.
The letter states this was decided upon during a meeting between Saar and principals of chareidi high schools offering bagrut that was held on June 23, 2012, setting a goal of increasing the number of chareidi students studying for bagrut threefold within five years.
Stauber adds that ישיבת נהרדעא לתורה ולתעודה is a premier example, and its relocating to Jerusalem from Nachalim will help to advance this program.
The document was uncovered by Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yitzchak Pindrus, who is working with MK Yaakov Asher on the matter. It was Pindrus who released the document to Yated, a document that clearly shows the agenda of the current ministry was launched in the previous administration.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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21 Responses
A surprise????
Okay, maybe some people ignore the hiloni news sources. It isn’t like this is a big secret. It has been the hiloni agenda all along, and they have made no efforts to hide it.
If there concern was to increase the number of Hareidim passing the bagrut, they would be talking about setting up extracurricular courses, probably involving distance education, and designed to be done outside of regular school hours. But their concern is not to improve the “education” of hareidim, but to destroy the yeshivos and reduce Torah learning. And they have been making no secret about it (even if some people have been incredibly naive – it’s like someone who didn’t realize until 1944 that perhaps the Germans didn’t like us??????).
So preparing people to be able to function with an education is a bad idea now?
And what agenda is that?
To establish a Charedi State high school, reduce tuitions overall from the private Charedi high schools, teach core curriculum, have students graduate with a diploma and choose either Yeshiva Gedolah, Hesder, Mechina or do nothing.
What a great suggestion that some Charedi talmidim should study for bagrut (instead of doing it privately/personally as some are now!)… What’s the huge, new, surprising AGENDA???
How could they force my children to learn math? I was hoping to keep them clean and pure and unaware of numbers or money or bank accounts! While this can be confusing when I ask my son to help out and put out 10 plates on the Shabbos table, and then say 4 more guests are coming, and he doesn’t know how many plates to put out – this is a small price to pay to maintain kedushat hamoach.
Thank G-d we don’t have to suffer in Jerusalem like you do in the questionable yeshiva environments of Lakewood, Monsey and Boro Park. Those bochrim, infected with foreign ideas like counting, are definitely not appropriate for my tochters.
zionflag:
If that was the goal, they could accomplish it by expanding extracurricular options such as distance education. The goal is destroy yeshivos and reduce or eliminate the role of Torah in Israeli (i.e. zionist) society. And this has been the agenda of the zionists since the beginning of the zionist movement which was realized immediately by the gedolim, which is why daas Torah has always been opposed to zionist (even if many naive frummies thought they could take the zionist money and still be frum).
I don’t understand the problem… children getting a balanced education…what is your problem………
Shabbat Shalom
Miriam
Miriam: Because their leading concern in “balancing” education is not to offer more subjects (which could be done in ways that don’t interfere with the traditional schools), but in reducing one subject (Torah) to a radical extent. If they were acting in good faith it would involve solutions that don’t reduce learning Torah – but they clearly are NOT acting in good faith. Their goal is to to integrate bnei Torah into Israeli society, but to reduce the number of bnei Torah living in Eretz Yisrael.
no. 6 “I don’t understand the problem… children getting a balanced education…what is your problem…” Miriam
Dear Miriam and all others who have been bamboozled by the disinformation campaign of the secular government and the media:
No one in the Chareidi community is opposed to the acquisition of basic skills in math and language, needed to earn a living.
According to John Taylor Gatto, an award-winning teacher in the NY City public schools for 31 years, only 100 hours of study are required for acquiring the necessaary basic skills, if a student is willing to learn.
This can easily be acquired in just a few months by any yeshiva student who wants to joion the workforce.
The true purpose of the secular bureacrats is to intorduce a secular Trojan horse into the yeshiva curriculum, little by little, to stop the explosive growth of Chareidi society in Israel, which threatens the power of the secular oligarchy.
Our wise gedolim, who care very very much about the success of our yeshiva men, understand this hiiden agenda, and they will fight it tooth and nail.
#5 There are Charedi yeshivos, (usually where Olim or American/South African/Canadian/French talmidim attend)that offer private, undisclosed options to study, review (& it takes hrs)for passing the bagrut.
Of course as you suggest,,,, to “accomplish it by expanding extracurricular options such as distance education” has two distinct difficulties, 1)internet connections 2) less online/extra curricular options for high school curriculum as there are for college options 3) These talmidim and their yeshivos will be open to violence by our well known “ha, ha Fringe Extremists”….
Apekurma:
You are obviously well-read and well-spoken. But in the interests of honesty, I think you should divulge to the readers that you faithfully toe the ‘heiligge-shitta’ of virulent anti-zionism.
Nothing wrong with that. That’s what your manhigim taught you. Problem is, that it colors every single opinion you write about.
