As is the case in North America, the global economic crisis is beginning to sink its teeth into the Israeli economy, manifesting itself in the form of layoffs, salary cuts, and of course in the frum community, in the Kollelim where money is generally tight, even when things are good.
The Mir is one example, where some avreichim are not receiving payments on schedule and the sharp drop in donations is evident in the cafeteria, where the meals are far simpler than seen weeks ago, including on Shabbos.
Some wives of avreichim who teach in seminaries are also learning they are not going to receive salaries on time, as is the case with rabbonim who are melamdim in yeshivos.
Assistance programs for yungerliet are being curtailed or eliminated, and the current realities experts warn are still the “good days”.
Last week, YWN reported that a kollel affiliated with Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlita may be compelled to close its doors, and gedolim have recently called for increased tefillos in response to the situation.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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18 Responses
Seminary teachers make great money – hard to understand that line. Seminaries charge $15 + thousand per girl, hard to imagine they are in the same boat as the yeshivos struggling to pay avreichim. In any case, it’s a bad situation overall.
#2
your bitochim with the fruma is very nice . i think it would still be advisable to go out among jews and try to raise funds so that the yungerleit dont have to rely on betochen alone .
1, I think that in Israel, high schools are also called seminary. Or it may be referring to Israeli post h.s. sem.
Unfortunately many of these Kolel guys who are on their honemoon 2-3 years after they get married (nothing less than a luxurious wedding of course)want the gashmios too. They want their house fully furnished with all luxuries in place including a new car.
To #2 & #5: I am deeply pained with your comments.
We are a Kollel couple living in Israel so far 10 years (and believe me it’s not a honeymoon), and have a few children. No we DON’T have a car – usually we try walking and when necessary take buses, and our house has what is absolutely necessary without any luxury whatsoever. Now, you tell me: Have you send your kids out in the morning with empty stomachs, have an almost empty fridge and didn’t have a chicken for shabbos? Well, we did, and eventhough we have bittachon, we don’t live out of air! I think it’s disgusting of those who think that the avreichim and Rabbonim going to chutz l’aaretz to collect money are getting it to fatten our bellies and give us luxuries.
gg:
I commend you and all others like you, living a life of sacrifice in order to learn. I don’t think that I could do that, but I certainly respect all of those living with true Mesiras Nefesh.
My question is as follows, and I mean this seriously: Now that the money is not there for whatever reason, what is preventing you from getting a job- in klei kodesh or in the secular world- either in Eretz Yisrael, or in Chutz La’aretz if necessary. Is that not the responsibility of a husband and a father?
“gedolim have recently called for increased tefillos in response to the situation.”
While not disagreeing, it would be more practical to call for a lot of belt tightening in the frum community (smaller wedding, cheaper summer camps, less restaurant meals, less travel), and for more fund raising by those who still can help. We have no control over the world economy, or even the Israeli economy, but we can respond intelligently.
To#7
You are very misinformed I live in Israel for 10 years(I an mot gg)and know many others who’s husbands are in kollel. Many of them do something to bring in more like tutoring bochurim I have a friend who her husband is a sofer, another who her husband started to deal in real estate in his free time, most of the women are working either outside the home or from the home, nobody can live from a kollel stipend especially if you have 2+ kids, it is just pocket money the cost of living comparatively is extremely high even just for the basics.
to #5
You have a wild imagination, yes there are a minority who live on a high standard, car and all but just a minority. first of all don’t assume that every American in Israel is in Kollel there are plenty who aren’t second of all majority who are in kollel live extremely simply, living with second hand furniture, no meat during the week and not fleishige suppers all week, fruits and veggies have become a luxury for many this past year with sharp rises in prices. With all the struggling that we couples go through our homes are full of American bochurim every shabbos meal, with no complaints, we are truly happy to be zoche to this mitzvah of hachnossos orchim. Wonder if you were one of them?
# 3
very well said . u took the words out of my mouth.
#7: I certainly agree with you. I’ve lived in Jerusalem for 3 years now, been married for a year, and work fulltime. And I’m proud to say that I bring home our main income, as I promised my wife in the kesubah.
to #6 gg:
1- Now it’s time to get a job!
2- Maybe you should drop internet and then you’ll have extra $$$$ to feed your children.
ditto about #6.. I think a shayla should be asked if you should be continueing in kollel b/c a child should never be sent without food. There is just so much that the frum world can give.. Some hishtadlus has to be made here..
# 12
What a thoughtless comment. The internet connection is likely how his wife works, like most kolel wives.
And being in the Mir, I find it somewhat amusing to read how my meals have recently ‘become far simpler’. I just finished supper at the Mir a few hours ago, and I’m at a loss trying to figure out how on earth such a rumour began. The Yeshiva may indeed be going through a difficult period, but the meals don’t seem to have affected one iota.
There are many people who are trying to join the work force who can’t. It is even more difficult for people in Kollel to get a decent paying job today, when all sorts of companies both in the U.S. and in Eretz Yisroel are laying people off. We need to communally figure out a way to get through this crisis without finger pointing at the people suffering the most.
15 – there is work for everyone, just dont high paid white collar work for someone wthout skill and motivation
#14, I think what is bothersome about #6 is that he is sitting in kollel while his kids starve. That is a huge shayla.. If #6 really wants to stay in kollel then he should either look for ways to earn money on the side or maybe looking into a different kollel in EY or outside EY. There is no chiyuv to be in kollel in EY.
By letting your kids starve you are playing with fire. I doubt that these kids are thinking that they have zechusim for their father’s learning.. I also wonder if they would want to be in kollel in the future themselves after going through this.
This is by no means an attack on kollel but an idea that it should be done with sechel and not at the expense of basic necessities, especially for the kids who need the food to grow and be healthy.
What most of you don’t realise is that it is extremely difficult for kollel wives to get jobs with suitable hours, and with the high cost of babysitting it is sometimes not even worth to go out to work.
Also, most kollel men are totally unqualified and so their job opportunities are limited.
Then there should be a fund to help them learn a trade of some sort and in the mean time they should do ANYTHING that comes their way.
Tutoring, safrus, dirshu tests, translating, editing, writing, being a rebbi in yeshiva, shlepping in a grocery store, working in an american company and working overnite, stock boy in a store, working in a home for disabled children, chazzanus, accounting. do american taxes. being a cleaner in a grocery..
in 1929 in the great depression, they wouldn’t care what they did as long as it put food on the table.
do you think those sweatshops in the lower east side were fun? no way. it was done to put food on the table and roof over the heads.
do you know about the mesirus nefesh for shabbos in those days.