Addressing camp for Yeshivas Derech Hashem, MK Moshe Gafne called on the secular community to “learn from the chareidim”.

During the symposium held on Wednesday 27 Menachem Av, held in Kfar Chasidim, Gafne used the forum to address numerous items that involve him regularly and are on the chareidi agenda. This includes the discrimination in girl’s high schools such as in Elad today. He threatened that he will shut down the school’s budget in his capacity as chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee. The panel discussion was headed by journalist Yehuda Glickman.

“The world exists in the merit of the bnei yeshivos. In their merit we are here today and in their merit we have returned to Eretz Yisrael after 2,000 years of exile. But I am speaking about most of the chareidi tzibur, women and men that wish to enter the workforce and earn a respectable living”.

“For the secular society, primarily their leaders, we have reached a situation that we present a challenge to them as they ponder if our words that we wish to enter the workforce are sincere”. Gafne then clarified that he is not speaking about joining Israeli society but just the workplace for the former is not desired.

He lamented the low moral standard of Israeli society compared to the Western nations. He spoke of the failed Israeli education system as compared to other developed nations, explaining that Israel ranks pitifully low among the Western nations.

“If we are speaking about integration then let the secular community integrate into chareidi society. We have many important things to teach them. We are speaking about integration when a chareidi can enter a government office, the board of directors of a company, to local government and the like” he explained.

In his address pertaining to chareidi women entering the workplace, he stated “We do not have women among us willing to lower themselves to the level of Knesset for one who does is no longer chareidi. Half of our voters would abandon us if a woman appeared on the ballot. They will not vote for us, primarily the women. The chareidi women are on a higher level than the men religiously speaking. This is in our generation. There were generations like this and there were others. Today, a chareidi woman will not vote for a chareidi party if a woman appears on the ballot”.

“The chilonim say there is total equality but I look at the cabinet table and see twenty something ministers, among them 2-3 women. This is true in large companies too. The women are pushed aside in the secular community. They are fortunate to have the chareidi parties to speak about. We do not discriminate but declare up front that there are no women on the list and one may vote for us or not. Regarding salary the matter is more apparent for chareidi women are discriminated against twice, once regarding the regular salary and then again as compared to salaries paid to secular women”.

“Our goal is to prevent a chareidi man or woman from being adversely affected. It is our money, the money we invest in the state. We too pay taxes directly and indirectly. We give more money than a secular family is accustomed. We pay more taxes and buy more apartments because we have more children. A large portion of the price of an apartment is taxes. We also pay taxes indirectly with food items which we buy more of. They take our money, they steal from us and give it to non-religious and we the chareidim stand out and they preach morality to us as well”.

Gafne then addressed the government’s continued “interference” in chareidi chinuch and the pressure to link assisting schools with compelling them to teach the so-called core secular subjects. Gafne stated that he personally feels it is good to teach English and give achievement exams like the ones administered by Chinuch Atzmai but stresses there is no room for government involvement in the chareidi school system. He stresses the argument between chareidi mosdos and the state continues today, pointing out the chareidi school system was found to ensure pedagogic independence.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)