Secular studies are taught in all heimish communities around the world. Because they’re important, and because the governments, recognizing their importance, try to implement them in all communities. And it’s not because they wish to destroy mosdos hatorah.
Why is it that only in Israel, if the government wishes to introduce beneficial options, do you attribute to them sinister motives.
One doesn’t have to be blind ch”v, to realize that a huge amount of indigents from E.Y. are forced into ‘collecting’, for lack of better sources of parnossah.
A little secular education would improve their lives and the lives of their families.
AkivaM:
A little short-sighted, don’t you think?
Our Gedolim don’t know math? How do you take maaser without it? How do go to a store without it? How do you learn Messeches Eiruvin, Sukka, Kilayim, etc, etc without math – not just adding 10+4 – but trigonometry, etc?
You must be kidding…
Just to point out.
Lakewood as well as many Chassidishe communities all have severly limited secular education for boys at the High School level as well as elementry.
those insinuating that they all have secular education is plain ignorance of facts.
Which is hard to understand since I thought only Chareidim are ignorant.
And I did’nt realize that without a High School education you could’nt be successful.
I have a pretty good e-commerce buisness with multiple outlets and I happen to be a High School drop out.
Oh Well.
Secular education was not uncommon in the Hasidic community in the past. Why the change? Unfortunately the rabbis of segments of the haredi community have such power over their followers that they can order a decrease in education of secular topics, and their followers just blindly follow along, without the use of common sense and critical judgment they were born with, and just say no! What are these rabbis afraid of – that educated followers would be harder to control? This was the attitude of the clergy during the middle ages. Didn’t the parents realize that without a strong secular education, their children would find it difficult to find good jobs, and might not be able to financially support their future large families?
Some haredi children are being robbed of the opportunity (choice) to achieve everything they are capable of achieving when they become young adults. Most parents make great sacrifices to ensure their children have future opportunities and choices, and can get a college education (let alone a GED) if the child so chooses. Except some parents within some haredi communities. Why is this a cultural norm within these communities? I feel sorry for these children.
deep thinker, you wrote: “This can easily be acquired in just a few months by any yeshiva student who wants to joion the workforce.”
You are joking, right? What are you and the haredi afraid of? That haredi children will get an education and then question how to think and what they are told to do by the rabbis? Every society values education but yours.
lets face the truth. the israeli charedi kids have a better jewish education than there american counterparts. i met a boy who is 14 in israel who finished 100 blatt of gemara this year (with exams). i dont think i learned even a 100 blatt my whole high school career. these kids are way ahead.
Yes we know that by introducing secular subjects, it will reduce Torah learning. But yeshiva is not the only place to learn Torah: the home is. Just because you sit and learn doesn’t necessarily mean you study torah. What ever happened to practicing Torah. How many times do we see brilliant scholars with no derech Eretz and no middos tovos? Does that not belong to Torah learning? How bad would it be to teach our children common knowledge and get a diploma and parents actually teaching over Torah to their own children at home, during family time or is that a huge aveirah? How terrible would it be for parents to makeup for that time at home. Besides, if all these chareidim are so not satisfied with what is going on, shouldn’t they be praying more to Hashem to change the outcome? After all, what should they be looking for: the rod or the One who is holding the rod?
Just do it as distance learning for whomever wants it if they want to get some additional training. Period. No need to introduce it to yeshivos.
No math mo science, no computers, means NO JOBS. (“Lifney iver, al titen michshol”) Oh yeah, keep on begging from the USA? Is that halachically permissable?
I cant believe the stupidity of some of the commentators
1. First they hold themselves smarter than our gedolim
2. Akiva M who definitely has a “Jewish Look” but who is rotten to the core; makes fun of our gedolim
3. Why TYW would publish this garbage is beyond me
4. Zionism is not new, and according to Rabbi Miller brought upon WW2. Anyone watching videos or talking to the people from the shtetil will quickly learn that the jewish nation were falling like flies.
What this government is doing is try to destroy Yeshivas!!!! They are not looking to help the Chareidi; Who is stupid enough to fall for them!!!
The US has no interest in destroying the Yeshivas, they have a set of rules when it comes to schools, the same is for christian schools etc. The Zionest very much want to destroy Yiddishkeit!!!! You can’t give them an inch, however innocent it sounds!!!
The Thursday 16 Elul edition of Yated Neeman..
This should provide all the information one needs about the credibility of the words that follow.
did anyone think that maybe the rabonim are too afraid to tell the truth says we need to educate the kids so later on they can get a job if they need one? Does anyone realize that the Philly yeshiva takes their English curriculum seriously (Rabbi Schuel Kamanesky). Why is there such a big divide between Israel and the rest of the world?